Korean Short Ribs in Lettuce Wraps

Have you ever come across Steven Raichlen on PBS? He used to have a show called Barbecue University. The first time I watched, all I could think was "is this guy for real?" It was low budget, a bunch of smokers and grills blazing in the background and the tackiest segue music. However, 5 minutes in, it's apparent that this guy knows what he's talking about.

He's back on PBS, this time with a show called Primal Grill. A recent episode featured how to make Korean-style short ribs. The marinade is simple, but the best part of the episode was the tip he had for butterflying the short rib. Essentially, you take a short rib, cut along the bone almost to the end, but not quite and open up the rib. Then you take the thick part of the meat and cut it in half, opening it up.

We followed the recipe for the marinade and garnished with what we on hand: Bibb lettuce leaves, fresh carrots from the farmer's market, cucumber matchsticks, scallion slivers and cilantro. The chili sauce featured in the photo was not needed -- the lettuce wraps were delicious with perfect flavor without it! Of course, a perfect summer evening in the backyard helped too!