Korean Barbecue Short Rib Burrito

Name: Korean Barbecue Short Rib Burrito
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Korean Barbecue
Ingredients: 3 lb laterally cut Creekstone Farms Prime Beef Short Ribs; Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning; 2 cups Chihuahua cheese; 6 large flour tortillas; Bean Sprouts; Holmes Made Marty’s Roasted Green Chile Sauce; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/2 cup water; 6 tbsp Noble Saltworks Maple Smoked Turbinado Sugar; 1/4 cup mirin; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 2 cups Asian pear (or Bosc pear), diced; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 6 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced; Colonial Chile Oil; 1/2 cup Chinese sausage, small dice; 1 (8.5 oz) package par-cooked jasmine rice; 1/2 cup Kimchi, small dice; 1 egg, whisked; 1/2 cup Kewpie Mayonnaise; 2 tbsp Gochujang fermented chile paste; 1 tbsp Yellow Bird Blue Agave Sriracha; 3/4 cup tomato, small dice; 3/4 cup red onion, small dice; 1/2 cup jalapeño, small dice; 1/2 cup cucumbers, small dice; 3 tbsp cilantro, minced; Squeeze of lime juice

Feb 28, 2023 • Tom Jackson

This Korean Barbecue Short Rib Burrito recipe is inspired by Chef Tom's time in Portland, eating at world famous food truck, Koi Fusion. He marinates and seasons Galbi, or Korean-Style Short Ribs, and combines it with kimchi fried rice and a cucumber pico de gallo inside of a warm tortilla. Grilled on the Yoder Smokers Adjustable Flat Top Charcoal Grill, this burrito is packed with stunning Asian and Mexican flavors.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

Asian pear does double duty in the marinade. Blending it in with the soy, mirin, and garlic doesn't just add sweetness — the natural enzymes in the pear help tenderize the short ribs during the long marinating time.
A split coal bed gives you two cooking zones at once. Loading more charcoal on one side and less on the other lets the short ribs sear hard over intense heat while the griddle side stays just hot enough to fry rice and build the burrito.
The burrito gets its crispy cheese skirt right on the griddle. Layering beef, cheese, and rice directly on the hot surface and steaming it with a splash of water is what forms that signature crispy edge before it's ever wrapped.
Two sauces, two different roles. The cooling Gochujang crema and the bright cucumber pico balance the richness of the short rib and cheese, so the burrito doesn't end up one-note.

Korean Barbecue Short Rib Burrito

Tom Jackson

Rated 3.5 stars by 6 users

Cuisine

Korean Barbecue

Servings

6

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Calories

708

This Korean Barbecue Short Rib Burrito recipe is inspired by Chef Tom's time in Portland, eating at world famous food truck, Koi Fusion. He marinates and seasons Galbi, or Korean-Style Short Ribs, and combines it with kimchi fried rice and a cucumber pico de gallo inside of a warm tortilla. Grilled on the Yoder Smokers Adjustable Flat Top Charcoal Grill, this burrito is packed with stunning Asian and Mexican flavors.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 lb laterally cut Creekstone Farms Prime Beef Short Ribs
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
2 cups Chihuahua cheese
6 large flour tortillas
Bean Sprouts
Holmes Made Marty’s Roasted Green Chile Sauce

Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp Noble Saltworks Maple Smoked Turbinado Sugar
1/4 cup mirin
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups Asian pear (or Bosc pear), diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

Kimchi Fried Rice

Colonial Chile Oil
1/2 cup Chinese sausage, small dice
1 (8.5 oz) package par-cooked jasmine rice
1/2 cup Kimchi, small dice
1 egg, whisked

Gochujang Crema

1/2 cup Kewpie Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Gochujang fermented chile paste
1 tbsp Yellow Bird Blue Agave Sriracha

Pico

3/4 cup tomato, small dice
3/4 cup red onion, small dice
1/2 cup jalapeño, small dice
1/2 cup cucumbers, small dice
3 tbsp cilantro, minced
Squeeze of lime juice
Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Sea Salt, to taste

