Crock Pot Korean Beef (Printable)

Slow-cooked beef in a Korean-inspired sauce with ginger, garlic, and pear. Served over rice with green onions.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks

→ Sauce

02 - ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - ⅓ cup brown sugar
04 - ¼ cup water
05 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
06 - 2 tablespoons sesame oil
07 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
08 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste) or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
10 - 1 pear, grated (Asian pear, Bosc pear, or apple)
11 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch

→ To Serve

12 - 4 cups cooked jasmine or short grain rice
13 - 2 green onions, sliced
14 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

# Directions:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, gochujang, and grated pear until well combined.
02 - Place beef chunks in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the sauce over the beef, ensuring all pieces are evenly coated.
03 - Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until beef is incredibly tender and shreds easily with a fork.
04 - Remove beef from the crock pot and shred using two forks. Set aside while preparing the sauce.
05 - Skim excess fat from the sauce in the crock pot. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water to form a slurry. Stir the slurry into the sauce.
06 - Return shredded beef to the crock pot. Stir to coat the beef in the thickened sauce. Cook on high for 15 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency.
07 - Serve hot over cooked rice, garnished with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The beef becomes impossibly tender, practically melting into each bite without any fancy knife work
  • One sauce does everything and somehow manages to taste restaurant-quality despite being dump-and-go
02 -
  • Do not skip the grated pear even if it seems odd, the fruit completely dissolves and changes how tender the beef becomes
  • Cornstarch needs cold liquid to dissolve or you will end up with clumpy sauce instead of glossy perfection
03 -
  • Use a box grater for the pear and do not bother peeling it first since the grater takes care of the skin
  • Let the cornstarch mixture bubble for at least 2 minutes to cook out any raw starch taste

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