THE $15,000 BEEF RECIPE

Some years back a recipe for BBQ beef ribs won $15,000 in the National Beef Cookoff. The winner titled his recipe ORIENTAL RIBS and it was supposed to be original. NOT. The recipe was taken from Korean BBQ ribs( Kalbi ) and is several thousand years old.

Southerners and Southwesterners take their ribs seriously. Al Roker of Good Morning America decided he was going to participate in the National Rib Cookoff one year and gathered a team and some high tech equipment and headed down South. Despite all the hoopla he didn't even place in the top 10. A little old lady from Alabama won with her family recipe.

Many Korean restaurants feature Kalbi cooked at the table and it has become a well known and loved dish. Here's my favorite recipe from the Korean Cookbook, GROWING UP IN A KOREAN KITCHEN :

3 pounds lean prime ribs of beef
( pound ribs with mallet to tenderize and flatten )

Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce ( I use Kikkoman Lite )
Asian pear, finely minced
1/2 cup rice wine
5 cloves garlic, crushed and finely minced
3 green onions, finely minced
1/2 cup corn syrup, or 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed
4 walnut halves, finely chopped
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place ribs in one layer in a wide shallow pan. Combine all ingredients of the marinade and mix well. Pour marinade over ribs and rub it in with your fingers. Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Lightly brush grill rack with oil and grill ribs for 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with steamed rice, kimchee, pickled cucumbers and other side dishes.