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An bowl filled with braised Korean Short Ribs topped with cilantro in a black bowl.
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4.83 from 39 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 minutes
Cook Time9 hours
Total Time9 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Crock pot, gluten-free, keto, Korean short ribs, low carb, paleo, short ribs, slow cooker
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds bone-in English-style beef short ribs
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium Asian pear, pear, or Fuji apple peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions roughly chopped
  • 1 piece fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup  coconut aminos
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar coconut vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
  • 1 cup bone broth or chicken broth
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped (optional garnish)

Instructions

  • Heat your broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heating element.
  • Sprinkle the ribs liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. Whenever I season raw meat, I set aside a small ramekin with salt and ground pepper that I use only for the raw stuff.
  • Place the ribs, bone-side up, in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
  • Broil the ribs for 5 minutes and then flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes or until nicely browned.
  • Place the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker. Lay them on their side to fit them all in the pot.
  • Time to make the sauce! Toss the pear, garlic, scallions, ginger, coconut aminos, vinegar, and fish sauce in a blender. Blitz 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 for 9 to 11 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. The ribs are done when they are fork tender and nearly fall off the bone.
  • 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 pour the sauce in a fat separator or ladle off the fat. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.
  • Sprinkle on the chopped cilantro, if desired, 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.

Video

Notes

  • Slow cooker cooking times can vary depending on the brand. If your slow cooker runs hotter (e.g. Crockpot), the ribs will be done at the lower end of the cooking time range. It’s okay to start checking the meat at the 8 hour mark if you're cooking on low.
  • Dutch oven instructions: If you want to cook this dish in a Dutch oven, I would add an additional cup of broth to the sauce and bake, covered, in a 300°F oven for 3 to 4 hours or until the ribs are tender.
  • Instant Pot instructions can be found in my Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g