Donal Skehan: Home Cook airs Wednesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.

Ingredients

Don't worry if you can’t get the super thin flanken-cut short ribs; you can use bavette or onglet or thicker cut short ribs instead. Just cook it for a couple of extra minutes as it is a little thicker and you can use scissors to snip it into smaller pieces. Ssamjang is a sweet and spicy Korean condiment that you’ll find in Asian supermarkets or online – it keeps in the fridge for months. Finally, a nashi is a crisp, almost apple-like pear with a tangy flavour which you can sometimes spot in Asian grocery stores but any not-quite-ripe pear will work.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus marinating and resting
Cook time: 5 minutes

  • 800g (1lb 12oz) short ribs cut flanken-style (see tip)
  • 1 small onion
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 1 small firm pear (nashi, if you can find it), peeled, cored and grated
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
  • 75ml (1⁄3 cup) soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp gochujang paste
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 75ml (1⁄3 cup) rice wine or sake (or use water)

For the pickled cucumbers:

  • 6 baby cucumbers (or 1 large with seeds scooped out)
  • 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp gochujang paste

To serve:

  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
  • Steamed rice
  • Kimchi
  • Korean or Japanese pickles
  • Little gem lettuce leaves, separated
  • Ssamjang

Method

  1. Put the ribs in a container.
  2. In a small food processor, blitz the onion, garlic, and grated pear and ginger to a smooth paste.
  3. To this paste, add the soy sauce, gochujang, honey, sesame oil, pepper and rice wine. Mix well and pour over the ribs. Turn to coat evenly and mix, then leave to marinade for at least 2 hours.
  4. To make the pickled cucumbers, slice the baby cucumber into rounds, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in a sieve over a bowl while you blend together the rest of the ingredients for the pickling liquid.
  5. Rinse the cucumbers and pat them dry, then toss in the pickling liquid and leave for at least an hour.
  6. When you are ready to cook the ribs, remove them from the marinade and shake off any excess.
  7. Place the ribs on a barbecue over direct heat or in a griddle pan set over a high heat and cook for 2 minutes each side (or 4-5 minutes if you have a thicker cut), or until you have deep char marks on the outside and the beef is still slightly pink inside (medium rare).
  8. Allow the ribs to rest for 5 minutes, cover with foil, then slice into bite-sized pieces.
  9. To serve, arrange the meat on a warmed platter and scattered with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.
  10. Bring to the table with bowls of rice, the pickled cucumber, kimchi, pickles, lettuce leaves and the ssamjang sauce.