The Style Of Short Ribs You Should Use If You Want Them Cooking Quickly

Short ribs are notorious for becoming meltingly tender when cooked low and slow for a long period of time. They are especially delicious when seared and braised in a rich liquid, like these red wine-braised short ribs. While perfect for a cozy, rainy Sunday where you can spend hours leisurely waiting for the ribs to braise until they fall off the bone, not all meals can be so time-consuming and luxurious. We spoke with Scott Thomas, owner of The Grillin' Fools, a website created to help others learn how to grill with step-by-step tutorials and photos, who recommends using flanken-style short ribs when looking for beef ribs that will cook quickly.

Thomas explains that flanken-style beef ribs, one of many various types of ribs, are "short ribs [that] are sliced thin across the bones; thus, each thin strip of beef has 3 to 4 cross sections of bone along one side." In other words, flanken ribs have been cut through the rib bone rather than between the rib bones. So, instead of seeing one long bone with the meat attached underneath, you'll see a few small sections of rib bones in each slice of flanken ribs, with the meat attached both between and underneath the bones. Extremely common in Korean cooking, you may have come across this type of marinated rib cut when eating Korean barbecue, known as galbi or sometimes kalbi.

Thomas informs us that flanken-style ribs don't take a long time to cook compared to other short ribs. "They do not take very long to cook," says Thomas. "I cook them like steak. Hot and fast." Thomas tells us that a cast iron cooking surface is the best choice to use. Cast iron, such as a skillet or flat griddle, is the best option for quickly cooking the ribs, as the flat surface retains heat extremely well, as long as you preheat it properly. "Season with salt, pepper, and garlic and a quick sear on each side to get a little char," Thomas instructs. The thinness of the cut of ribs allows you to grill it quickly on both sides, making it by far the most simple and quick-cooking type of short ribs available.

The benefit of cooking with flanken-style short ribs is absolutely the short cooking time, along with having fewer bones to eat around. Due to the lack of the low and slow cooking method usually required for short ribs, flanken-style ribs will be a bit chewier with more of a regular steak texture as opposed to the meltingly tender, easily shredded beef that comes from braising. You can cut up the short ribs with a traditional chef's knife or take inspiration from Korean grilling techniques and use long kitchen shears to quickly cut up the ribs into bite-sized pieces. If you have the foresight and time available, marinating the flanken-style ribs is an excellent way to pack more flavor into the meat, as well as tenderizing it before tossing it onto a hot grill or cast iron skillet.