Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs (Paleo, Whole30)

a short rib, carrot and onion stew in a white bowl next to a blue towel and bowls of sesame seeds and chopped parsley

5 from 6 votes

Slow-Cooker Korean Short Ribs (Paleo, Whole30)

All you need to do is quickly blend up a sauce and pour it over meat and veggies. Then set it and forget it! These Korean short ribs are hearty, healthy and full of flavor. Plus they're great to make ahead of time - they actually taste better the next day!

Prep Time15

Cook Time7

Total Time7 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: people

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

1 lb. carrots
1 medium yellow onion
3 lbs. bone-in short ribs
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 pear
4 garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1" piece of fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup coconut aminos
½ cup beef broth
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or 4 chopped, pitted dates (for Whole30)
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
rice or veggie rice, for serving
toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Peel and trim the carrots and cut into 1" chunks.
Peel the onion and cut in half from root to root. Cut one of the halves into 8 wedges (just keep cutting in half, root to root, until you have 8 pieces).
Add the short ribs, carrots and onion wedges to a large slow-cooker. Season with the salt and pepper.
Roughly chop the remaining onion half and add to a blender. Core and roughly chop the pear and add to the blender. If using fresh garlic, peel. If the cloves are large, roughly chop them. If using fresh ginger, peel and roughly chop. Add the garlic and ginger to the blender.
Add the coconut aminos, beef broth, rice wine vinegar, honey/dates, roasted sesame oil and red pepper flakes (plus the garlic powder and/or ground ginger, if using) to the blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 5 hours.
Serve with rice or veggie rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Notes

Make ahead

These can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge.

After about 24 hours, some fat will have formed a layer on the surface. You can use a spoon to scoop this up and discard.

You can also freeze the cooked stew for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a slow-cooker on the low setting or in a saucepan over low heat.

Substitutions and variations

You can brown the meat in 2 tablespoons of oil first if you prefer. Browning the meat will make it caramelize and bring out its flavor, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary.
You can use boneless beef chuck roast cut into 2" cubes instead of short ribs.
Instead of coconut aminos, you can use low-sodium tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).
You can use maple syrup, brown sugar or coconut sugar instead of honey or dates.
You can garnish with thinly sliced scallion, as well.

Nutrition