History of Kalbi Short Ribs

In southern California, where I currently live, kalbi short ribs are cut through the rib bone as you can see in the photos. With the thinner cut, it makes it easier to marinate. This is different from traditional Korean galbi (the Korean word for “rib”) which is much thicker and cut alongside the rib bone.

Suwon galbi short ribs are a specialty in the Gyeonggi-Do province of Korea. It’s been said that Suwon galbi started in a restaurant that opened its doors in the 1940s called Hwachunok. At the time, Suwon had the largest cattle market in the country, which makes sense why Hwachunok decided to serve up the sweet and savory beef short ribs. The galbi quickly gained popularity.

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