A Finger-Licking, Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs Recipe

This slow cooker Asian short ribs recipe reminded me that short ribs are one of the best cuts of beef.

They are full of flavor…beefy to the point of almost being gamey. But not so gamey to seem as if you’re eating, say deer. And what’s more, the full-flavored short ribs take on highly acidic and sweet flavors super well, which cuts through the beefiness and results in finger-licking goodness.

This recipe takes advantage of the short ribs’ full favor by searing them to form a brown crust and then cooking them slowly in a crock pot to ensure the meat falls off the bone. The result? Slow cooker Asian short ribs you won’t be able to stop thinking about!

What Inspired These Asian Slow Cooker Short Ribs

My brother-in-law is notoriously difficult to cook a birthday meal for because he is without a doubt the best cook in our family (seriously, I tell him he should open up a restaurant all the time!). His birthday was coming up and I was stressed as hell about what to cook him. I know he loves meats and Asian flavors, so I started thinking about what I could do that would impress him.

Genius struck when I saw beef short ribs at the grocery store. I decided to create an Asian short ribs recipe that would be fool proof and impossible for him not to like. I also needed it to taste like it cooked for hours, but without the work because I had a softball game the day we’d be celebrating his birthday.

He typically sticks his nose up at the crock pot, but I knew I’d be able to make it taste like I braised short ribs in the over if I seared them first. The result? This fall-off-the-bone, finger-licking-good slow cooked Asian short rib recipe! He loved it and was none the wiser that it only took me 15 minutes to prep.

Cooking Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Cooking short ribs requires time, so they make the perfect crock pot slow cooker recipe. You’d think because of the name short ribs come from the rib section of the cow. However, it actually comes from the chuck portion near the cow’s upper back right before the rib section.

So why are ribs not in the ribs section of a cow? The cow’s rib cage begins with shorter ribs that are too small to yield steak cuts, so butchers separate them out and keep them as part of the chuck section. Hence, the name “short ribs”.

The part of the cow beef short ribs come from is a well-used muscle. That means there’s a lot of flavor, but the meat isn’t very tender. Thus most beef short ribs require a long and slow cooking methods in order to make them fall-off-the-bone tender. I say “most” because there are Kalbi-style short ribs cut super thin that can be made on the grill.

Because short ribs are a tougher meat, they are usually less expensive than other types of meat, especially if you buy them with the bone. I always recommend buying bone-in short ribs because the fat from the bones results in a juicier, more flavorful end result.

The method for cooking short ribs is called “braising”. Essentially this mixes both a dry and wet form of cooking, starting with a sear in pan and then cooking in liquid for hours. Slow cooker crock pots provide the perfect vessel for braising because you can set it and forget it. While you can skip the searing part, I highly recommend doing the extra step to get the most flavor out of this Asian short rib slow cooker recipe.

What These Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs Tastes Like

These Asian short ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender thanks to hours in the slow cooker. They have a sweet-and-salty sauce with a bit of zing thanks to the ginger. And there’s a deep, umami flavor from the Chinese five spice powder that makes you go, “Hmm, what is that?” You’d definitely recognize the Asian flavor in a blind taste test, but I’d be surprised if you can pick out this secret ingredient that gives this recipe complexity!

Short ribs have a lot of saturated fat compared to other cuts of meat, which makes them not the healthiest but also some of the most flavorful. They’ll leach a lot of fat, so be cautious when you spoon the sauce over rice. There’s a lot of flavorful fattiness in this recipe, but the soy sauce, vinegars, and ginger really cut through. You can also serve it with a quick-pickled cucumber like these to cut into the richness even more.

Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs Recipe

Serves 4 | Active 15 minutes | 8 hours total

Ingredients:

3 lbs. beef short ribs, bone in
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
4 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger, peeled & minced
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tsp. Chinese five spice powder
Chopped scallion green onions for garnish
Roasted sesame seeds for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Remove the beef short ribs from the refrigerator and pat dry. Let the meat come up closer to room temperature as you mince the garlic and ginger and measure out the rest of the ingredients.
Season the short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the peanut oil to high heat. Add the short ribs and cook on high, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
In the bottom of the crock pot or a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger together. Whisk in the honey and brown sugar until fully mixed.
Place the short ribs in the slow cooker and spoon the sauce over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
When done, carefully transfer ribs to a bowl over cooked rice and spoon over some sauce (don’t use too much if you don’t like grease, the liquid will be fatty!). These will be fall-off-the-bone tender, so use sturdy tongues and be gentle! Garnish with scallion green onions and sesame seeds.

And there you have it! When you’re done you’ll have fall-off-the-bone, tangy and sweet short ribs! Serve it with some quick-pickled Asian cucumbers and you’re in for a treat!

More Recipes With Asian Flavors

I love cooking with Asian ingredients like curry, miso, and more to recreate easy weeknight meals with Asian flavors at home. Get inspired by some of these. If you love this slow cooker Asian short ribs recipe, you’ll love these!