Cycle 16 – Item 52

26 (Wed) February 2025

Post 5,531

Macho Marinated Grilled Pork Ribs

3.5

at Macho Ribs

-Samseong, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with EE and his family

Macho Ribs (마초갈비) is a Korean restaurant.  Specializes in Korean BBQ, primarily their eponymous pork ribs (dweiji galbi), but also a few beef selections.  Chain (possibly franchise), currently with 4 locations.

EE, whom I haven’t seen in over 2 years (see most recently 14.043 Odol Bbyeo), is back in town, this time with his family in tow.

The challenge in hosting out-of-towners to Korean BBQ is that they usually prefer marinated meats, such as bulgogi or galbi, which is what Korean BBQ abroad is famous for, but premium restaurants in Korea usually offer unmarinated meats.

My theory to explain the dichotomy is that high quality meats, both pork (handon) and beef (hanwoo), are easily accessible in Korea, so local diners have come to appreciate the pure flavor of the meat.  But marinades can be used to mask lower quality meats, which might be all that’s available in other markets.  In fact, Korean BBQ historically started out marinated, back when meats weren’t that great, and didn’t begin to lose the marinades until the industry began to upgrade their practices, just a few decades ago.

In finding a suitable place for dinner, the venue needed to be “proper” Korean BBQ + kid-friendly + near their Air BnB.  Macho Ribs fit the bill perfectly.

The galbi was surprisingly good.   While most dweji galbi tend to be the same – equally tasty, yet equally unremarkable – the difference here was that the cut was extra thick, allowing for more contrasting textures between the crispy burnt exterior and soft juicy interior, like a steak.  The best in recent memory.   Totally worth a repeat visit.

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