Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs
by Chungah
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Literally fall-off-the-bone tender! SO SO GOOD. Set and forget right in your crockpot. So easy with zero fuss!
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This dish was, well…Damn Delicious! With a half hour left, I stirred in the water/corn starch, the meat was SO TENDER, the bones were falling off the meat while stirring! The meat was excellent, the vegetables, still firm, had the flavor of the sauce. What a great dinner and lunch leftovers. Recipes like this are why I recommend your site to friends and family. Thank You!
Short ribs? Easy? Yes, yes, yes. With the help of the crockpot, this is by far one of the easiest, slow cooker set and forget dinners. The crockpot will do all the heavy lifting here. And you can even white lie to your guests and tell them you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all night to get these short ribs just right. It’s so so good, they’ll believe you without a shadow of a doubt.
Why you’ll love this slow cooker asian short ribs recipe
- Set it and forget it dinner. Even on the busiest of days, you can make dinner happen so fast. Just dump everything right in your slow cooker morning of – no searing, no browning, no nothing here!
- Weeknight-friendly yet fancy enough for company. This is one of those great slow cooker recipes that is super weeknight friendly + will make your heart sing and still so impressive and luxurious enough to serve to guests.
- The marinade is so flavorful. The marinade is simply out-of-this-world amazing yielding such tender, flavorful short ribs using just a handful of pantry staples – soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and sesame oil.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, short ribs tend to taste even better the next day, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify even further overnight. That being said, this is a great dish to make ahead of time for dinner parties and big get-togethers.
How to make slow cooker asian short ribs
- Prep the sauce. Combine the reduced sodium soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes (for added heat).
- Dump and go. Add the sauce and short ribs to the slow cooker, stirring well.
- Set and forget. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, letting it cook nice and slow.
- Let it thicken. While the short ribs are cooking, whisk together the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch + water), adding to the slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of cook time on high heat. Never add cornstarch directly to the slow cooker as it will create gummy lumps (aka starch bombs).
- Shred and serve. Shred the meat (the meat should fall off the bone without resistance), spoon some sauce over the meat, and serve over rice to sop up all the goodness.
what to serve with asian short ribs
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs: Frequently Asked Questions
What should I serve this with?
I love to serve this over rice and a side of kimchi and cucumbers.
I don’t have fresh ginger. Can I substitute ground ginger?
Absolutely! But because ground ginger is often more potent/concentrated than freshly grated ginger, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. We also love to stock up on ginger puree!
Do you have other short ribs recipes?
Yes, this is one of our favorite red wine braised short ribs recipes made on the stovetop.
What if I don’t have a slow cooker?
No slow cooker, no problem! This can be braised in a Dutch oven at 300°F for 3-4 hours, or until tender.
Are short ribs freezer-friendly?
Yes! Freeze the leftover short ribs in the cooking liquid, or shred them first prior to freezing, storing up to 3 months.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs
Literally fall-off-the-bone tender! SO SO GOOD. Set and forget right in your crockpot. So easy with zero fuss!
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 4 pounds beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes, if using.
- Place short ribs into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce mixture until well combined.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.*
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and sesame seeds, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Use the right size crockpot. A 6-qt slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. If the slow cooker is too small, the short ribs may not cook evenly. If the slow cooker is too large, the liquid may cook down too quickly, causing the short ribs to burn.
- Make ahead of time. Short ribs taste even better the very next day, perfect to make this ahead of time 1 day in advance (scraping off the fat) and reheating in the oven until warmed through.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor.
- Mix cornstarch with water. Combining the cornstarch with water first (also known as a slurry) will prevent lumps in the sauce, ensuring a smooth consistency and even thickening.
- Adjust the consistency. Add in the slurry slowly in a fine stream, stirring constantly. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or beef broth until the desired consistency is reached.
- Test for doneness. The meat should slide out freely from the bone without resistance.
- Serve over rice. This is best served over rice (or your favorite starch such as mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice) to sop up all the leftover cooking juices.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover short ribs can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
- Freeze leftovers. Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings with leftover cooking liquid (to keep the short ribs moist during freezing and reheating), squeezing out any excess air before sealing. If leftovers are going to be used as shredded meat, shred first, then freeze. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating in a low oven to prevent from drying out at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 20-30 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Made this tonight. It was met by lots of yummy sounds while first bites were taken!
I browned the ribs before placing them in the instant pot (crockpot setting) and added 8oz of sliced shitake mushrooms 30 minutes before it was done. Served with jasmine rice and grilled bok choy.
Next time I will be sure to drain the fat off the liquid before adding the slurry. And most likely add a cup of beef broth to replace the liquid.
Soooooo good!
It is good. The cornstarch is necessary, it also needs more salt.
More salt? Really? I thought it was very salty
Can I cook on stove top? If so, how long?
I made this for the second time today. Delicious. I did not sear the meat before hand. I will do so next time. The recipe did not cover the meat, but while cooking the meat shrinks and liquid/fat cooks out and the meat ended up being covered.
Tasty and so simple! Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. I did not sear my ribs and followed the recipe card and cooked on low for 8 hours. I didn’t have fresh grated ginger and used 3 cubes of frozen ginger from Trader Joe’s. Served with white rice and roasted broccoli. The only downside, we had very little leftovers!
If your recipe doesn’t cover all of the meat? Do you add water, or what do you do?
Ahhaaamazing! Thank you for your great recipes!
My husband loooovvvved this recipe!
Can you use pork instead? Beef is so pricey!
Absolutely fantastic. Worked out really really well. Highly recommend.
My personal recommendations/additions:
– I seared them before putting them in the pot. My own recommendation.
– I added this spice as I always do with any Asian dish. It adds various Asian flavors and I love it. https://a.co/d/iIQL8op
– And I served this with white rice of course… But also made this recipe and it was fantastic. https://thenewbaguette.com/cucumber-kimchi-salad/
Amazing! I will always use this recipe! Easy and damn delicious!
Can I incorporate Kinder’s Japanese cooking sauce in this recipe? It contains ginger, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and sesame oil. If not, would marinating my ribs overnight in this sauce be ok? Thank you.
Very delicious! Thank you!
Can Boneless short ribs be used and would cook time ne different then!
Can I use boneless short ribs instead and would the time be the same in the crockpot?
Easy & common ingredients. Excellent flavor. I use Coco Aminos (sub for soy), 2 Tblsp ground ginger (sub for fresh), and my homemade chx broth (sub for beef broth). Even with all my subs, this is a great, easy on the palate, flavorful dish that the entire family enjoys very much.
You know the fantasy of a recipe that takes literally no work yet magically produces a meal good enough for a dinner that will be universally raved about by your guests? THIS IS THE ONE. It is so good that it’s almost irritating. The only hard part is mincing garlic and ginger, then everything just gets dumped in the slow cooker for 4 hrs on high. You don’t even have to brown the meat. I don’t even do the step with adding the cornstarch for the sauce because I like a more au jus-like consistency anyway. It’s like magic.
This was so insanely good I’m still thinking about it!!!
fantastic and easy! thank you so much. I didn’t have cornstarch, so used all-purpose flour to thicken. I’ll make it again for sure.
Can I use regular soy sauce instead of low sodium soy sauce and if so, is there any change to the amount?
I use regular soy sauce and it came out perfectly. Just make sure you don’t also salt the meat and make sure the broth is unsalted.