Shiitake Crusted Short Ribs

There are an endless amount of Korean bbq restaurants in Los Angeles but only one (that I know of) that makes exceptional marinated short ribs. I'm not sure how they do it but the meat is always incredibly tender and the seasoning is spot on. Instead of trying and failing to recreate their version, I went another route and made a fusion recipe. These shiitake crusted short ribs with spicy pear and scallion salad combine Italian seasonings with Korean ingredients to create one delicious short rib meal. Different? Yes, but incredibly delicious!

Recipe

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Shiitake Crusted Short Ribs

Total Time8 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Korean

Keyword: beef

Servings: 2

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Short ribs

• 6 flanken cut short ribs
• 1 Asian pear divided
• ¼ medium onion
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 ½ inch ginger knob peeled
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Shiitake rub

• ½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon Korean red chili flakes gochugaru

Spicy pear and scallion salad

• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons Korean red chili flakes gochugaru
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

• Make marinade for short ribs. Peel and cut Asian pear into quarters. Place one quarter in a blender and set aside remaining pear. Add onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and black pepper and puree until smooth. Pour marinade into ziploc bag along with short ribs. Marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, turning the bag once halfway through.
• Prepare shiitake rub. Grind dried shiitake mushrooms and black peppercorns in spice grinder until finely ground. Mix with salt, sugar, and red chili flakes until well combined.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place wire rack on top.
• Remove short ribs from marinade, scraping off excess. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generous amount of shiitake rub on both sides and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Place short ribs on prepared baking sheet with wire rack. Bake for 8 minutes, flip short ribs over and bake another 8 minutes or until caramelized.
• Meanwhile, make salad. Thinly slice remaining pear and combine with sliced scallions. Whisk together red chili flakes with sesame oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and sugar and pour over pear and scallions. Toss gently to combine.
• Serve shiitake crusted short ribs with spicy pear and scallion salad.

Watch how to make this:

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When in doubt, choose short ribs. Short ribs are often times cheaper than steaks, but they still have the tenderness that many high-quality steaks do. They also have more flavor than a lot of other cuts. You can buy short ribs cut either English style or flanken. For these shiitake crusted short ribs, we want to use a flanken cut.

For the best meat, look for well-marbled short ribs that have plenty of meat attached to the bone.

Prepare the marinade by blending together the ingredients including Asian pear, onion, balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, oil, and onion. Koreans use Asian pears for marinades because the enzymes help tenderize meat. They also add a subtle sweetness to the short ribs.

If you can't find Asian pears, use Bosc pear or a sweet apple like Fuji apples.

For the best results, marinate the short ribs overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the shiitake rub. Use a spice grinder to break down the dried mushrooms into powder. I tried using a food processor and even a blender but the powder doesn't get as fine. Plus, if you use a food processor, the powder spews everywhere!

To make it easier, use a mallet to break the dried shiitake mushrooms into smaller chunks. Then, finish the job with the help of a spice grinder.

Remove the short ribs from the marinade, scraping off the excess. Pat them dry and sprinkle a generous amount of the mushroom rub on both sides. Let the short ribs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, letting the ribs absorb the flavors.

You can cook the shiitake crusted mushrooms on the grill or stovetop but I found the oven to be the easiest method. The crust can burn if the grill or stove is too hot. With the oven, it's easier to maintain the right temperature.

Place the short ribs on a wire rack and bake until beautifully browned.

Meanwhile, make the pear scallion salad. Use the rest of the Asian pear and thinly slice it. Toss the pear with thinly sliced scallions, Korean chili flakes, sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, and a touch of sugar. Try not to prepare the salad too far in advance or else the scallions can wilt.

Serve the shiitake crusted short ribs with the pear scallion salad for one delicious meal.

These short ribs have a great balance of savory, acid, and sweetness in every bite and the spicy salad doesn't hurt either. They remind me of Korean bbq but with a twist, exactly what I wanted!

For more short rib inspiration check out these white wine braised short ribs!