Asian Flanken Ribs (Short Ribs) is so delicious and easy to make. We just marinade the ribs in a simple mixture of sauce, and then pan fry it! So flavorful – one of my favorite dishes to eat and make.
About the Ingredients
Here are some tips about the ingredients to make sure you make some delicious Asian Flanken Ribs!
Flanken Ribs
Flanken style ribs (aka cross cut ribs) are pieces of meat thinly sliced across the rib section of beef bones. If you need visuals – here is a quick video of me explaining it! (Also follow me for cooking videos and cooking LIVE!)
Each piece consists of 3-4 small pieces of bone, between sections of flavorful meat. They are marbled with fat and connective tissues, and are super tender after being marinated for a short time.
You can usually find this cut in your local Asian supermarket or meat market or even online through services such as Crowd Cow (they ship to anywhere in the continental US).
Thick Soy Sauce
I do not use regular soy sauce for this recipe. I use Thick Soy Sauce, aka Soy Paste. (There’s actually many different types of soy sauce)
Thick soy sauce is a lot thicker than your normal soy sauce. It has a richer, sweeter flavor, which is perfect for this dish. It’s a very common ingredient in Taiwanese cooking / cuisine.
If you can’t find any thick soy sauce, you can actually use regular soy sauce. However, since Thick soy sauce is more sweet, you are now missing a flavor, so I would recommend adding a bit of sugar or sweetener of your choice.
Or even more simple – Oyster sauce can often be used as a substitute because it is similar in texture and it is also salty and sweet at the same time. It won’t have the exact same flavor, but it will also be delicious.
By the way you can find these sauces, in your local Asian grocery store or even on amazon here:
Kimlan Soy Paste / Thick Soy Sauce (my go to brand)
Asian Flanken Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb flanken short ribs aka cross cut short ribs
- 1/4 cup Thick Soy Sauce (if you do not have this, you can sub it with 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 2 more tbsp of honey)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add flanken short ribs and pour honey, thick soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and minced garlic. Mix well and let it marinade for at least half an hour (the longer the better!).
Heat up a large cooking pan, and add cooking oil. Let it heat up for 1-2 minutes so that we know the cooking pan is hot.
Add the slices of short ribs and marinade on the cooking pan. Let it cook for about a minute, untouched. Then, using tongs or chopsticks, flip them over to cook the other side for another minute or until cooked thoroughly but still tender and not tough.
Remove ribs from the pan, and then drizzle any remaining sauce and garlic from the pan all over the ribs and serve!
Grill version
You can also grill these delicious ribs, as the important part really was the sauce we put together and the marinating!
All you have to do is set up your gas or charcoal grill over high heat, and once it’s ready, place the ribs on the grate. Then grill for about 4-6 minutes on each side, and then remove and serve!
Air Fryer version
You can also make these flanken ribs in the air fryer! After you marinate it, air fry at 400 degrees F for 3 min and then flip sides and air fry another 3 min.
Asian Flanken Beef Ribs Recipe
Asian Marinated Flanken Beef Ribs pan seared on the stove - this recipe is super easy and super yum! Here's how to make it!
Ingredients
- 1 lb flanken short ribs aka cross cut short ribs
- 1/4 cup Thick Soy Sauce (if you do not have this, you can sub it with 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 2 more tbsp of honey)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add flanken short ribs and pour honey, thick soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and minced garlic. Mix well and let it marinade for at least half an hour (the longer the better!).
- Heat up a large cooking pan, and add cooking oil. Let it heat up for 1-2 minutes so that we know the cooking pan is hot.
- Add the slices of short ribs on the cooking pan. Let it cook for about a minute, untouched. Then, using tongs or chopsticks, flip them over to cook the other side for another minute or until cooked thoroughly but still tender and not tough
- Remove ribs from the pan, and then drizzle the remaining sauce and garlic in the pan all over the ribs and serve!
Notes
Thick Soy Sauce
I do not use regular soy sauce for this recipe. I use Thick Soy Sauce, aka Soy Paste. There’s actually many different types of soy sauce! Thick soy sauce is a lot thicker than your normal soy sauce. It has a richer, sweeter flavor, which is perfect for this dish.
If you can’t find any thick soy sauce, you can actually use regular soy sauce. However, since Thick soy sauce is more sweet, you are now missing a flavor, so I would recommend adding a bit of sugar or sweetener of your choice.
Or another hack – Oyster sauce can often be used as a substitute because it is similar in texture and it is also salty and sweet at the same time.
Grill version
You can also grill these delicious ribs, as the important part really was the sauce we put together and the marinating!
All you have to do is set up your gas or charcoal grill over high heat, and once it's ready, place the ribs on the grate. Then grill for about 4-6 minutes on each side, and then remove and serve!
Air Fryer version
You can also make these flanken ribs in the air fryer! After you marinate it, air fry at 400 degrees F for 3 min and then flip sides and air fry another 3 min.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 506Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 976mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 36g
The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information.
Kelly
Wednesday 4th of December 2024
Good morning
I made this recipe it was great. Good flavor. I couldn't find Soy Paste but did find "Sweet Soya Sauce" Which I added Honey. This worked well. I also made the recipe but used Salmon. I used a skinless piece of salmon that was an inch thick and removed the pin bones with fish tweezers. I then cut the meat Flanken style and prepared the meal the same way. It was equally delicious.
TinaTsai
Wednesday 4th of December 2024
Yay! Love your creativity, and thank you for leaving a comment! I'm glad it was yummy!
Mark
Saturday 27th of July 2024
Excellent -I marinated them for about 2 hours and then made them on the grill. I served them with brown rice and steamed veggies. I used the soy sauce with extra honey for the marinade.
TinaTsai
Sunday 28th of July 2024
Glad you liked it! :D
Outi
Wednesday 5th of July 2023
What do you serve this with?
TinaTsai
Thursday 6th of July 2023
if i'm grilling, then grilled veggies like asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms. if stovetop sometimes I serve with rice and other stir fry veggies.
Vickie
Tuesday 21st of March 2023
What amount of oyster sauce on lieu of the thick soy sauce? Do I need to add anything else to add to the mix?
Maria Shen
Friday 8th of March 2024
@Vickie, hey you can use hoisen sauce also. It’s like sweet oyster but I’d split with oyster if you don’t want too sweet. I’d say measure approx same as with thick soy. I add a smidge of ginger to mine and black pepper as well
TinaTsai
Tuesday 21st of March 2023
I would use the same amount as thick soy sauce. Hope you like it!
Stv
Sunday 16th of October 2022
Unfortunate mine were not tender at all. Very chewy.
TinaTsai
Sunday 16th of October 2022
Oh no! How long did you marinade it? And was it very marbled? I find sometimes if it's too marbled it can be a bit chewy.