Asian Short Ribs {Slow Cooker OR Oven Braised}

126 · Oct 17, 2019 · 27 Comments

The Asian Short Rib Recipe I’m Obsessed With

These melt-in-your-mouth tender short ribs are super easy to prepare and can be cooked in the slow cooker or in the oven. They are deliciously flavorful, coated in a rich, slightly sweet and spicy sauce, and versatile enough to eat on their own or add to a wide range of dishes.

I cannot get enough of these Asian Short Ribs. I’m serious. I simply can’t stop making them and adding the rich, crazy tender meat to rice bowls, pasta dishes, lasagna, nachos… everything. Here’s why:

These short ribs are so tender that they literally melt in your mouth.
They take about 5 minutes of work before you throw them in the slow cooker or in the oven and let them do their thing
Cooking these short ribs will make your entire house smell so good that neighbors will be knocking on your door begging for a dinner invitation {Ok. That might not be a benefit.}
You can eat them as is, or add the short rib meat to an endless number of dishes. {You’ll want to do this. Make extra.}
The cooking liquid can be easily transformed into an incredibly flavorful sauce.

Cook Short Ribs in a Slow Cooker or Oven – It’s all good

Cooking short ribs in a slow cooker or in the oven results in the same deliciously tender meat. The only difference is in the length of cooking time.

For me, this decision is a matter of connivence. If I’m home all afternoon and want to start cooking the short ribs at 3pm so that they are ready to eat by 7pm, I’ll use the oven. If I’m not going to be home all day, I’ll put the short ribs in the slow cooker in the morning, set the timer, and know that they’ll be ready and waiting to eat later that evening.

Pre-salt the meat if you can

The value of pre-salting meat is a technique that was really brought home for me through reading Samin Nosrat’s fundamental book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Salting meat in advance allows time for the salt to permeate throughout the meat, salting it from the inside out.

It really does make a difference. So, when possible, salt the short ribs the night before you want to cook them. It will result in short ribs that are even more flavorful and delicious.

Having said that, these short ribs are delicious even if you don’t pre-salt the meat. So, if you purchase short ribs right before you want to cook them, or if you simply forget to salt them in advance, don’t worry. Proceed with the recipe and you’ll still end up with gorgeously flavorful short ribs.

Making a sauce from the short rib cooking liquid

Serving these short ribs in a deliciously rich sauce is as easy as reducing the short rib cooking liquid. The recipe includes instructions for thickening the sauce with a bit of cornstarch or simply allowing it to cook down until it’s concentrated and thick.

The difference between the two methods depends on how much time you have and how much sauce you want to end up with. If you want quite a bit of sauce and you want to make it quickly, thickening it with cornstarch is the way to go. This recipe for Asian Short Rib Pasta with Mushrooms and Asparagus includes instructions for thickening the sauce with cornstarch to ensure plenty of sauce is available to coat all the noodles. The same is true for Asian Short Rib Lasagna.

For other recipes, like this one for Asian Short Rib Nachos, a smaller amount of more concentrated sauce is desirable. The same is true if you want to serve your short ribs as the main dish, perhaps with alongside some mashed potatoes or polenta, and a couple of spoonfuls of richly concentrated sauce.

Recipes that use Asian Short Ribs:

Used in this recipe:

If cooking short ribs in the oven, it’s important to use a pan or baking dish that has a heavy bottom and conducts heat well. I recommend using a dutch oven or heavy stoneware baking dish like these from Le Creuset.

If cooking short ribs in a slow cooker it’s nice to have one with a timer so you can set it and forget it, like this Slow Cooker from Cuisinart, which is what I use.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.