This Asian braised beef dish continues to be one of the most requested recipes on the website! The combination of sweet and savory flavors creates a delicious comforting meal that feels both familiar and exotic.
I cannot live without my slow cooker. I make all sorts of food in my slow cooker from crème brûlée to loaded baked potato soup. The vast majority of slow cooker recipes are reserved for American or French foods.Let’s change that! Let’s add some Asian foods into the mix!
You don’t normally see a lot of Asian foods prepared in slow cookers. Naturally, I had to experiment. I tried out a dish I would normally cook in the oven or on the stove. This is my beloved slow cooker Asian braised beef recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Asian braised beef recipe has been a reader fan favorite for years! Since first sharing this recipe in 2014, it has consistently garners top ten most page views on my site.
The combination of sweet, savory, and spicy Asian flavors creates an incredible umami packed sauce. It’s a truly versatile braised meat that can be served over rice, tossed with noodles, or piled high on a bread for a sandwich.
The beauty of the recipe lies in its simplicity. The most time consuming (and complicated)part of the recipe is the quick sear of the beef before it goes in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
This is a family favorite. I have yet to meet someone that didn’t enjoy this easy recipe!
Ingredients
I used a variety of flavors unique to all of Asian. As such, it’s not associated to just one country or cuisine. I guess it kind of encompasses everything, like a melting pot.
The key components are: lemongrass, fresh garlic, hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, rice vinegar and soy sauce.
Just like other braised meat dishes, this tastes even better the following day once the meat has had time to rest and soak up all the flavors of the sauce.
Which cut of beef is best for braising?
I suggest using beef chuck. Beef chuck is a tough but flavorful cut of meat. It has a decent amount of fat and connective tissue.
Through slow cooking, like braising, the tough meat tenderizes. The connective tissues breaks down resulting with a rich, gelatinous tender piece of meat. Best of all, beef check is relatively inexpensive compared to other cuts. Avoid lean cuts like sirloin– which will end up tough, chewy, and dry.
Short ribs work beautifully, but are significantly more expensive. Brisket is another great option.
Cooking Instructions
There are three ways to cook this beef dish: 1) slow cooker, 2) Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker or multi-cooker), and 3) stove-top.
Slow Cooker Method:
- Prep beef: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge cut beef into the mixture. Shake off excess.
- Sear for flavor: Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear beef until browned on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Build aromatics: In the same skillet, sauté garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant. Add in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Pour everything in slow cooker over beef.
- Mix sauce: Mix together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and Sriracha. Add to slow cooker along with green onions (light green and white parts).
- Cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours until beef is fork tender. If desired, strain out the aromatics from sauce.
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker/Multi-Cooker Method:
- Prep and sear: Follow steps 1-2 above, but use the “Saute” or “Browning” mode to sear the beef. Work in batches. Remove beef and set aside.
- Build aromatics: Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, red pepper flakes, and white parts of green onion to pot. heat until fragrant.
- Deglaze: Pour in chicken broth into pot and scrape up any browned bits.
- Return to pot: Add the seared beef back into the pot. Add in the sauce mixture (soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and Sriracha). Stir gently.
- Pressure cook: Seal the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker with pressure setting on. Cook on LOW for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release, about 20 minutes. DO NOT QUICK RELEASE. *If desired, strain out the aromatics from sauce after opening lid.
Stove-Top Method:
- Prep beef: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge cut beef into the mixture. Shake off excess.
- Sear for flavor: Set heavy bottom pot (like dutch-oven pot), heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, sear beef until browned on all sides. Remove beef.
- Build aromatics: In the same skillet, sauté garlic, ginger, white parts of green onion, lemongrass, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant. Add in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef back to pot.
- Mix sauce: Mix together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and Sriracha. Add to pot. Bring it a boil and then reduce to simmer.
- Cook: Cover pot and let simmer for 3-4 hours until beef is tender. Occasionally remove cover and stir contents. *If desired, strain out the aromatics from sauce after cooking.
Pro Tips for Perfect Results
Make it ahead of time: Like most braised dishes, this recipe tastes better the following day. The meat needs time to absorb the flavors and regain some moisture. I highly recommend cooking the day BEFORE you intend to serve the dish.
Choose the right cut: Beef chuck is ideal since it has a good amount of fat and connective tissue which becomes tender during long cooking. AVOID LEAN CUTS which will turn out very chewy, tough, and dry.
Don’t skip the searing: Searing is an extra step that creates amazing depth of flavor. It’s possible to do make the recipe without dredging the meat and searing. However, it just won’t taste as good.
