Slow Cooker Korean Beef (Printable View)

Tender beef slow-cooked in Korean-inspired sauce with gochujang, sesame, and garlic. Ideal for rice bowls or lettuce wraps.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces

→ Sauce

02 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
04 - 1/4 cup sesame oil
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
07 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar
08 - 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
09 - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Vegetables and Garnish

11 - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
12 - 4 green onions, sliced
13 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
14 - 2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Place beef pieces and sliced onion in the slow cooker.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, gochujang, sesame seeds, and black pepper until well combined.
03 - Pour the sauce over the beef and onions, tossing gently to coat evenly.
04 - Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until the beef is very tender and falls apart easily.
05 - If a thicker sauce is desired, mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry. Stir into the slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
06 - Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Return to the cooker and mix thoroughly with the sauce.
07 - Garnish with sliced green onions and extra sesame seeds. Serve hot with steamed rice or in lettuce wraps.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce hits every flavor note sweet, salty, savory, and just enough heat to keep things interesting
  • You literally dump everything in the slow cooker and walk away for eight hours
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, if they last that long
02 -
  • Do not skip the cornstarch step if you are serving this over rice, that thickened sauce clings to every grain
  • The beef needs to be very tender before you shred it, test it with a fork, it should pull apart with zero resistance
  • Gochujang varies by brand, taste your sauce before cooking and adjust if you like more heat
03 -
  • Use a sharp knife to slice the onions as thinly as possible, they will almost dissolve into the sauce
  • Toast extra sesame seeds in a dry pan for garnish, the aroma alone will make your kitchen smell amazing

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