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Have you ever had flanken ribs before? It can be pretty popular in Asian cuisine, such as Korean Kalbi, and I can see why. You marinade it, cook it, and it’s freakin’ delicious! It’s also quite easy to make at home! This Asian Short Ribs / Flanken Beef Ribs Recipe is how I make it at home.

What are flanken ribs?

Flanken style ribs (aka cross cut ribs) are pieces of meat thinly sliced across the rib section of beef bones. 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.

May folks call this dish “Asian Short Ribs” but it can be easily confused with some other dishes that are cut a different way – so I’m calling it Flanken ribs to clarify the cut.

I buy flanken ribs from our local Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find any locally, you could try online meat ordering places! For example, Crowd Cow – they ship to anywhere in the US other than Alaska and Hawaii sustainable and healthy meats/seafood!

What to serve with Asian beef short ribs?

Since this Asian Flanken Beef Short Ribs dish is flavorful already, any simple side dish will really go pretty well with it. Some ideas:

• Shanghai Bok Choy Stir Fry with Garlic
• Chinese Green Beans Stir Fry
• Chinese Broccoli Recipe with Sesame Soy Sauce
• Garlic Broccoli in Air Fryer Recipe
• Bok Choy Shiitake Mushrooms Stir Fry
• Stir Fry Napa Cabbage with Dried Shrimp
• Taiwanese Cabbage Stir Fry

Those are just a few ideas!

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 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.

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

Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce

How to make Flanken Beef Ribs?

There are several ways to make Flanken Beef Ribs, but this Asian Flanken Beef Ribs recipe is the easiest way (only 5 ingredients including cooking oil/fat), and delicious!!

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.

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Asian Flanken Beef Ribs Recipe

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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

1. 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!).
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Nature Nate's 100% Pure Raw & Unfiltered Organic Honey; Product of Brazil and Uruguay; Packaged in 16 Ounce. Squeeze Bottle; Enjoy Honey's Balanced Flavor and Wholesome Benefits
• 
  Spice World Fat Free Minced Garlic, 32 Ounce
• 
  Kimlan Soy Paste - 20 oz.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount 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.

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