From the roundup: 22 High Protein Slow Cooker Meals That Actually Fill You Up
Before school drop-off, I get these crockpot Korean-style beef short rib bowls going in about twenty minutes, and the one step I never skip anymore is trimming the fat caps before the ribs go in. I learned that lesson after pulling off the lid at dinnertime and finding half an inch of grease floating on top, which meant ten minutes of skimming before I could feed anyone. The grated pear in the sauce is worth every second of prep because it quietly tenderizes the meat and keeps the soy and sesame base from tasting sharp or one-note. By the time we are back from afternoon pickup and practices, the liquid has cooked down into a glossy, clingy sauce that makes the shredded beef look like it came from somewhere much more complicated than my kitchen counter at 7 a.m.
Why you will love this
- Mostly hands-off: 20 minutes of prep, then 7 to 8 hours on low with no stirring or checking required.
- The grated pear in the sauce acts as a natural tenderizer, so the meat shreds without any effort at all.
- The sauce concentrates as it cooks and turns into a savory glaze rather than a thin broth.
- Leftovers reheat well and work just as easily stuffed into lettuce wraps or tossed with noodles the next day.
- Bone-in ribs give the braising liquid more body and richness than boneless cuts do.
Tips for success
- Trim the large white fat caps before cooking, not after. Leaving them on makes the sauce greasy and you cannot fully fix it once it has cooked in.
- Searing is listed as optional, but if you have 10 extra minutes, do it. The brown crust on each rib adds depth to the sauce that you cannot get from slow cooking alone.
- Cook on LOW rather than HIGH if your schedule allows. The texture of the meat after 8 hours on low is noticeably more tender and less stringy than the 4 to 5 hour high setting.
- After shredding, return the beef to the sauce and let it sit in the warm slow cooker for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The meat absorbs the sauce better than if you plate it right away.
If the sauce seems thin or greasy
- Greasy sauce almost always means the fat caps were not trimmed close enough before cooking. Skim the surface with a spoon before returning the shredded beef to the pot.
- If the sauce looks thin, transfer it to a small saucepan and simmer it over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes while the beef rests. It thickens quickly.
- The grated pear adds natural sugar that helps the sauce reduce and cling. If you skipped it, the sauce may stay looser than expected.
- Under-seasoned bowls usually just need a drizzle of extra soy sauce at the table, not more salt added during cooking.
Substitutions
Boneless short ribs or large cubes of beef chuck both work here if bone-in ribs are hard to find. The bone does add richness to the braising liquid, but either cut will shred well after a full cook time. For the pear, a Bosc pear or Asian pear are both listed in the recipe and either one does the job. If you have neither, a couple tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce is a reasonable substitute. Tamari works in place of soy sauce for a gluten-free version, and dry sherry covers for mirin if that is what you have in the pantry.
For picky eaters who are sensitive to heat, leave out the red pepper flakes entirely. The dish has plenty of flavor without them. Serve the rice and beef separately for anyone who prefers to keep components from touching, and skip the sesame seeds for kids with sesame allergies since the sesame oil in the sauce is harder to omit without changing the flavor noticeably.
Make-ahead and storage
You can trim and season the short ribs the night before, mix the sauce separately, and store both covered in the refrigerator. In the morning, pour the sauce over the ribs and start the slow cooker. The shredded beef actually tastes better the next day once it has had time to sit in the sauce overnight, so leftovers are worth saving. Store the beef and sauce together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, add the beef and sauce to a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a small splash of water or broth to keep the sauce from scorching on the bottom. The beef also freezes well for up to 3 months. Freeze it in portioned containers with plenty of sauce included so the meat does not dry out when you thaw and reheat it.
Crockpot Korean-Style Beef Short Rib Bowls
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the short ribs completely dry with paper towels. Trim away any large, thick pieces of surface fat using a sharp knife. A little marbling is fine and adds flavor, but large white fat caps will make the finished sauce greasy. Season the ribs on all sides with black pepper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes (if using), and grated pear until the sugar is mostly dissolved. The grated pear helps tenderize the meat and adds a subtle sweetness that balances the salty soy base.
- Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over high heat until the oil is shimmering and just beginning to smoke. Sear the short ribs for 2 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms on the surface. Work in batches so you do not crowd the pan, which would steam the meat instead of browning it. Searing is optional but builds a richer, more complex final sauce.
- Transfer the seared short ribs to the slow cooker, bone side down if possible. Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the ribs, making sure all surfaces are coated. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the ribs. If it does not, add a splash of water or low-sodium beef broth to bring it up slightly.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The ribs are done when the meat pulls away from the bone with almost no resistance and shreds easily when pressed with a fork. The bones themselves may fall out into the liquid, which is exactly what you want.
- Carefully remove the short ribs and set them on a cutting board. Discard the bones and any remaining large pieces of fat. Use two forks to shred the beef into thick, generous pieces. Skim any visible fat from the top of the sauce in the slow cooker using a spoon, then return the shredded beef to the pot and stir it into the sauce so every piece is coated.
- Serve the shredded beef over steamed short-grain rice. Spoon extra sauce generously over each bowl. Top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately while the beef is hot and the sauce is glossy.
Notes
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