Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos (Kalbi Tacos)
Thin-cut short ribs marinated overnight in a soy, pear, orange and sesame purée, charred on a hot grill and tucked into corn tortillas with a crunchy cabbage slaw and a chile-sesame salsa.
Korean tacos were born on a food truck. Wikipedia's Kogi Korean BBQ article dates the Los Angeles truck to November 19, 2008, names Mark Manguera and Caroline Shin as founders and Roy Choi as chef, and says Kogi posted its locations on Twitter, which led Newsweek to call it "America's first viral eatery" in 2009; in 2010 Food & Wine named Choi a Best New Chef, the first food truck chef so honored. José R. Ralat calls Choi the "K-Mex taco godfather", says Kogi's Twitter use was crucial, and adds that Korean and Mexican communities living side by side in Los Angeles made the mix possible; within two years Korean-style tacos were on trucks across the country.
When Los Angeles magazine published Choi's kalbi in 2013, it told readers to "throw this in some tacos" and skip the Kogi line.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Thin-cut short ribs marinated overnight in a soy, pear, orange and sesame purée, charred on a hot grill and tucked into corn tortillas with a crunchy cabbage slaw and a chile-sesame salsa.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, a taco is a warm, soft corn tortilla with a little meat, salsa, onion and cilantro, eaten standing up at a stand. Cheddar and a crunchy shell aren't part of it. See the Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Pear and orange in the marinade
The fruit adds sweetness that caramelizes into char on a hot grill, and Choi purées it so it clings to every rib.
Thin flanken cut
Cut across the bones about 1/3 inch thick, the ribs marinate through overnight and cook in about 4 minutes.
Step by step
- Step 1
Blend the onion, scallions, garlic, pear, soy sauce, orange juice, mirin, wine, sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds until smooth. Coat the short ribs in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours.
- Step 2
About 30 minutes before cooking, take the ribs out of the fridge. Toss the slaw ingredients together. Stir the salsa, gochujang and sesame seeds together, and mix the onion and cilantro for the relish.
- Step 3
Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat and brush with the vegetable oil. Lift the ribs out of the marinade and let the excess drip off; throw the used marinade away.
- Step 4
Grill in batches, turning once, about 2 minutes per side, until browned and charred in spots. Thin ribs pass the 145°F whole-cut minimum quickly; check a thicker piece with a thermometer.
- Step 5
Stack the grilled ribs on a plate to keep warm and rest at least 3 minutes. Cut the meat off the bones into bite-size strips.
- Step 6
Fill each warm tortilla with short rib, a spoon of chile-sesame salsa, a pile of slaw and some onion-cilantro relish. Serve with lime.
Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos (Kalbi Tacos)
Serves 4 (3 tacos each) · 12 tacos · 8 hr 45 min total
Kalbi marinade (Roy Choi)
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 scallions, roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp peeled garlic cloves (about 12)
- 1/4 Asian pear, peeled
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 lb thin-cut (flanken) bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 tsp vegetable oil, for the grill
Quick slaw (ours)
- 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup thinly sliced romaine
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
Chile-sesame salsa and relish (ours)
- 1/2 cup red salsa
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chile paste)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
- Lime wedges
Method
- Blend the onion, scallions, garlic, pear, soy sauce, orange juice, mirin, wine, sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds until smooth. Coat the short ribs in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours.
- About 30 minutes before cooking, take the ribs out of the fridge. Toss the slaw ingredients together. Stir the salsa, gochujang and sesame seeds together, and mix the onion and cilantro for the relish.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat and brush with the vegetable oil. Lift the ribs out of the marinade and let the excess drip off; throw the used marinade away.
- Grill in batches, turning once, about 2 minutes per side, until browned and charred in spots. Thin ribs pass the 145°F whole-cut minimum quickly; check a thicker piece with a thermometer.
- Stack the grilled ribs on a plate to keep warm and rest at least 3 minutes. Cut the meat off the bones into bite-size strips.
- Fill each warm tortilla with short rib, a spoon of chile-sesame salsa, a pile of slaw and some onion-cilantro relish. Serve with lime.
The short ribs are adapted from Roy Choi's kalbi in Los Angeles magazine (May 20, 2013), halved from 3 lb to 1 1/2 lb. Kogi's own slaw and salsa recipes are not published that we could find, so the slaw, the chile-sesame salsa and the onion-cilantro relish here are our own simple versions, not Kogi's. History from Wikipedia and José R. Ralat (links in Story). lamag.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Look for "LA-style" or flanken short ribs at Korean markets; they are already sliced thin across the bone.
- Choi serves kalbi on its own with rice, kimchi or macaroni salad; leftovers make a rice bowl.
- Don't reuse the raw-meat marinade as a sauce unless you boil it first.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Roy Choi invented the Korean taco. Disputed: Wikipedia lists Mark Manguera and Caroline Shin as Kogi's founders and Choi as chef; Ralat calls Choi the "godfather" but credits the Korean and Mexican communities of Los Angeles, and the entrepreneurs who copied Kogi, for making it a national style.
- Kogi was the first viral eatery. Documented as Newsweek's 2009 description (Wikipedia).
- The truck's launch date. Disputed: Wikipedia says November 19, 2008; other accounts (search summaries) say Thanksgiving Day or December 2008.
- Kalbi on the original truck. Disputed: Wikipedia lists bulgogi tacos and short rib sliders on the menu; secondhand descriptions (search summaries) describe a short rib taco.
- Korean tacos are a gimmick. Folklore: Ralat counts K-Mex among established American taco styles.
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