Korean Short Ribs in the Crock Pot

Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo's Slow Cooker Korean Grass-Fed Short Ribs.

Serves 4 - 6 if you do 6 pounds of ribs. I only had 3 pounds on hand, and that feeds about 2 - 4.

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds of bone-in English-style grass-fed short ribs (I only did 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium pear or Asian pear, peeled, cored, and chopped coarsely (I didn't have this so I used the only fruit I did have - strawberries!)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos (this is a soy sauce substitute, so you can just use soy sauce)
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped (I didnt have this)
• 1 hunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb, cut into two pieces
• 2 teaspoons of Red Boat fish sauce (this stuff is yummy if you've never tried it. salty.)
• 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
• 1 cup organic chicken broth (In hindsight, I should have just used 1/2 cup since I only had 3 pounds shortribs, but I used a whole cup and it was a bit too soupy)
• Small handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
• I added one roma tomato, juice of half a lime, and one jalapeno to the blender for the sauce.

Here’s how to make it:

If you are so inclined and have the time you can brown your shortribs first. I did not do this step, but I am still including the instructions in case you want to. Preheat your broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heating element. Season the ribs liberally with salt and pepper and lay the ribs, bone-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Tip from Nom Nom Paleo - "Whenever I season raw meat, I set aside a small ramekin with salt and ground pepper that I use only for the raw stuff. Cross contamination can lead to some bad crap. Literally."

Broil the ribs for 5 minutes and then flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes.

Stack the ribs in a single layer in the slow cooker. You may need to lay them on their side to cram them all in the pot.

Toss the pear, coconut aminos, garlic, scallions, ginger, fish sauce, and vinegar in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over the ribs and add the chicken broth to the pot.

Cover with the lid, set the slow cooker on low, and let the ribs stew for 9-11 hours. (Or about 5 hours if you only had 3 pounds of short ribs like me.)

When it’s time to serve the ribs, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place them on a serving platter.

Let the braising liquid settle for 5 minutes and then ladle off the fat if you wish. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and pour a cup of sauce over the ribs.

Sprinkle on the chopped cilantro and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

These came out really tasty. They are done cooking when they fall off the bone completely. They should be tender and can be pulled apart easily with a fork.