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Soups & stews · Korean home cooking

Dwaeji galbijjim — Korean soy-braised pork ribs

Tender bone-in pork ribs, potatoes and carrots in a gently reduced sweet soy sauce. Make this mild braise in an ordinary pot with a lid, without an oven or pressure cooker.

100 min3 servings6 steps
Dwaeji galbijjim — Korean soy-braised pork ribs

AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.

01 / Before you start

Ingredients

3 servings

Get your ingredients ready
Get your ingredients ready

Everyday kitchen measurements

For 3 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).

How to fill the cup and spoons

Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.

King Arthur Baking

Essential, optional and substitute ingredients

Keep essential ingredients. For a replacement, use its listed amount and cooking changes instead of that ingredient’s original amount. Skip optional ingredients and their preparation if omitted. Photos show the original recipe.

  • Essential

    Ask the butcher for small bone-in rib pieces about 4 cm long. Do not try to cut through thick bones with an ordinary kitchen knife.

  • Substitute available

    If Potato is unavailable

    Use instead
    Sweet potato
    Substitute quantity
    1 small sweet potatoReference quantity: about 150 g

    Peel and cut into 3 cm chunks. Add during the last 15 minutes of the vegetable cooking stage instead of at the start. It is sweeter and may soften faster.

  • Optional

    Omit the carrot from the cutting and cooking steps if unavailable. The dish will have less color and sweetness; the other quantities stay the same.

  • Optional

    Omit the onion from the preparation and cooking steps. The dish will have less sweetness and fewer vegetables; keep the remaining quantities unchanged.

  • Substitute available

    If Soy sauce is unavailable

    Use instead
    Tamari
    Substitute quantity
    4 level eating spoonsReference quantity: 60 ml

    Use the same spoon amount at the same step. Choose a similar salt level and check the label if avoiding wheat.

  • Substitute available

    If Sugar is unavailable

    Use instead
    Honey
    Substitute quantity
    2 level eating spoonsReference quantity: 30 ml

    Use the same spoon amount in the sauce. The sauce will be a little wetter, so reduce it gently rather than using high heat. Do not serve honey to infants under 12 months.

  • Substitute available

    If Minced garlic is unavailable

    Use instead
    Garlic powder
    Substitute quantity
    ¾ small teaspoonReference quantity: about 1.5 g

    Mix this small amount of powder into the sauce in place of fresh garlic. Use plain garlic powder, not garlic salt.

  • Substitute available

    If Pear is unavailable

    Use instead
    Sweet apple
    Substitute quantity
    ¼ medium appleReference quantity: about 60 g

    Peel and finely grate the same quarter of a medium fruit. Add it to the sauce at the same step; the aroma will differ slightly.

  • Optional

    Omit the ginger from the sauce if unavailable. The aroma will be milder; keep the garlic and all other quantities unchanged.

  • Essential

    Use the small 180 ml paper cup described in the household measurement guide. A large mug is not the same size.

  • Optional

    Omit the sesame oil at the finishing step if unavailable. The dish will have less nutty aroma; no other quantity or cooking-time change is needed.

  • Optional

    Omit this pinch from the sauce if unavailable. The dish will be less peppery; no other change is needed.

Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.

02 / You’re ready to cook

Step-by-step cooking

  1. Step 1

    Step 1: Prepare and briefly boil the ribs. Use 1 small 800 g pack of bone-in pork ribs already cut into 4 cm pieces. Pat away moisture without washing raw pork. Put the ribs in a pot, cover with extra plain water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and discard this first water. Remove visible foam from the ribs with a spoon and clean the pot. This short boil does not fully cook the meat; keep its utensils separate from finished food.

    Prepare and briefly boil the ribs. Use 1 small 800 g pack of bone-in pork ribs already cut into 4 cm pieces. Pat away moisture without washing raw pork. Put the ribs in a pot, cover with extra plain water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and discard this first water. Remove visible foam from the ribs with a spoon and clean the pot. This short boil does not fully cook the meat; keep its utensils separate from finished food.

