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Home » Blog » Recipes » Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

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This slow cooker Korean Short Ribs dish is pretty much a dump-it-in-and-forget-about-it kind of dish. Good things it’s also Whole30-friendly and delicious!

A collage of the cooking steps for Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Inspired by a recipe in Slow Cooker Revolution from the editors at America’s Test Kitchen, I’ve made this Korean-style dish several times—and every time, it’s been easy-peasy and tasty. I simplified and Paleoized the recipe by subbing out the soy sauce with coconut aminos, the rice wine vinegar with coconut vinegar, and leaving out the tapioca.

Two forks grabbing a piece of slow cooker Korean short rib in a bowl.

What’s cool about this recipe is that you don’t need to sear off any of the meat or caramelize any aromatics—it’s pretty much a dump-it-in-and-forget-about-it kind of dish. That being said, when I do have the time I will char the short ribs under the broiler before throwing them in the Crock Pot.

You may want to make this dish ahead of time and store it in your fridge because the short ribs release a ton of fat into the gravy, which you can easily remove when the chilled fat hardens.

(Wanna make this comforting dish faster in an Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs recipe here!)

Time to make Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs!

Serves 12

Ingredients:

  • 6 pounds bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
  • ½ cup coconut aminos
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  • 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, cut into two pieces
  • 2 teaspoons of Red Boat fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar, rice vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken or bone broth
  • Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Method:

Preheat your broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heating element. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper, and lay the ribs, bone-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. (Whenever I season raw meat, I set aside a small ramekin with salt and ground pepper that I use only for the raw stuff. Cross contamination can lead to some bad crap. Literally.)

Raw short ribs on a plate.

Broil the ribs for 5 minutes and then flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes. Stack the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker. I lay them on their side to cram them all in the pot.

Broiled short ribs placed in a slow cooker.

Toss the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, scallions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar in a blender …

A collage of the ingredients for the Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs marinade including Asian pear, garlic, scallions, and fish sauce.

…and purée until smooth.

A closeup of the blended marinade for Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Pour the sauce evenly over the ribs…

Pouring the Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs marinade on top of the ribs in a slow cooker.

…and add the broth to the pot.

An overhead shot of someone pouring broth into a slow cooker to make Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

Cover with the lid, set the slow cooker on low, and let the ribs stew for 9-11 hours.

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs cooking in a Crock Pot

When it’s time to serve the ribs, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place them on a serving platter.

A pair of tongs taking out a fork-tender piece of Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs from a Crock Pot.

Let the braising liquid settle for 5 minutes and then ladle off the fat if you wish. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.

Sprinkle on the chopped cilantro and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

A closeup shot of Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs in a large white serving dish.

Super tender and very tasty. The simmer sauce is subtly sweet and the coconut aminos, while not as bold-tasting as soy sauce, lend a good umami flavor to the dish. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

A closeup shot of Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs ready to be served.
Print Recipe
4.95 from 18 votes

Slow Cooker Korean Short Ribs

This slow cooker Korean Short Ribs dish is pretty much a dump-it-in-and-forget-about-it kind of dish. Good things it's also Whole30-friendly and delicious!
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time9 hrs
Total Time9 hrs 30 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Crock pot, gluten-free, low carb, paleo, Primal, short ribs
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 820kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 6 pounds bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium pear or Asian pear peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
  • ½ cup  coconut aminos
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions roughly chopped
  • 1 hunk of ginger about the size of your thumb, cut into two pieces
  • 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar rice vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken or bone broth
  • Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro
US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

  • Preheat your broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heating element.
  • Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper and lay the ribs, bone-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet.
  • Whenever I season raw meat, I set aside a small ramekin with salt and ground pepper that I use only for the raw stuff. Cross contamination can lead to some bad crap. Literally.
  • Broil the ribs for 5 minutes and then flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes.
  • Stack the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker. I lay them on their side to cram them all in the pot.
  • Toss the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, scallions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar in a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Pour the sauce evenly over the ribs and add the broth to the pot.
  • Cover with the lid, set the slow cooker on low, and let the ribs stew for 9-11 hours.
  • When it’s time to serve the ribs, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place them on a serving platter.
  • Let the braising liquid settle for 5 minutes and then ladle off the fat if you wish. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.
  • Sprinkle on the chopped cilantro and serve the remaining sauce on the side.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 820kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 92g | Fiber: 1g
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Caroline says

    August 20, 2020 at 4:31 am

    5 stars
    I have tried umpteen short rib recipes, never finding the perfect one. This will be a forever recipe. My hubby love love loved it (and he “hates” ginger!) I was afraid it would be too ginger-y but it was absolutely perfecto. Tender. Savory. Perfect balance of flavors. Smelled heavenly from the moment the crock pot heated up! Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Alina says

    August 21, 2020 at 9:14 pm

    5 stars
    These were awesome following the recipe to T!!! Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Betsy S. says

    October 18, 2020 at 3:51 pm

    Can you do this with boneless short ribs?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      October 19, 2020 at 2:40 am

      Yep!

