Kalbi Short Rib Hand Pies
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Short ribs are deeply flavorful, but because the meat is muscled, it takes low and slow heat to become fall-apart tender. While long-cooked braises have their place, there’s another short rib recipe that is quick and delicious, flavorful and chewy (in a good way): Korean-style kalbi short ribs are marinated in a spicy brew and then grilled or broiled hot and fast. The recipe requires a different cut of short rib, called either kalbi or flanken cut, available at many Asian markets or on order from a butcher. In this cut, the butcher slices across, not between, the ribs, for long, slim meaty pieces, each with four small bones. Once cooked, cut away the bones (Korean chefs use scissors) and chop the meat. That’s the way to turn short ribs into a special occasion hand pie, rich and satisfying.
Ingredients
Short Ribs
½ cup sesame seed oil
¼ cup tamari
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1½ lbs. beef short ribs
4 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. gochujang paste
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Dough
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Kosher salt
¼ cup water, chilled
Instructions
Short Ribs
Combine the sesame oil, tamari, mirin, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl.
Place the short ribs in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish and pour the marinade over the meat.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or as long as overnight. Turning every hour or so.
Remove the short ribs from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Fire up the grill and get it screaming hot.
Place the ribs on the grill, reserve the marinade and look for grease flair ups.
Turn them over in 3 or 4 minutes and grill the other side for 3 or 4 minutes longer.
Allow the ribs cool for a few minutes, then remove the bones
Chop the short ribs into bite-sized pieces. Leave some of the fat to keep the filling moist, but remove any gristle.
Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook until thickened and reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Combine the meat and half of the sauce, to start. The filling should be somewhat saucy, but still easy to scoop, so add more sauce if needed. Do not over-sauce!
Cover and cool completely, during which time the filling will firm up slightly.
Stir the scallions, gochujang, and cilantro into the filling.
Dough
Cube the butter into ¼" cubes.
Add the cubed butter, flour and salt, along with the mixing paddle into the mixing bowl. Place in the free for 15 minutes.
Remove the mixing bowl from the freezer and blend the ingredients on low until the butter has incorporated into the flour to make crumbs. Think the consistance of sand.
Once the ball has form, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form into a disc about a 1" thick.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chilled for at least 4 hours.
Repeat this process to make a second disc of dough.
Assembly
Roll out the dough to an approximate 11-inch square, cut into 12 (3½- to 4½-inch) rectangles. Cut an X in the middle of half of the rectangles, to act as a vent.
Add a packed ¼ cup filling to one rectangle and form a hand pie with a second (vented) rectangle.
Transfer to a baking sheet and firmly fork-crimp the edges. Brush the surface with egg wash.
Continue to make the remaining pies. Refrigerate or freeze while repeating the process with the other block of pie dough to make a total of 12 hand pies.
Place a Baking Steel, baking stone, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack and pre-heat the oven to 400°
Bake the hand pies for 30 to 35 minutes, until deeply golden brown. I prefer to bake them one baking sheet at a time to take advantage of the Baking Steel in my oven. If you prefer to bake the two sheet pans at the same time, switch their position from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the bake.
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