This Slow Cooker Korean Beef recipe is a delicious twist on traditional bulgogi. It's an easy and flavorful dish that is perfect for busy weeknights. The beef is cooked in a slow cooker with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and pepper for an incredibly tender and savory meal.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This Slow Cooker Korean Beef is an easy and flavorful dish that requires minimal effort.
- Our Korean beef is an easy crockpot dinner recipe that will quickly be added to your regular dinner rotation.
- It's packed with bold flavors like garlic and soy sauce to create a delicious meal your family will love.
- Plus, the beef will be perfectly tender after hours of cooking in the slow cooker!
🧾 Ingredient List
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- flank steak
- yellow onion
- light brown sugar
- light soy sauce
- minced garlic
- fresh ginger peeled and minced
- rice wine vinegar
- sesame oil
- salt
- black pepper
- cornstarch
- sesame seeds
- green onions
- non-stick cooking spray
🍲 Equipment
- slow cooker
- measuring cup and spoon
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.
Step 1: Add the beef, onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker
Step 2: Stir to combine. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Step 3: Remove ¼ cup of the drippings and place in a small bowl. Stir cornstarch into the drippings, whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch slurry to the slow cooker. Cook an additional 30 minutes.
Step 4: The beef will be fork tender and the sauce will thicken slightly. The Korean beef is ready to serve. Serve the tender beef over rice garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
👩🏻🍳Eileen's Tips for Success
- If you want to save time on cleaning up, you can use a slow cooker liner.
- Be sure to use light brown sugar instead of dark as the taste will be different.
- Don't skip the sesame oil that's really what gives this dish such a great flavor.
- Try to slice the beef into even slices so that it cooks at the same rate.
- If the sauce isn't thickening to your liking, simply add a little more cornstarch slurry and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes.
- Do you prefer more tender beef? If so, feel free to cook it a little longer until it reaches the texture that you desire.
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to reheat crock pot Korean beef is in a skillet on the stove. Heat a little oil or butter in the pan over medium heat, add the beef and sauce then cook until heated through. You could microwave if desired.
Yes, the slow cooker does a great job at making this slow cooker bulgogi tender. The slow cooking process helps to break down the proteins making the beef extra tender.
Yes, you can use other cuts of beef such as flank steak or skirt steak for this slow cooker beef if desired. Just note that cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of the meat.
📖 Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways that you increase the flavor of this dish.
- If you like a more acidic flavor, add an extra tablespoon of rice wine vinegar or even some lime juice.
- You can substitute the flank steak with boneless short ribs, sirloin steak, beef chuck roast, or thinly sliced pork for a delicious twist.
- If you are sticking to a low-carb diet, replace the brown sugar with your favorite sugar-free brown sugar alternative.
- Try adding some thinly sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker for a different flavor profile.
- Adding a teaspoon of gochujang (Korean chili paste) or ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give the dish a bit of heat.
- If you prefer a saucier Korean beef, add 1 cup of beef broth.
❄️ Make ahead, storage, and freezer tips
Make ahead: You can add all the ingredients (but the slurry) to the slow cooker and store it in the fridge overnight and then add it to the slow cooker in the morning when you are ready to cook.
Prep ahead: The flank steak can also be prepared with all the ingredients except the cornstarch slurry and frozen for up to 3 months before cooking in the slow cooker. Allow ingredients to defrost overnight in the refrigerator before slow cooking for the best results.
Storage - Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezing - Freeze the cooked beef in an airtight container for up to three months.
🥣 Serving Suggestions
If you ask my family, you can't have Asian food without a side of fried rice. And, this Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice recipe is always my to-go.
Do you prefer noodles instead of rice? If so, then you are going to want to make this Chicken Chow Mein! It tastes just like restaurant-made chow mein!
For a twist serve Korean beef over creamy homemade mashed potatoes. Always a hit in our home.
Are you looking to add something green and healthy to your meal? If Grilled Asparagus is so easy, it cooks quickly and you only need a few pantry staples to make it. You can't go wrong with this recipe.
Keep this recipe low-carb and serve in lettuce wraps.
🍽 Similar recipes
These Asian Style Instant Pot Spare Ribs are another one of my family's favorite recipes to make when we are craving takeout but don't want to spend the money eating out.
These Asian Meatballs are always a hit with the family. Is an easy meal that you can have on the table in no time!
If you prefer chicken instead of beef then next time give this Korean Chicken recipe a try with your family.
Idaho Steak Fingers is another delicious recipe with an Asian flavor.
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Eileen xo
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Equipment Needed:
- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Ingredients
- 1 (3) pound flank steak cut into 1 inch strips
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and sliced thin
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup light soy sauce note 1
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- non-stick cooking spray
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch optional, for thickening the sauce
- sesame seeds optional garnish
- green onions sliced, optional garnish
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Instructions
- Prepare the slow cooker liner with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place ingredients, sliced beef, onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper into the prepared vessel of the slow cooker.
- Stir to combine ingredients.
- Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Stir and pull apart any strips of beef that may be stuck together.
- Remove ¼ cup of the drippings from the slow cooker and place in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch into the drippings and whisk to combine.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the slow cooker and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve the beef over rice garnished with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
NOTES
- Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
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