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Directions

To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Place the short ribs in a marinating container. Add the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and let soak for at least four hours, or overnight.
To make the Gochujang Mayo, simple whisk together all ingredients, then transfer to a squeeze bottle.
To make the Cucumber Pico, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss to mix. Taste and season with salt and lime, as desired.
Fill two charcoal chimneys in the charcoal grate of the Yoder Smokers Adjustable Flat Top Charcoal Grill. Light and let coals get hot. Spread about half of one chimney’s coals one one half of the grill and the rest of the two chimneys charcoal on the opposite half. Place a Yoder Smokers Griddle over the half with less charcoal to preheat. Place your standard grate on the other side of the grill for direct grilling.
Remove the ribs from the marinade, wiping some of the excess marinade from the surface as you pull each slab out. Place on the grates, directly over the hot coals. When all ribs on the grill, season the topsides with Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning.
Grill on both sides until charred and tender. You may need to move the ribs around to cook evenly, depending on where you hot spots are. You can also raise or lower the coal bed to adjust, as needed. Most of your grilling was done with the charcoal close to the meat until well charred, then lowered to finish cooking until tender.
While the short ribs cook you can begin to make the Kimchi Fried Rice. Place a few tablespoons of Chile Oil on the hot griddle. Add the sausage and par cooked rice. Cook until the sausage begins to crisp and the fat begins to render out, about 5-10 minutes depending on how hot your charcoal is. Next, add the kimchi. Cook, mixing and tossing the ingredients until the rice is lightly browned and crisped. When the fried rice look almost done, add a little more Chile Oil just outside of the rice mixture and pour out your egg. Cook until the egg begins to set, then toss and mix into the fried rice. Remove the Kimchi Fried Rice from the griddle, and hold warm in a bowl.
Pull/slice the meat of the short ribs away from the rib bones. You may discard the bones. Chop the rib meat into small pieces.
Back on the griddle, lay out individual portions/clumps of the Kalbi chopped short rib. Place enough down to fill your tortilla. Sprinkle Chihuahua cheese over the beef, and fried rice on top to reheat. Place your tortilla on top of the mixture, then squeeze a little water under the tortilla to begin to steam the cheese and tortilla. Do this for each individual burrito. When the beef on the bottom is crisped, the cheese is melted and forming a crispy cheese skirt use a spatula to scoop up the filling while flipping everything over and keeping it contained inside the burrito.
Back at your work surface, make sure your meat/cheese/rice mixture is centered in your tortilla. Top with bean sprouts, a drizzle of Gochujang Crema, a spoonful of Cucumber Pico and your favorite salsa. Wrap the tortilla around the fillings, rolling the burrito. Enjoy!

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Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why include Asian pear in the marinade?
Beyond adding sweetness, Asian pear contains natural enzymes that help break down and tenderize the short ribs over the long marinating time — a classic technique in Korean barbecue marinades.

Why split the charcoal bed into two different heat levels?
Running more coals on one side and fewer on the other lets you sear the short ribs hard over intense direct heat while keeping a separate, more moderate zone free for the griddle to fry rice and build the burritos.

Why squeeze water under the tortilla while it's on the griddle?
The burst of steam melts the cheese quickly and helps it fuse into a crispy skirt around the edge of the burrito before you flip and wrap it — skipping this step makes the cheese layer less cohesive.

Why make two different sauces instead of just one?
The cooling Gochujang crema and the bright, acidic cucumber pico balance the richness of the short rib and melted cheese in different ways — one tempers the heat, the other cuts through the fat.

Can I make the kimchi fried rice ahead of time?
It's best made fresh right before assembly since it needs to stay hot to properly reheat inside the burrito, but the marinade, crema, and pico can all be made a day ahead.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — a hot cast iron griddle or large skillet on the stovetop can replace the outdoor griddle for the rice and burrito assembly; the charred short ribs are the one component that really benefits from live charcoal.

Recipe Highlights

Asian pear in the marinade: Its natural enzymes tenderize the short ribs while also adding sweetness, doing double duty in a single ingredient.
The split coal bed: Running two heat zones lets you sear the ribs hard while keeping a separate area for griddle work, without needing two separate grills.
Steaming to build the cheese skirt: A small splash of water under the tortilla is what fuses the cheese into a crisp, cohesive edge before wrapping.
Two contrasting sauces: Pairing a cooling crema with a bright, acidic pico gives the burrito balance instead of letting the richness dominate.