BBQ Short Ribs

I'm not too sure where I stand in terms of cooking with other people. I enjoy other people's company, and I like to cook with other people, if they're the right people and I'm in the right mood. There are pros and cons to both sides. When I cook alone, I can enjoy the peaceful tranquility and focus my entire being on one task. It's my form of meditating. However, when I cook with other people, I can laugh and joke, listen to stories, and simply be with my friends.

The bad thing about cooking by myself is that it gets lonely sometimes. The silence can be overwhelming and even oppressive at times. Then, there's cooking with other people. Sometimes they can be too noisy, they don't know where the sugar, the measuring cups, the salt, the baking powder is… it's chaotic, messy, and you end up giving inexperienced people menial tasks like stirring together the flour and the salt. Not fun.

This recipe is for BBQ short ribs, from Kevin's Closet Cooking! I absolutely adore his blog. Really. Plus, I find it amusing that his name is Kevin (which is my brother's name), and he lives in Canada (the same country as my adopted brother, Matt). Plus, the photos look absolutely amazing on his blog. Really. He's a pro. Anyways, I adapted this recipe from his recipe, because I don't like ginger very much, and I didn't have a pear in the house. I'm pretty sure grapes or watermelon wouldn't have been a good substitute.

BBQ Short Ribs

• 1 ½ lbs short ribs
  
• ¼ cup soy sauce
  
• 2 tbs brown sugar
  
• 2 ½ tsp white sugar
  
• 1 tbs sesame oil
  
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
  
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
  
• 2 tbs green onions, chopped
  
• 1 tsp onion, grated
  
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
  
• ¼ to ½ of an onion, thinly sliced (the optional base of your dish)
  
• 2 tbs green onions, chopped (optional topping)
  
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional topping)

1. Wash the short ribs under cool running water, drain and pat dry.
   
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (reserve 1 tsp of marinade for the base), and then pour the marinade over the short ribs.
   
3. Mix well to coat all the short ribs in the marinade.
   
4. Put in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 5 hours.
   
5. Make the base of your dish, slicing ¼ to ½ of an onion very thinly (use however much you want).
   
6. Refrigerate the onion in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
   
7. When the ribs are done marinating, take out of the refrigerator and let sit for about 20 minutes.
   
8. Lightly coat a pan with oil, and then heat on high heat until the pan is hot.
   
9. Place the ribs in a single layer on the pan. Cook each rib for 2 minutes on each side on high heat, then turn the heat to medium.
   
10. Continue cooking the ribs until they are slightly charred (or however you want them to be), flipping every once in awhile. Repeat until all the ribs are cooked.
    
11. To make the base of onions, lightly oil a clean pan and heat on high heat. Stir fry the onions until they are slightly translucent, then add the 1 tsp of reserved marinade. Continue stir frying until desired. (I like my onions extremely well done, so I add in ¼ cup of water while I'm stir frying to really cook the onion through).
    
12. Serve with the onions on the bottom, and the ribs on top. You could also top the ribs with the 2 tbs green onions and 1 tsp sesame seeds.