Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs Recipe

You really can't go wrong when it comes to cooking short ribs in a slow cooker. The low, slow, and steady method of cooking lends itself quite well to the tender nature of short ribs, and with this Korean-inspired recipe, you can bet that these ribs will be loaded with flavor. This slow-cooker Korean short ribs recipe comes to us courtesy of Ting Dalton, who is admittedly a huge fan of using a slow cooker whenever possible. "There's something so satisfying about throwing ingredients into a pot and leaving it for several hours without having to lift a finger," Dalton explains. "It's perfect for busy people too, who can prepare a family meal ahead of time and not have to do much before serving."

There's no doubt that you'll love the convenience that this recipe offers, but those Korean flavors will also keep you coming back again and again. Dalton notes that short ribs pair quite well with these flavors — "salty, spicy and slightly sweet, it's really great pairing," she describes. If you're looking for a new way to prepare short ribs or an inventive way to use your slow cooker, this recipe won't let you down. 

Unsurprisingly, the ingredient at the top of this shopping list is the bone-in short ribs themselves. "Short ribs are one of my favorite cuts of meat," Dalton says. "And they work so well for slow cooking. The meat is fatty and tender and melts in your mouth."

Of course, there are quite a few other things you'll need, including soy sauce, beef broth, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, carrots, green onions, cornstarch, water, and gochujang paste. "Gochujang paste is readily available in Asian supermarkets," Dalton notes. She says that if you like heat, you should use 2 tablespoons –– though she does say that you could omit it altogether if you don't like heat, and "it will still taste wonderful." And, as a final note, she says you could use red pepper flakes if you want heat but can't find gochujang paste. 

Place your slow cooker onto the countertop, then place the chopped carrots and sliced green onions on the bottom. Next, put the bone-in short ribs on top of the veggies. Mix the soy sauce, beef broth, rice vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and gochujang together, then pour this mixture over the short ribs — be sure to coat them evenly. 

Now, it's time to let the slow cooker do its thing. Simply set it on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 5 hours, then kick back and relax as the short ribs cook.

Once the short ribs are finished cooking, remove them from the slow cooker and onto a serving plate. "I like to skim the fat from the top of the sauce before thickening," Dalton recommends, and due to the fatty nature of short ribs, there will be quite a bit. 

After you've skimmed the fat, you can focus on thickening up the sauce. Pour the sauce and vegetables into a pan (if you have a large, deep slow cooker, you could thicken the sauce in there instead) and place it over medium heat. Separately combine the cornstarch and water, creating a slurry, then pour that into the sauce. Keep stirring, and you'll notice that the sauce will thicken up quite nicely. 

With the sauce adequately thickened, go ahead and pour it right over the short ribs, which should still be on a serving platter. Then, you're ready to enjoy these sweet and spicy Korean short ribs. Enjoy them on their own, along with the carrots and green onion, or even pair them with some rice or noodles to round out the meal. 

While these short ribs will taste wonderful straight out of the slow cooker, Dalton does note that the recipe works well for making in advance. "This recipe is perfect for batch cooking and you can easily freeze this meal in a suitable container for up to three months," she says.