Ultimate Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Print)
Tender beef slow-cooked in a rich, savory-sweet sauce with garlic, ginger, and soy for melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
# Ingredient List:
→ Beef
01 - 2 lbs flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
→ Sauce
02 - 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
09 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 - 2 tablespoons sesame oil
→ To Finish
11 - 4 green onions, sliced
12 - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
# How-To Steps:
01 - Toss the sliced flank steak with cornstarch in a large bowl until evenly coated.
02 - Transfer the cornstarch-coated beef to the slow cooker.
03 - Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a separate bowl until smooth.
04 - Pour the sauce mixture over the beef in the slow cooker and stir to coat evenly.
05 - Cover and cook on low for 4 hours until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.
06 - Stir in sliced green onions during the final 10 minutes of cooking.
07 - Serve hot, garnished with additional green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Accompany with steamed rice or your favorite vegetables.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The sauce becomes this impossibly rich glaze that clings to every single bite of beef
- Your slow cooker does absolutely all the heavy lifting while you go about your day
- It somehow tastes even better than the takeout version that costs three times as much
02 -
- Slicing against the grain is nonnegotiable here or you will end up with tough chewy beef instead of meltingly tender pieces
- The sauce might look thin at first but give it the full cooking time to thicken up into that perfect glaze
- Resist the urge to lift the lid too often because every time you do you are adding precious minutes to the cook time
03 -
- Freeze the flank steak for 30 minutes before slicing and you will get paper thin pieces effortlessly
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce if you need this to be gluten free