Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs
The first batch I made went straight from the package into the crock, no browning, and they came out tender but kind of gray. Sad, honestly. Now I put the ribs under the broiler for a few minutes per side before they go in, then slide them back under it at the very end with a coat of reduced sauce, and that’s what gives them dark, sticky edges.
Buy English-cut ribs, the thick single-bone pieces. Flanken strips are too thin for eight hours and fall apart into shreds. I set a quick jar of cucumber, carrot and radish in rice vinegar in the fridge before I start, so they’re sharp and cold by dinner. We eat one rib each over plain white rice.
These slow cooker Asian short ribs spend eight hours in a hoisin and ginger braise while you get on with your day. Barely any hands-on work. The meat pulls from the bone with a fork, and the sauce tastes salty-sweet with a warm hint of five-spice. Leftovers keep four days in the fridge and reheat gently in their own juices.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk the 1/2 cup rice vinegar, water, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a glass jar or bowl until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the cucumber rounds, carrot rounds and sliced radishes, press them under the liquid, cover and refrigerate while the ribs cook (at least 30 minutes).1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 English cucumber, 1 medium carrot, 4 radishes
- Trim any thick layer of hard fat from the short ribs. Season them on all sides with the 1 tsp salt, the pepper and the five-spice powder.3 lb bone-in beef short ribs, 1 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- Heat the broiler with a rack in the upper-middle position. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, lay the ribs on it in a single layer and broil 8 to 10 minutes per side, until browned and sizzling.
- Stir the hoisin, ketchup, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, onion, ginger and garlic together in the slow cooker. Add the broiled ribs and turn them to coat, setting the thickest pieces on the bottom.1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 small yellow onion, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 5 cloves garlic
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until a fork slides into the meat with no resistance.
- Lift the ribs onto the foil-lined baking sheet, bone side down. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, strain it into a small saucepan and boil it for 10 to 12 minutes, until it's syrupy and coats a spoon.
- Brush the ribs generously with the reduced sauce and broil 2 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the glaze bubbles and the edges turn dark and sticky.
- Spoon the warm rice onto plates, add one rib per plate and a small pile of drained vegetables, and pass the rest of the sauce at the table.4 cups cooked white rice
Nutrition
Notes
No fish sauce in the pantry? Use one more tablespoon of soy sauce instead. The brined vegetables keep up to five days in their liquid in the fridge.
You might also like our Authentic French Beef Bourguignon.
made these sunday in my 6 qt and that last broil is no joke, the edges got all dark and sticky. my kids had the meat off the bones before i even sat down
flavor was great but my sauce took closer to 20 min to thicken, there was a lot of liquid. i used flanken cut bc thats all the store had and yeah they got a bit stringy like you said
no fish sauce in the house so i did the extra soy from the notes, still really good. the cucumber radish thing on the side cuts the richness, ill make that part again for sure