How to cook flanken short ribs in the oven

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.

What to serve with Asian Flanken Beef Ribs?

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

• Chinese Green Beans Stir Fry
• Broccoli and Cauliflower Stir Fry
• Shanghai Bok Choy Stir Fry with Garlic
• Garlic Broccoli in Air Fryer Recipe

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)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cooking oil of choice (if pan frying)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add flanken short ribs and pour honey, thick soy sauce, sesame oil, 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 sauce 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 with 5 ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 lb flanken short ribs aka cross cut short ribs
• 1/3 cup Thick Soy Sauce (if you do not have this, you can sub it with 1/3 cup of soy sauce and 2 more tbsp of honey - *see note section for more info)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cooking oil/fat of choice for pan frying

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, add flanken short ribs and pour honey, thick soy sauce, sesame oil, 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.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 480Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 1850mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 37g

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.

How long does it take to cook flanken style ribs?

Because flanken ribs are so thin, they cook very quickly; just 3 to 4 minutes per side. Most people grill the short ribs but they're also delicious smoked!

How long does it take to cook flanken?

A classic way of cooking flanken is to sprinkle it generously with salt, pepper and dried onion flakes. Add a cup of water to the pan and cover tightly. Cook at 300⁰F for 5-7 hours, or overnight at 250⁰F. The meat will be super soft.

What temperature do you cook flanken short ribs?

I would aim for a final temperature of 140-145F but the meat is so thin your thermometer is going to give you highly variable readings. Instead of cooking to temperature try to cook to appearance and realize that it is hard to undercook these ribs. These ribs looked and tasted amazing!

How long to cook short ribs in the oven at 350?

Bake ribs in the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven 45 minutes, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).