Galbi comes in two types of cuts - traditional version (Wang Galbi) and LA style.
Apart from beef short ribs, pork spare ribs, or dwaeji galbi can also be used to make this grilled dish. Spare ribs are distinct from short ribs in a way that the former is cut from the lower part of a pig, particularly the belly and breastbone, at the back of the shoulder, and has eleven to thirteen long bones. On the other hand, short ribs are chops of beef taken from chuck, rib, brisket, and plate areas of cattle.
Dwaeji-galbi-gui (grilled pork ribs) is considered as Korea's top-ranking grilled spare ribs that are described to be luscious and appealing to the eyes. Also, it is somewhat similar to the LA-style galbi that is cooked with its bones and tenderloins still fixed. But still, dwaeji-galbi-gui is usually quite spicy as gochujang (red chili pepper paste) is included in its marinade sauce.
The making of dwaeji-galbi-gui is similar to that of preparing so-galbi-gui (grilled beef ribs) since they are both galbi. Aside from gochujang (chili paste)-based marinade for the pork ribs, ganjang (soy sauce)-based sauce can also be used to season the meat. For better result, deeper cuts are made when slicing the surface of the meat to let the marinade to flavor the ribs faster.
Like the beef, the pork is also soaked in a cheongju (Korean rice wine) to get rid of any unwanted porky smell. A mixture made with loads of minced ginger and black pepper can also be used to remove such odor, while a marinade with plenty of fresh ginger, and garlic can make the pork tastier.
Dwaeji-galbi-gui is said to be more reasonable than the pricy so-galbi-gui, plus its tenderness makes it easy to munch and digest. To enjoy this grilled pork ribs, akin to eating the latter, a variety of traditional small side dishes called banchan are served containing mostly veggies in different sauces. Two of the usual side courses that accompany dwaeji-galbi-gui are kimchi and kkakdugi.
Furthermore, the pork can also be wrapped in lettuce or other leafy vegetables, together with raw/grilled garlic and chili pepper, then dipped in ssamjang (thicky and spicy paste).
Bring your family and friends to the closest Korean BBQ restaurant and give this pork-version galbi a go and find out how delicious this dish is.
