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Korean Beef Stew Recipe

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5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Braising Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Yield 4 servings
Category Dinner
Cuisine Korean

Description

Korean Beef Stew, made with glazed Korean beef short ribs, is the perfect dinner party recipe. Featuring the most decadent and delicious fall-off-the-bone short ribs in an umami-rich stew, each bite of this beef Korean stew is satisfying and nuanced.

Ingredients

  • 3–3½ pounds meaty beef short ribs*
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil or avocado oil
  • 1 yellow onion, trimmed, halved and cut into wedges
  • 4 large cloves garlic, sliced
  • ¼ cup finely diced fresh ginger
  • 4 tablespoons gochujang, divided
  • ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons mirin, divided
  • 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 large Daikon radish (¾ pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 325ºF (163ºC) with rack set in middle position.
  • Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Season beef with 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Add half of ribs to pot and sear until golden brown on all side, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer ribs to a sheet pan or plate. Repeat browning with remaining ribs. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons grease.
  • Add onion wedges, 4 sliced cloves garlic and ¼ cup minced ginger to drippings and cook, stirring frequently until onion starts to caramelize, 5–7 minutes.
  • Stir in 2 cups water, ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons gochujang, and 1 ounce chopped dried shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a simmer then nestle ribs back into pot, meat side down, scooping up onions and placing over beef to allow all of the beef to be submerged.
  • Cover and transfer to oven; braise until beef is tender and easily falls off bone, 3 hours.
  • Remove pot from oven and gently transfer beef to a sheet pan. Increase oven temperature to 425º (218ºC) and set rack to upper-middle position. In a small bowl whisk together remaining 2 tablespoons gochujang, 3 tablespoons honey, and 3 tablespoons mirin. Brush glaze over ribs then transfer ribs to oven and roast until deeply browned and crisp, about 25 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, skim fat from pot then stir in 2 cups water, 3 cubed carrots and 1 cubed Daikon, bring to low simmer and cook, partially covered, until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon mirin and 2 teaspoons rice vinegar; season to taste with additional salt, mirin and vinegar.
  • When ready to serve, place a bone in a serving bowl and spoon soup over top. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Equipment

Dutch oven
baking sheet

Notes

Short Ribs: there are three ways short ribs are sold. Boneless, English Cut and Flanken. For this recipe you are looking for English-Cut short ribs that have been cut down into 4-inch long ribs. If your meat counter only has full ribs, ask them to cut them in half, crosswise. 
Dried mushrooms: I have goodluck finding dried mushrooms at most large grocery stores. Look for them in the produce area either near the onions, potatoes and garlic, or near the sundried tomatoes and dates.
If you can’t find dried mushrooms, you can substitute with fresh—though keep in mind the resulting broth won’t be quite at umami-rich. After step 3, cook ½–1 pound fresh, sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms in the pot with 2 tablespoons of drained drippings. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until golden brown. Season the mushrooms with a tiny bit of salt near the end of cooking. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and continue with step 4. Add the mushrooms to the pot, over top of the ribs, at the end of step 5.
Beef Broth: for the deepest flavor, I recommend using Better than Bouillon Beef Base. It’s economical and far more flavorful than the stuff you can buy in the boxes or cans.
Skim the grease: before finishing the stew, it's important to skim and remove the excess grease or the finished dish will be far too greasy. Use a ladle or large shallow spoon and be patient—you want to remove as much grease and as little broth as possible.
Daikon radishes can be tough to find, but if you can, this is a great recipe to use them in. Daikon radish is a traditional Korean ingredient and adds a unique flavor. If you can’t find it, substitute with additional carrots or try gold potatoes.
Mirin: If you can’t find mirin, substitute with 2 tablespoons dry wine, 2 tablespoons vinegar and 2 teaspoons sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1rib with stewCalories: 512kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 24gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 827mgFiber: 4gSugar: 24g
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