Flanken-style ribs, or Korean L.A. kalbi, are cut from thin cross sections of beef short rib, exposing marrow-filled bones and bands of richly marbled meat between them. Sliced narrowly across the bone, they cook quickly (less than 10 minutes!), flipping the script on the low-and-slow cooking that short ribs are often subject to, making them perfect for weeknight grilling. Here a brash, bold Italian-ish marinade suffuses the meat with flavor while the antipasti-inspired tangle of grilled onions alongside provides just the right contrast of palate-awakening acidity. Blending strips of zest in the marinade captures the floral, sunny flavor of lemons, and since the meat spends only a handful of minutes on the grill, there's no risk of burning the zest into bitter oblivion.
What you’ll need
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Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
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Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Ribs
1
4
2
½
¼
1
2
Salad and assembly
2
2
½
½
¼
3
½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Ribs
Step 1
Remove zest from 1 large lemon with a wide peeler, avoiding any white pith. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out juice to measure 1 Tbsp.; pour into a small blender or food processor. Add lemon zest, along with 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, 2 oz. oil-packed anchovy fillets (no need to drain oil), ½ cup (packed) rosemary leaves, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp. honey, and a large pinch of kosher salt and blend to a coarse paste; transfer to large bowl. (Alternatively, finely grate lemon zest into large bowl and add juice. Smash garlic and anchovies to a paste in mortar and pestle; transfer to bowl and add oil, honey, and salt. Finely chop rosemary, add to bowl, and mix well.) Add 2 lb. ¼"–½"-thick crosscut bone-in beef short ribs (flanken-style; about twelve 3-bone strips) to marinade; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and, preferably, up to 12 hours.
Salad and assembly
Step 2
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Grill 2 large red onions, (about 1 lb.), peeled, root ends left intact, cut into 1"-thick wedges, turning occasionally, until softened and charred around edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and add 2 Italian sweet peppers, thinly sliced, ½ cup drained Peppadew peppers in brine or other mild pickled peppers, torn into quarters, ½ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, lightly crushed, ¼ cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; toss to combine. Season with kosher salt.
Step 3
Remove ribs from marinade and grill until lightly charred and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer ribs to a platter and season lightly with salt. Spoon onion salad over and around ribs.