      Reply
  4. Sheila Buchanan says

    November 10, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    If I was to use the instapot how long would I cook these?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      November 10, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      Here’s the Instant Pot version: https://nomnompaleo.com/20170327instant-pot-pressure-cooker-korean-short-ribs

      Reply
  5. Lauren Womack says

    December 11, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    Looks fantastic! Any recommendations for sides? I was thinking mashed cauliflower. But… it’s ALWAYS mashed cauliflower.

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      December 15, 2020 at 4:50 pm

      Cauliflower rice, Autumn mash, baked sweet potato, roasted broccoli, stir-fried bok choy or spinach…

      Reply
  6. Devon says

    January 3, 2021 at 5:36 am

    5 stars
    this was SOOOOOOOO good!!! And so easy to do as well!

    Reply
  7. Lauren Walker says

    January 6, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    5 stars
    I made a big batch of these last week and froze them. We defrosted them for dinner last night and everyone gobbled it up, even my 3 kids. This is the only way I will prepare short ribs from now on. For reference, I used a fuji apple instead of a pear because that is what I had on hand.

    Reply
  8. Dawn says

    January 12, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    5 stars
    Can you use beef bone broth instead of chicken?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      January 14, 2021 at 7:43 pm

      Yep!

      Reply
  9. Abby says

    January 31, 2021 at 10:10 pm

    I am making these for a friend as part of a meal train. Can they go into theslow cooker without broiling first?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 3, 2021 at 10:06 pm

      Sure!

      Reply
  10. Kathleen says

    February 5, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve been using this recipe for the last 7 years. It’s the only short rib recipe I’ll use and the only one my husband asks for – literally – I cook a lot and out of everything I cook; meat, fish, veggies, desserts, this is what he gets most excited about. Ive made this dish countless times for friends and family, and when my kiddos were toddlers they loved it! Made this again last night and my usual bird like eater of a 5 year-old asked for THREE helpings. Whenever we buy a grass fed cow we happily take the greater share of the spare ribs just to make this recipe. I’ve always seared the meat first, but now as a busy working mom of three, I skip the step. The flavor is exactly the same, just missing the char on the meat, but I’ll happily forgo that process to save me an extra 20 min.

    Reply
  11. Denise Magee says

    February 7, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    I have everything except the Asian Pear. Is there another substitute or spice to add to replace? or I’ll just leave out. I am making this tomorrow. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 8, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      You can add some apple or apple sauce!

      Reply
  12. Vicky says

    February 22, 2021 at 11:15 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!!! Didn’t have a pear so made it with an apple. Good advice from her on skimming the fat; I cooked them all day one day, refrigerated it all, then took out the massive chunks of fat the next day and reheated it still in the crock pot. Fall apart tender and perfect.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 27, 2022 at 11:31 pm

      How long did it take to reheat in the slow cooker?

      Reply
  13. Gina says

    February 25, 2021 at 6:33 am

    Hi Michelle,

    I accidentally purchased flanken short ribs, would I still be able to use them for this recipe??

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      February 26, 2021 at 2:46 am

      You can make Kalbi! https://nomnompaleo.com/kalbi-korean-bbq-short-ribs If you want, you can use the flanken ribs in this recipe. The cooking time can be shortened to 30 minutes under high pressure.

      Reply
  14. Karen says

    March 3, 2021 at 4:41 pm

    I only have 7 hours…should I cook on high for less time or will it be done in 7 hours instead?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      March 7, 2021 at 4:50 am

      I never slow cook on high…you can try it maybe 4 hours?

      Reply
  15. Alex says

    May 17, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    If I’m don’t half the amount of ribs (3 lbs) do I need to shorten the cook time?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      May 17, 2021 at 7:47 pm

      No, keep the cooking time the same. Short ribs still need the same amount of time to cook through.

      Reply
      • Alex says

        May 18, 2021 at 11:34 am

        Ok, thanks!!

        Reply
  16. Katie says

    August 13, 2021 at 12:50 am

    Can this be done with pork ribs instead of beef ribs? Is there a better pork spare rib recipe? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      August 13, 2021 at 3:43 pm

      Pork spare ribs aren’t really meaty enough for this recipe. I have a great Bangin’ Baby Back rib recipe in our second cookbook, Ready or Not!

      Reply
  17. Rachel says

    November 13, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe, it is incredibly tasty!! If I wanted to make a larger batch in a Dutch oven, what would be the temp and cook time? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      November 13, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      Covered, 325 F, for 3 to 4 hours or until tender.

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        November 14, 2021 at 3:03 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
  18. Jane N says

    January 19, 2022 at 1:51 am

    Do you notice any difference when you use chicken broth versus beef broth? Which is better?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      January 20, 2022 at 5:12 am

      Not really!

      Reply
  19. Jane N says

    January 22, 2022 at 7:57 pm

    Can’t wait to taste it! Unfortunately it will be done cooking at midnight lol. Any suggestions on the best way to heat up the next day? Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Jane N says

    January 22, 2022 at 8:01 pm

    Any advice on how to heat up leftovers? It will be ready at midnight (so excited!! But also so late).

    Reply

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