Usually, I’m the one creating recipes . . .it’s my jam, it’s what I love to do and I’ve been making my take on healthy good eats since I was 8 years old and was inspired by Betty Crocker Kid’s Cookbook! But, last month, Beef Loving Texans asked me to recreate one of THEIR beef recipes (Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs to be exact) and break it out into a step-by-step tutorial that would make it easy to follow along – you can check the original post out at How to Make Restaurant-Quality Korean Braised Short Ribs at Home.

But, WAIT, I’m also knocking the helpful how-to HERE for you and also sharing some other insights on the beef slow cooker recipe, plus I’ve made a few tweaks to make it gluten-free and paleo-friendly.Read on to get all the details on this Korean beef short rib recipe.

If you’re anything like I was, you probably LOVE to order Korean Beef Short Ribs off the menu, but have no idea on the making of them – assuming the process to make such a perfectly spiced dish with meat so tender it falls off the bone must be lengthy, laborious and complicated. But, it’s NOT – braising short ribs in the slow cooker couldn’t be easier and YOU can do it too! 

For me, cooking Korean cuisine was definitely outside my culinary comfort zone, a couple of the ingredients were even too hard for me to pronounce and were items I had never used before – like Gochujang (a fermented bean paste with red pepper) or Rice Wine (I used “Aji-Mirin Sweet Rice Wine Cooking Seasoning” instead since I’m not a wine drinker). Both of these are easy to find on the soy sauce aisle of most major grocery stores. This Korean short rib recipe also calls for an Asian pear to be pureed up in the marinade sauce. Since these green-to-yellow looking round pears aren’t typically available year ‘round (just September – January), a Bosc pear makes a satisfactory substitute in this Korean beef ribs recipe. 

But, let’s focus on the beef cut used in this Korean slow cooker recipe – beef short ribs. Before you head to the meat counter to grab some, a little beef rib education is in order. Beef ribs are butchered in two different ways, “flanken-style” and “English-style.” Flanken short ribs feature a cross-section cut through multiple ribs and attached muscle while English short ribs are cut between the ribs, leaving a thick hunk of meat sitting atop a bone. Braising beef short ribs (including braising in a slow cooker) is best suited to the English cut – when the collagen in the beef breaks down during cooking, it will fall off the bone, and those smaller Flanken pieces of bone are to tedious to fish out and could break a tooth. In my opinion, it’s best to save Flanken cut ribs for grilling or Korean Barbecue recipes such as “Kalbi-style” ribs.  If you have any questions, ask your butcher – they LOVE to chat about beef.

Before placing your Korean Beef Short Ribs in the slow cooker, season them with salt and pepper and sear in a heavy-duty skillet lightly-coated with olive oil. I often get people asking if they can skip the searing-before-braising step – NO! While technically you could omit the step, as the beef actually comes the proper temperature in the slow cooker, but it would be bland and boring. Searing beef short ribs before braising or slow cooking caramelizes the exposed surfaces, and blooms spices and seasonings to magnify the flavor to the finished recipe. While this isn’t specifically an Instant Pot beef short ribs recipe, ff you don’t want to dirty another pan and have Instant Pot, you can use the saute function to brow the beef short ribs and the slow cooker function to finish them off. 

After the beef short ribs are browned, they go in the slow cooker along with a sauce made with pureed onion, garlic, ginger and Asian pear along other ingredients found in Korean cuisine like soy sauce, sesame oil and the gochujang and rice wine mentioned earlier in this Korean beef slow cooker recipe. I’ve also used coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce) and arrowroot powder (instead of corn starch) to keep this recipe paleo-friendly and gluten-free.

Set your slow cooker for 5 to 6 hours on high, and once that timer rings, you’ll be treated with a slightly spicy, slightly sweet, sticky, savory beef slow cooker recipe that is amazing served on a bed of rice or noodles along with other toppings you like – try toasted sesame seeds, shredded carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, grilled onions, or even some traditional kimchi.

Have you tried your hand at any Korean recipes? What is your favorite protein to prepare in a slow cooker? Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer 

*Recipe adapted from my guest post on BeefLovingTexans.com to be Paleo-freindly and Gluten-free

5 from 9 votes

Print

Korean Short Ribs for Slow Cooker | Gluten-free, Paleo

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

5 hrs

Total Time

5 hrs 20 mins

 

Create a restaurant-quality Korean short ribs meal in your slow cooker at home. It's simple and delicous, plus suitable for gluten-free and paleo diets.Adapted from BeefLovingTexans.com

Course: dinner, entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, korean

Keyword: asian, beef, instant pot, korean, ribs, slow cooker

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 340 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef short ribs bone-in
• ¼ cup beef broth
• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup Aji Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 1 medium onion quartered
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 small Asian pear peeled, cored and julienne sliced
• 1 1- inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• Grilled scallions kimchi, cooked brown rice, shredded carrots

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef broth, coconut aminos, coconut sugar, rice wine, sesame oil and gochujang. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, place onion, garlic, pear and ginger. Process on HIGH to a smooth puree. Add soy mixture, pulsing until combined. Place mixture in a slow cooker. Set slow cooker on HIGH to preheat.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season short ribs with Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. Place short ribs in pan, brown well on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer ribs, meat side down, in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW 6-8 hours or until fork tender.

4. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot powder with 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Whisk until smooth. Pour arrowroot mixture into slow cooker, stir to blend and cook uncovered on high for 20 minutes. Turn slow cooker off and let stand 10 minutes. Sauce will thicken upon standing. Transfer ribs to a platter, top with toasted sesame seeds. Reserve cooking liquid to serve with ribs. Serve with grilled scallions, kimchi, cooked brown rice and shredded carrots.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 340; Total fat 17g (Sat. fat 5g; Trans fat 0g); Cholest. 55mg; Sodium 1820mg; Total Carb. 25g; Fiber 1g; Total Sugars 17g; Protein 20g; Vit D (0% DV); Calcium (2% DV); Iron (15% DV); Potas. (8%DV)