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The feast of choice for late-night karaoke crews from Seoul to San Francisco, Korean-style short ribs—also called kalbi or galbi, Korean for “rib”—are typically marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and garlic. But variations abound, and you, oh culinary whiz kid, should mix it up as you see fit. When cooking our favorite <a href="/activities/korean-style-barbecue-beef-short-ribs-kalbi">Korean-style short ribs</a>, we use pineapple in the marinade because we love that it delivers a subtle sweetness while also breaking down collagen to make the meat ever so tender. But hard-and-fast rules don’t apply here—this recipe contains no soy sauce, for instance, though you are welcome to sub it in. (If you do, you’ll probably want to hold the salt.) And you can toss in some sake for a boozy bite or try kiwi in place of that aforementioned pineapple. Get creative, just like you do at the karaoke bar after a beer or two. Just be sure to taste your mix as you go, and you’re bound to be a rib-making superstar.