Galbi-jjim: Bone-In Short Ribs Braised Until Glossy
Soak and blanch the ribs first, braise them in a sauce made with shiitake soaking liquid, and add the root vegetables, chestnuts and jujubes in order. Finish by spooning the reduced sauce over everything over high heat until it shines.
Bone-in beef short ribs go into a heavy pot with a sauce of shiitake soaking liquid, soy sauce, mirim, sugar, garlic and ginger. Partway through, rounded pieces of radish and carrot, quartered shiitake caps and chestnuts join them. Near the end, dried jujubes and rice syrup go in. In the last few minutes, the cook spoons the remaining sauce over the meat and vegetables over high heat until most of it has reduced and everything is glazed. This is galbi-jjim (갈비찜), a Korean dish of braised beef ribs.
This article follows one written recipe: Maangchi's "Braised beef short ribs (Galbi-jjim: 갈비찜)," a stovetop version for 4 servings. Maangchi describes galbi-jjim as a dish made for special days such as Chuseok, Seollal and family birthdays. She also says it is something you can make on a weekend. It is one cook's published recipe. It does not represent every household's galbi-jjim or a single traditional standard. No ingredients from other versions, such as potatoes, onion or pear, have been added.
Sekai Gohan has not kitchen-tested this recipe. The amounts and steps follow the published recipe as written.
Ingredients: 4 Servings, Built Around 2 Pounds of Short Ribs
Equipment
- Bowls for soaking the mushrooms and the ribs
- A strainer for draining the mushrooms over a bowl
- A cup measure and measuring spoons
- Cutting board and knife, plus a small paring knife for rounding the vegetables
- A large, heavy pot with a lid
- A colander
- A spoon for stirring and basting
- A wooden skewer
- A small skillet and paper towels (only for the ginkgo garnish)
- A large serving platter
Choosing and Substituting
- Radish: Korean radish is used. Daikon is an alternative, but don't assume the two have the same flavor, moisture or texture.
- Mirim: Mirim (also written mirin) is used, and water can be used in its place. Japanese mirin, mirin-style seasonings and cooking sake are different products, so no direct equivalence is assumed.
- Sugar: White sugar is used. Brown sugar or Swerve are options.
- Chestnuts: Peeled frozen chestnuts are used. Fresh chestnuts are also an option, but peeling them is not covered here.
- Rice syrup: Rice syrup is used. Don't swap in honey or other syrups.
- What is not in this version: Potatoes, onion, pear and apple do not belong in it.
Planning the Day: Two Soaks Come Before the Pot
The total time is about 2 hours. The recipe also calls for soaking the shiitake for 3–4 hours or overnight, and soaking the ribs in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is not clear whether these soaking times are included in the 2-hour estimate. Plan around the mushrooms, since they need the longest lead time and their liquid is needed for the sauce.
When the Pot Doesn't Look Right
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Less than 2 cups of shiitake soaking liquid | Add cold water until you have 2 cups. Only top up if you are short. |
| The skewer doesn't pass through the meat easily | Add about 1 cup water and cook 15–30 minutes longer. Thicker ribs need the longer end of that range. |
| The meat is still not almost falling off the bone after the jujubes go in | Keep simmering covered. The 10-minute stage is "10 minutes or until tender," not a fixed stop. |
| The sauce is still thin at the end | Keep the heat on high and spoon the broth over the meat and vegetables for a few minutes, until most of it has reduced and everything looks glazed. |
Variations Within This Recipe
Maangchi's recipe offers several options that stay within the same dish:
- Leave out the chestnuts, the jujubes, or both. She calls both optional.
- Use water instead of mirim, or brown sugar or Swerve instead of white sugar.
- Use daikon in place of Korean radish.
- Serve without the pine nut and ginkgo garnish.
The written recipe is stovetop only. It gives no pressure-cooker, oven or slow-cooker version, so this article does not offer converted times for those methods.
Food Safety, Leftovers and Reheating
The following points come from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) home food-safety guidance. They are not part of the recipe.
- Keep raw meat juices away from salads and cooked foods. Clean your hands and any equipment that touched raw meat. This includes the water and splashes from the rinsing, soaking and blanching stages.
- For foods that need cooking, MHLW gives 75°C at the center for at least 1 minute as a general heating benchmark.
- Don't leave prepared food at room temperature for a long time. Cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers. Reheat them thoroughly, using 75°C or higher as the benchmark.
Rinsing the raw ribs is part of Maangchi's method. The MHLW guidance does not treat rinsing as a safety measure, so don't rely on rinsing to make the meat safe. The recipe gives soaking times for the ribs but no storage temperature for the soak.
