Hello everyone,

So the good news is that I have more recipes and topics to write about then there are weeks in the summer. I have a backlog of ideas and recipes to send to all of you…and it isn’t even August yet! At the rate my food adventures are going these days, I will be sending you summer emails well into the fall!

This next meal happened back on July long weekend. What is truly great and special about this week’s recipe is that I did nothing. That’s right, nada. Zilch. No planning, no cooking, not even a hint of prep. I sat back and watched as all of the work was done by someone else!

Usually, meals are a team project. At the cabin, we all pitch in and work together. At my house, John and I are the perfect cooking tag-team (me on the sides, John on the grill). At my mom’s, I always try to chip in. But to sit back and have someone else make the whole meal for you, that is a special treat!

We had an old BBQ at the cabin only a few months back. And when I say old, I mean there is a chance this BBQ was older than me! Back in May or June, Steven attempted a beer can chicken on this thing, and after several frustrating episodes of flames and fat and unwanted chicken crisping, Steven promptly decided that we needed a new BBQ for the cabin. We take special care and pride in our meals at the cabin, and a good, reliable BBQ is key to success.

Steven had been planning on getting a BBQ for his place in Calgary anyways, so after the chicken episode, he decided he would buy a new BBQ for the cabin this summer, and take it home the next. After some shopping, Steven selected his new love, a love that happens to be named Weber. After witnessing John’s love for his new Komado and Steven’s love for his new Weber, I think I am finally starting to understand (a little) how the minds of men work.

So the boys assembled the new BBQ (this was no easy task, put it this way – there were instructions on how to unpack the thing!) and were ready to take her on her maiden voyage. To do so, Steven and his good friend Joachim planned a fantastic meal. Much to the delight of myself, my mom and my cousin Lori, the girls didn’t have to lift a finger!

So the evening’s menu’s main feature was Korean short ribs. This was no simple task. Steven made a special trip to buy Asian pears, a special Korean sauce and just the right cut of meat. The marinade was made the night before, as the short ribs need to marinade for about 24 hours.  The boys also marinaded pineapple, zucchini and Asian pear, and crisped some broccoli on the BBQ – and a homemade Korean dipping sauce. Everything was grilled to perfection, and we feasted!

This week’s recipe is the Korean short rib marinade.  I fully intend to make these at some point this summer. I haven’t done so yet as this recipe does require some planning as you must marinade the short ribs overnight.

Here is the link to the recipe that Steven used. I usually like to send out a word file as you know, but this is a very complete recipe/article that explains a lot. For example, this article differentiates between the traditional Korean galbi and the LA galbi (galbi means ribs in Korean.) Steven made the LA galbi, a style of short ribs that are cut more thinly then the traditional galbi style…who knew?

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/la-galbi

TIPS:
– Try marinating some fruit or veggies as well

Ingredient I can’t live without:

ASIAN PEAR
Well, apart from this one recipe I have never seen this as an ingredient. However, it is a delicious fruit that taste like half apple half pear, that is surprisingly good on the grill!

Anyways, special thanks to Steven and Joachim for making such a fantastic dinner! We have been creating so many precious food memories at the lake this summer with the new grill already – it brings a tear to my eye.

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version recipe:
Korean Kalbi Ribs

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Korean Kalbi (Marinated Beef Short Rib)

This recipe comes care of George Hong, a staff member at D’Arcy’s Meat Market. Korean cut short ribs are also known as Maui short ribs. The cut comes from the chuck, or front quarter of the animal, and works well with a marinade. This recipe yields two to three servings.

INGREDIENTS:

8 pieces of Korean cut short ribs (roughly 1 1/2 pounds/750 grams)

1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar

1 cup (250 m L) light soy sauce

1 cup (250 mL) cold water

1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic, diced fine

3 green onions, diced

A few slices of fruit diced (pineapple, apple, or pear)

DIRECTIONS:

Start with brown sugar in a bowl and then stir in soy, water and sesame oil. Stir in garlic, green onions and fruit. Add short ribs and ensure that all the meat is covered by the marinade for 16 to 24 hours, using a zippered plastic bag or a piece of deep Tupperware. Remove meat from the marinade and discard any green onion, garlic or fruit that may be attached to the short rib. Discard the marinade.

Preheat the barbecue to medium-high heat. Grill the meat for approximately 3-5 minutes per side, flipping it three times. The bone marrow should not be red at all. Remove the meat from the heat and let it rest for a minute. Then use kitchen scissors to cut into one-bone sections.

Serve with short grain, sticky rice, lettuce leaves, dried seaweed crisps, kimchee and miso soup.