Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Crockpot Korean Beef Tacos


As we are adjusting to life with a newborn + a toddler, I've been on the lookout for quick and low-maintenance dinners.  Smith could want to eat at any time, and I don't want to have to stop cooking at a time-sensitive point.  So right now, crockpot meals are really practical and nice.  They also usually produce enough food for several meals, so that's another win!

Though in all honesty, even if I didn't have time restraints, I would still make this dinner.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  I try not to be overly effusive on here unless a meal was really just over-the-top awesome, and this one definitely was.  You know it's going to be good when you lift the meat out to shred it and it just falls apart.  The short ribs were amazingly tender, and the Asian flavors were spot on - perfectly spicy, sweet, and tangy.  Piled on a tortilla and topped with fresh cilantro, a crunchy cucumber slaw, and a healthy squirt of Siracha, this is now my favorite taco.   Make these soon.  You won't be sorry.




Crock Pot Korean Beef Short Rib Tacos
  • 6 1/2 pounds short ribs (or other ribs)
  • 1 1/2 cups low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Cucumber Slaw
  • 1 hot house cucumber
  • 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste
To serve:
  • 6-inch flour tortillas
  • fresh cilantro
  • extra Siracha
In the bowl of a small food processor, pulse the garlic and ginger until finely chopped (you can do this with a knife or on a microplane as well, but it was really fast and easy in my mini food processor).

Add the ribs to the crock pot.  In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the cooking liquid.  Pour over the ribs. 

Set the crock pot to low and cook about 8 hours. When ready to serve, remove the bones from the ribs, and shred into bite-sized pieces.

Skim the fat off the top of the liquid and add to a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened and reduced.  Pour over the shredded meat and serve.

For the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber as thinly as possible, using a mandoline if you have one.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Toss the cucumbers in the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, warm the tortillas and fill with the shredded meat, and top with cucumbers, cilantro, and Siracha to taste.


Korean Beef adapted from My Life as a Mrs. and Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from What's Cooking Chicago and Blisstree


Cucumber Slaw from My Life as a Mrs, originally from Steamy Kitchen


28 comments:

Unknown said...

Those look so good. I think I might have to make them. Yum.

Shawnda said...

This is my very favorite food right now. We actually made them tonight, using much more budget-friendly chuck roast. The filling works awesomely in spring roll paper, should you find that you only have enough tortillas on hand for one person :)

Stephanie said...

These look absolutely amazing! My mouth is watering just thinking about the flavors! Can't wait to try these!

Mary said...

These look amazing! Definitely on the menu for next week!

Michelle said...

I am so sold. Making these for game day on Sunday! Thank you!

Rachel said...

Yum! These really are that good and I can't wait to make these again.

Annie said...

So does this mean these are worthy of the words "phenomenal" or "intoxicating"? Glad you've got some easy meals now that your sweet little guy is around.

Josie said...

You know it, Annie ;-)

Tina | My Life as a Mrs said...

Aren't these babies addicting??? Yum... you make me want to go make them again! :)

ErinsFoodFiles said...

I've made these too! They were QUITE good!

kids fashion wear said...

Nice one. Thanks for sharing.

Sook said...

Love that you made something up using Korean bbq! I'm from Korea and I love those beef ribs. Yum!

LegalBeck said...

Making them tonight and will report back!

test it comm said...

Those are some nice looking tacos!

Anonymous said...

crockpot!? korean?! tacos!? sounds like heaven on a plate, made easy! I am so excited about these-- I miss korean food so much! I used to eat it all the time when i was in colege. :) You did an awesome job, i can almost taste them just by looking at the pictures!

cheeky said...

thanks so much for posting this, i looooved it! i made a few tiny tweaks on my blog with a shout out to you.
http://cheekydid.blogspot.com/2011/11/cheeky-recipe-korean-tacos.html

Brittny said...

Thanks for the recipe, these were delicious! The one addition we made was to add some avacado, which was amazing!

Megan said...

These look so good! Has anyone tried cutting the recipe in half? Don't think my husband and i could eat six+ pounds! Would I cut all ingredients in half? Thanks!

Josie said...

Hi Meg,
I actually only made half, and yeah I cut all the ingredients in half. No trouble, and it turned out great! Hope you enjoy!

Megan said...

Thanks so much, Josie! Did you need to adjust the cooking time when you cut the recipe in half?

Josie said...

Meg, I don't think I adjusted it. The good thing is that there is enough fat on the short ribs that you don't really have to worry about them drying out or anything.

Ruth Katz said...

I went to make these for a dinner party - an advice on what else to serve with?

Josie said...

Hi Ruth, I just served them as-is since it was just us, but maybe you could serve them with rice?

Alaina@ Fabtastic Eats said...

I made these..they were AMAZING. I had to leave mid-meal because my baby was crying, when I came back..they were gone! I only got two!! Ill defintely be doing these again! Thank you!

Macaroni and Cheesecake said...

Made these recently and they were phenomenal!!

Tiffany said...

I made these tacos yesterday and they were awesome! Used 2.5 lbs boneless short ribs from Costco (best deal around) and halved the cooking liquid ingredients. Cooked on low for 6.5 hours and they were falling apart. The quick pickled cucumbers were perfect with the recipe, which is nice and spicy. This will be a great crowd-pleaser recipe to keep. Thanks!

Lindsey Choi said...

Shawnda's suggestion for the spring roll wrap is spot on. Super amazing. Cool the meat after its shredded before making them. After taste tests I tried bean sprouts added and some green onion and my husband loved that but hated the cilantro. Also if using the spring roll paper put the cucumbers down first so the meat doesnt drain on it much while your making the rest. Cucumbers, meat(used a pot roast instead), bean sprouts then green onion!

Josie said...

I've made these a few times and we love them! So delicious, thanks for sharing!

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