Mongolian Beef Slow Cooker (Printable)
Tender beef simmered in rich savory-sweet sauce with garlic, ginger, and soy. Perfect over rice in just 4 hours.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef
01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
→ Sauce
02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
→ Slurry
10 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
11 - 1/4 cup cold water
→ Garnish
12 - 4 green onions, sliced
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
# Directions:
01 - Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves completely.
02 - Place sliced flank steak in a large zip-top bag. Add cornstarch, seal bag tightly, and shake vigorously to coat all beef pieces evenly with starch.
03 - Transfer cornstarch-coated beef to the slow cooker insert. Pour prepared sauce over the beef and stir thoroughly to ensure meat is fully submerged.
04 - Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours until beef reaches fork-tender consistency and shreds easily.
05 - During final 30 minutes of cooking, whisk cornstarch with cold water in small bowl to create smooth slurry. Stir into slow cooker and continue cooking until sauce thickens to glossy coating consistency.
06 - Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice, generously topped with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce develops this incredible depth that you just cant get from a quick skillet method
- Coming home to that aroma after hours of slow cooking feels like someone else cooked dinner for you
02 -
- I learned the hard way that skipping the cornstarch coating on the beef results in tough, chewy meat instead of velvet tender slices
- Adding the slurry too early makes the sauce break and turn grainy, patience during that last 30 minutes is everything
03 -
- Partially freeze the flank steak for 30 minutes before slicing, it becomes firm enough to cut paper thin strips
- Use tamari and certified gluten free hoisin to make this completely gluten free without sacrificing flavor