Maangchi's page suggests reheating leftovers covered over low heat. Her page also gives its own refrigeration period, but that period could not be confirmed against public food-safety guidance, so this article does not give a storage period. No general safety information about ginkgo nuts was confirmed for this article.
Galbi-jjim at the Korean Table: Holidays, Price and Court Records
For more Korean dishes, see the South Korea recipe collection.
In her recipe, Maangchi places galbi-jjim among the dishes made for special days: Chuseok (the autumn harvest holiday), Seollal (Lunar New Year) and family birthdays. In the same recipe, she says it can also be made on an ordinary weekend. She suggests putting it at the center of the table with side dishes and serving it with rice. Both descriptions are hers: a dish for special occasions that is also within reach of a home kitchen.
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, published by the Academy of Korean Studies, gives a scholar's view. Its entry on 갈비찜 was written in 1995 by culinary scholar Jung Sun-ja and updated in 2023. It defines galbijjim as braised pieces of beef ribs and notes that pork ribs may also be used. According to the entry, galbijjim was sometimes served at Chuseok in place of a chicken jjim. Because ribs cost more than lean meat, the entry also places galbijjim among high-end foods. It describes serving the dish in a covered bowl. The encyclopedia states that its entries reflect the individual author's scholarly opinion, which may differ from the Academy's official position.
It is tempting to link galbi-jjim to Korea's royal court, but the sources checked here do not support that. The National Institute of Korean History distinguishes ordinary court meals from ceremonial banquets. It explains that the 1795 Wonhaeng Eulmyo Jeongni Uigwe records the meals of an eight-day royal journey involving King Jeongjo, Lady Hyegyeong and Hwaseong. These records include a feast and everyday meals, such as a royal lunch of fish dumplings on the return journey. The Korea Tourism Organization (VISITKOREA) also describes Joseon court cuisine through such written records. It lists jjim among court food categories and notes that court meals used seasonal and local ingredients. However, neither source's passages show galbijjim on the 1795 menu. This article therefore does not call galbi-jjim royal-court cuisine or say that it was served at that event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in a pressure cooker?
The written recipe followed here is stovetop only. It gives no pressure-cooker timings, so this article does not offer any.
Should I add potatoes?
Potatoes don't appear in this version. Onion, pear and apple, which some other recipes use, are not included either.
Can I use daikon instead of Korean radish?
Yes. Maangchi names daikon as an alternative. Cut and round it the same way as the Korean radish.
Can I leave out the chestnuts or jujubes?
Yes. Maangchi calls both optional, even though they appear in her ingredient list and method.
Is it really done in about 2 hours?
The recipe card says about 2 hours. The page also calls for soaking the shiitake for 3–4 hours or overnight and the ribs for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and it doesn't say whether those soaks are included. Start the mushrooms well ahead.
Does the skewer test mean the meat is safely cooked?
No. The skewer test and the meat almost falling off the bone are signs of tenderness, not of a safe temperature. As a general benchmark, Japan's MHLW guidance gives 75°C at the center for at least 1 minute for foods that need cooking.
How long do leftovers keep?
This article does not give a storage period. Following MHLW guidance, cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers, don't leave them at room temperature for long, and reheat them thoroughly, using 75°C or higher as the benchmark.
Sources
- Maangchi, "Braised beef short ribs (Galbi-jjim: 갈비찜)." First posted 2008-09-10; page updated 2026-10-04. The sole basis for the ingredients, amounts, method order, heat levels, times, tenderness cues and ingredient options. Also the source for the author's description of the dish as made for Chuseok, Seollal and family birthdays as well as on weekends, and her serving suggestion with rice. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/galbi-jjim
- Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, "갈비찜" (entry by Jung Sun-ja, written 1995, updated 2023). The scholar's account of galbijjim as braised beef rib pieces (pork ribs also possible), its occasional use at Chuseok in place of chicken jjim, its status as a high-end dish because ribs cost more than lean meat, and serving in a covered bowl. https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0000650
- National Institute of Korean History, "Korean Royal Cuisine." The distinction between ordinary court meals and ceremonial banquets, and the 1795 Uigwe's record of meals during an eight-day royal journey. It does not show galbijjim on that menu. https://contents.history.go.kr/play/view.do?levelId=tz_b44
- Korea Tourism Organization (VISITKOREA), "Royal Cuisine." Joseon court cuisine as recorded in feast documents, including the 1795 Uigwe, and court food categories including jjim. It does not establish galbijjim in that record. https://english1.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FOD/FO_ENG_2_3.jsp
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "家庭での食中毒予防" (Preventing food poisoning at home). General guidance on keeping raw meat juices away from other foods, cleaning hands and equipment, the 75°C-for-1-minute heating benchmark, and cooling and reheating leftovers. It does not give a storage period for this dish. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/01_00008.html
