Mongolian Beef Slow Cooker (Printable)
Tender beef in rich, savory-sweet sauce with garlic, ginger, and soy. Perfect over rice or noodles.
# What goes in:
→ Beef
01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
→ Sauce
02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
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.
02 - Place sliced flank steak in a large zip-top bag. Add cornstarch, seal bag, and shake vigorously to coat all pieces evenly.
03 - Transfer coated beef to the slow cooker insert. Pour prepared sauce over beef and stir thoroughly to combine.
04 - Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours until beef reaches fork-tender consistency.
05 - During final 30 minutes, whisk cornstarch and cold water in small bowl to form slurry. Stir into slow cooker and continue cooking until sauce thickens.
06 - Serve hot over steamed rice or noodles. Top generously with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The beef becomes impossibly tender without any fancy techniques or standing over a hot stove
- You get that glossy restaurant style sauce with practically zero effort
02 -
- Slicing the beef against the grain is the difference between tender melt-in-your-mouth meat and tough chewy pieces
- The cornstarch coating prevents the beef from drying out during those long hours of cooking
03 -
- Partially freezing the flank steak for 30 minutes makes it so much easier to slice thinly
- For gluten-free use tamari instead of soy sauce and check your hoisin sauce label