Grilled Korean Beef Short Ribs A great plan ahead dinner.

Kris' mother Jackie(is she really 80 years old?) and niece, Abby, loading the tree.

There is no doubt about it. This is a busy time of year!! We have been working hard to fit our last minute baking (and knitting –sshh, we don’t want to spoil any Christmas surprises), into the little free time that we find ourselves with. 

One of the highlights of the weekend was the much anticipated Christmas tree cutting excursion that is an important Mattson/Schumacher tradition.  Mark, Grandma and one or two grandchildren have been doing it for the past 25 years.  This year, Abby took a break from studying and Hanukkah present shopping  to supervise – of course Pepper enjoyed the outing more than anyone.

With all of this busyness, it’s hard to find time for meal planning and prep., but we were inspired by some delicious looking beef short ribs to create this recipe for Grilled Korean Beef Ribs. Prepare the marinade and let the ribs sit in the marinade in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, when dinner time rolls around, prepare a simple green salad and some mashed potatoes and you have a delicious winter dinner that the whole family will love.

Grilled Korean Beef Short Ribs

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, minced
• 3 pounds beef short ribs (cut 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick across  the bones)

Directions

1. Pour soy sauce, pineapple juice, and vinegar into a large, non-metallic bowl. Whisk in brown sugar, white sugar, pepper, sesame oil, garlic, and onion until the sugars have dissolved. Submerge the ribs in this marinade, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 7 to 12 hours; the longer, the better.
2. Preheat the grill on MEDIUM-HIGH for 5 minutes.
3. Remove ribs from the marinade, shake off excess, and set the marinade in a small saucepan on the side burner. Reduce the heat to MEDIUM and grill the ribs for 5 to 7 minutes per side. Meanwhile, reduce marinade by boiling for 5-10 minutes and serve as a sauce for ribs and mashed potatoes.

  

Another little bit of fun that we had this weekend was that we dropped by our friends’, Chris and Cathy Corrigans new restaurant, The Lancaster Smokehouse    They just opened this new spot  and it is sure to be a hit! We had a sample platter, piled high with pork ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and smoked chicken wings. Along with the corn bread, we also sampled baked beans, onion rings, French fries and mac & cheese.  Nothing green on our plates!!  We did see fresh vegetables at the next table, if anyone is interested.  Great for families, dates, and generally hungry people like us who don’t want to cook on Friday night. There was a line-up, but we were able to relax at the bar with a beer and listen to the live blues music.