  2. Step 2

    Step 2: Cut the vegetables and mix the sauce. Peel 1 medium potato and cut into 3 cm chunks. Cut ½ small carrot into thick bite-size pieces and slice ½ onion. Peel and finely grate ¼ pear. Mix the pear with 4 level eating spoons soy sauce, 2 level eating spoons sugar and 3 small teaspoons minced garlic. Add the optional ½ small teaspoon ginger and pinch of black pepper.

    Cut the vegetables and mix the sauce. Peel 1 medium potato and cut into 3 cm chunks. Cut ½ small carrot into thick bite-size pieces and slice ½ onion. Peel and finely grate ¼ pear. Mix the pear with 4 level eating spoons soy sauce, 2 level eating spoons sugar and 3 small teaspoons minced garlic. Add the optional ½ small teaspoon ginger and pinch of black pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Step 3: Begin the covered braise. Return the ribs to the clean pot. Add all the sauce and 4 small paper cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid slightly ajar and cook for 40 minutes. Turn the ribs every 15 minutes. If the pot is drying out before the meat softens, add ½ small paper cup hot water.

    Begin the covered braise. Return the ribs to the clean pot. Add all the sauce and 4 small paper cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid slightly ajar and cook for 40 minutes. Turn the ribs every 15 minutes. If the pot is drying out before the meat softens, add ½ small paper cup hot water.

  4. Step 4

    Step 4: Add the vegetables. Put the potato, carrot and onion around the ribs. Cover again and gently simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the ingredients carefully once; do not mash the potato. A fork should slide into a potato piece easily. If using the sweet potato replacement, add it 5 minutes after the carrot and onion, then cook for the remaining 15 minutes.

    Add the vegetables. Put the potato, carrot and onion around the ribs. Cover again and gently simmer for 20 minutes. Turn the ingredients carefully once; do not mash the potato. A fork should slide into a potato piece easily. If using the sweet potato replacement, add it 5 minutes after the carrot and onion, then cook for the remaining 15 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Step 5: Check tenderness and reduce. Pierce the meat beside a bone: it should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork. The thickest pork must reach at least 63°C away from bone, followed by a 3-minute rest; tenderness usually requires much longer cooking than this minimum. If still tough, cover and simmer for another 10–15 minutes with a little hot water. Once tender, uncover and simmer for 5–8 minutes until the sauce lightly coats the ribs but some sauce remains in the pot.

    Check tenderness and reduce. Pierce the meat beside a bone: it should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork. The thickest pork must reach at least 63°C away from bone, followed by a 3-minute rest; tenderness usually requires much longer cooking than this minimum. If still tough, cover and simmer for another 10–15 minutes with a little hot water. Once tender, uncover and simmer for 5–8 minutes until the sauce lightly coats the ribs but some sauce remains in the pot.

  6. Step 6

    Step 6: Finish and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the optional 1 small teaspoon sesame oil. Rest for at least 3 minutes. Spoon the ribs, soft vegetables and sauce onto a serving dish. Remove bones and cut the meat into small pieces before serving to children. This basic version contains no chili.

    Finish and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the optional 1 small teaspoon sesame oil. Rest for at least 3 minutes. Spoon the ribs, soft vegetables and sauce onto a serving dish. Remove bones and cut the meat into small pieces before serving to children. This basic version contains no chili.

03 / Enjoy your meal

Finished dish

Finished dish: Dwaeji galbijjim — Korean soy-braised pork ribs
Dwaeji galbijjim — Korean soy-braised pork ribs
Helpful tips

A level eating spoon is about 15 ml, a small teaspoon about 5 ml, and the small paper cup used here about 180 ml. Use the same spoon or cup throughout; ordinary cutlery and cups vary in size. This is a moist pot braise, different from grilled soy-marinated pork ribs. Keep the heat gentle so the meat becomes tender and the sweet sauce does not scorch. Rib size changes the cooking time; follow the tenderness checks as well as the clock. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours. Use within 3–4 days and reheat thoroughly to 74°C. Keep raw meat utensils separate from cooked food. A food thermometer is the most reliable doneness check.