Califorina: short rib tacos recipe

When I tried my first Kogi taco in LA, I was surprised at how simple it was: just some fantastic meat and a simple slaw. So I’ve kept this recipe pretty straightforward too.

Eleanor Maidment17 June 2019

SERVES 4

Ingredients
*500 g short-rib meat, cut off the bone (from about 1 kg short-rib on the bone)
*8 corn tortillas, toasted
*lime wedges, to serve

Korean-style chilli bean marinade
*2 tablespoons soy sauce
*2 tablespoons chilli bean sauce
*2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
*2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
*2 garlic cloves, crushed
*2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
*1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Simple slaw
*200 g white or green cabbage, finely shredded
*1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
*juice of 1 lime
*handful of roughly chopped coriander

Chilli mayo
*1 tablespoon chilli sauce (any will do – gochujang, sriracha, etc)
*2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Method

1. If the short-rib meat is on the bone, cut it off in one piece and trim off any silvery sinew or big chunks of fat. Cut each piece of short rib against the grain (as though you’re cutting a cross-section of the bone widthways if the bone was still there) into 1 cm thick slices.

2. For the marinade, mix all the ingredients in a large resealable food bag. Add the meat, massage the marinade into the meat through the bag, then chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat the grill to high and line a large baking tray with a double layer of kitchen foil, turning it up at the edges so the juices don’t run out. Lift the slices of short-rib meat from the marinade and space them out on the foil; discard the excess marinade.

4. Grill the meat for 5 minutes, then turn it with a pair of tongs, and grill for another 5 minutes on the other side. It should be nicely caramelised in spots and there should be plenty of juices on the foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

5. While the beef is cooking, make the slaw and chilli mayo. Toss all the ingredients for the slaw and place in a bowl. Mix the mayo ingredients together in a bowl.

6. Chop up the rested meat into 1 cm cubes and toss with any resting juices.

7. Serve in toasted corn tortillas with the slaw and chilli mayo, and extra lime wedges on the side.

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