Adjust the spice: You control the spice level. If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, you may omit the red pepper flakes or Sriracha. Or, you may reduce the amount used.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Keep in a covered container in the fridge for up four days. Fat will solidify on top. Keep in mind, fat carries flavor, but you may skim it off if desired before reheating.
Freezer: Place cooled braised beef and sauce in freezer safe container with tight fitting lid. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or gently thaw directly stovetop.
Reheating: Warm gently stovetop over low-medium heat. Or, microwave at half power until heated throughout.
Common Questions
YES! Simply omit the lemongrass. Or, you may substitute in 1/2 tablespoon to one tablespoon of lemongrass paste (which you can find in the refrigerated produce section of supermarkets alongside herbs).
Of course. It will still taste great without the spicy ingredients.
The sauce is supposed to be soupy and thin. However, you may thicken it with cornstarch if desired. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir until dissolved. Heat up strained sauce to almost boiling, then mix in cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken.
Slow Cooker Asian Braised Beef
Equipment
- Slow Cooker, Multi-cooker, or Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, excess fat trimmed
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks green onions, thinly sliced (green and light green parts)**
- 2-inch piece of ginger, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thirds and pounded
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup reduced-sodium (light) soy sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge cut beef into flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour. Set aside.
- In a medium sized skillet, add vegetable oil and warm up over medium heat. Once warm, brown (sear) beef in batches. Not need to fully cook meat, you just want to have a nice crust while cooking off the flour. Place seared beef in slow cooker.
- In the same pot you cooked beef, add minced garlic, ginger, and white/pale parts of green onion. Cook until fragrant. Add lemongrass and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic begins to brown. Add chicken broth and stir bottom of scrape off any pan bits. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
- In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and Sriracha. Add to slow cooker.
- Cover slow cooker. Cook for 4-5 hours on high heat, or 6-8 hours on low heat. Stir in reserved green onions, or use green onions as garnish. Serve with rice, noodles or crusty bread.*If desired, strain out aromatics (lemongrass, ginger, garlic) from sauce. Returned strained sauce to beef before serving. All images and text ©The Little Epicurean
Notes
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker: Set cooker to sauté or browning setting. Sear the meat, remove. Sauté aromatics (ginger, garlic, red pepper, white parts of green onion and lemongrass). Remove seared meat to pot. Add in liquids. Attach lid with pressure seal on. Set to low heat for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Stove Top: Set heavy bottom pot (like dutch-oven pot), over medium heat. Sear meat, remove. Sauté aromatics (ginger, garlic, red pepper, white parts of green onion and lemongrass). Return meat to pot. Add in liquids. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot and let simmer for 3-4 hours until beef is tender. Occasionally remove pot cover and stir.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Trying it tonight. But going on an as yet uncharted Instant Pot adventure instead of slow cooker.
Someone been down this road before me ???
Delicious – I halved the recipe and used 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce instead of hoisin. Worked out well!
Dry meat do not cook this for more than 2 hours
Definitely a great base, from this recipe let your creativity do the rest. i personally give this stew a Sichuan spin.
Any update for making this recipe using a pressure cooker?
I took out the lemongrass and peppers and put the beef and other spices and a half cup of water in a Dutch oven (warmed up oven to 450 then turned down to 325 degrees went out for 4 hrs) and the meat was tender and flavourful!
I made this tonight without the lemon grass as I didn’t have any. The flavour was delicious. I used the pressure cooker and had this wonderful meal ready in 45 mins.
I will definitely make this again.
I’ve been making this for some time now, and regardless of the different cuts of meat I’ve used, it is always amazing. The aromas while cooking make your mouth water, and sneaking a taste happens frequently. The spice heat level can be a bit difficult to control, considering you use Sriracha, pepper flakes, hoisin, and ginger. I’ve found that sticking to the receipt, and modifying the pepper flake amount seems to with best. Leaving them out altogether works for my wife, but adding 1/8th tsp seems to be a happy medium for us.
What did you do with the liquid after it’s done cooking?
Do you leave the fat in or do you filter it out?
I leave the beef in the liquid. I leave the fat in. If I happen to have leftovers, I skim off the fat once it has solidified in the fridge.
Is there a substitute for fresh lemongrass?
Simply omit if you don’t have lemongrass.
The red pepper flakes or something sent me into a coughing fit while putting the recipe together. It made my daughter cough like crazy too when she walked by while it was cooking! So strange. The dish was very very sweet but overall everyone liked it okay. I made homemade fried rice with it and that was great. I coughed for hours though!