Slow Cooker Korean Beef Tacos

Here is a fusion recipe that is the best of both worlds ... Korean tacos!

This is a dinner that seriously cooks all by itself.  Unlike my original brisket recipe, this chuck roast does not need any pre-searing.  You can thank the massive amount of brown sugar for that.  It caramelizes the exterior of the meat while helping to tenderize the rest of the roast bee-yoo-tee-fully, eventually combining with the little bit of liquid ingredients and rendered juices to produce a killer self-basting sauce.

I used a slightly large roast, than in the original recipe, about 3.25 pounds.  Otherwise pretty much the only major change was to use a dairy-free sour cream substitute. 

The roast was only going to be cooked for 8 hours, but as it turned out I had to go pick up theHubs at the train station about the time it was supposed to be done, so "just in case" I bumped up the time to 10.   Good thing.  By the time we finally got home it was closer to the 10 hour mark. 

The meat was so tender, if it had bones the meat would have been falling off of them.  The meat was so tender I could have shredded the meat with my thoughts.  The meat was ... well, you get the idea.

Now the fun begins.  Spoon a couple tablespoons of shredded beef down the middle of your favorite style of taco shell.  Cover beef with any or all of the toppings.  Pick up taco with your (preferably clean) hands and enjoy!


Slow Cooker Korean Beef Tacos
Adapted from: Baked Bree
Yield: 6-8 Servings, 2 tacos per person

3lbs.  chuck roast (if tied, remove twine)
1/2 packed cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 small onion, halved, then thickly sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbl. grated ginger
2 Tbl. rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
1 Tbl. sesame oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
12-16 soft or hard taco shells
1 cup parve (dairy-free) sour cream
zest and juice from one lime
1 tsp. kosher salt

Toppings  (all optional -- mix and match)
shredded red and/or green cabbage (cole slaw mix to save time)
Sriracha sauce
toasted sesame seeds
coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Place chuck roast in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.  Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Carefully remove the roast from the slow cooker and place in a large microwave-safe casserole dish. 

Note my "helper" in the lower left corner.

Use a couple of forks to shred the beef.  Fish out the garlic cloves from the sauce and crush them.   Pour two cups or so of the sauce over the shredded beef,  discarding the remainder.  If not serving right away, cover and refrigerate beef up to three days.

When ready to serve, remove from the fridge; pick out and discard any solidified fat.  Microwave at 80% power for 6-8 minutes or until heated through.  

While reheating the beef, stir  together the sour cream, lime zest, lime juice and salt in a small serving bowl.

Place lime cream, beef, taco shells and all the toppings on the table and let everyone assemble their own tacos.