Recipe of the week: Korean-style ribs

Barbecue in the U.S. is largely limited to domestic influences.

Arguments are common over which is the best — Kansas City, Memphis, Texas or Carolina styles.

But there's one imported style that seems to get its own respect: Korean, and for good reason.

The Asian country is known for blending sweet and salty flavors in a marinade.

While Korean barbecue has been Americanized to some extent, this recipe adheres to a more authentic style. It uses beef short ribs, a product that, for reasons I never understood, didn't get the same respect as its pork counterpart.

To be truly authentic, cut the ribs into slices 1/ 3 to 1/ 2 inch thick across bones.

All of the ingredients are simple to find. The most unusual item is toasted sesame oil, which can be commonly found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.

And as grill season heats up, this Korean barbecue marinade is a simple and sweet alternative to the domestic classic.

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Korean-style ribs

Yield: 6 servings

4 pounds beef short ribs

1/ 2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/ 2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 1/ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

one Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, honey, garlic, pepper, water, sesame oil and plum wine until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon plastic zipper bag. Place the ribs into the marinade, squeeze all the air out of the bag, zip it up, and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

two The next day, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before grilling. Remove the ribs from the marinade and discard the marinade.

three Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Grill the ribs until browned and no longer pink inside, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter @jacoblaxen.

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About this series

The Recipe of the Week is a D'lish series that features foods from different cultures and offers home cooks an easy-to-follow, health-conscious recipe. If you end up making the Recipe of the Week, send your photos to jlaxen@stcloudtimes.com, on Twitter @jacoblaxen, or upload at www.facebook.com/sctimesdlish.