Y’all know how much I love slow cooked meat, right? It’s always so tender and full of flavor, yet nearly effortless. While I usually opt for a southwest blend of spices, a couple of months ago I tested an Asian inspired beef version and fell in love. This Slow Cooker Sesame Beef uses only a few ingredients and comes out with so much flavor, which is good because beef is expensive, so I like to use it sparingly in my meal and combine it with other less expensive ingredients.
How to Serve Slow Cooker Sesame Beef
So what do you serve this Slow Cooker Sesame Beef with? This tasty shredded beef can be used in so many ways. You can use it in a bowl meal like Bibimbap, or do a more simple combo with just some warm rice and broccoli florets. Asian inspired tacos are always fun, or you can just pile it on top of a crunchy cabbage salad. You can stir it into a batch of (not) Fried Rice, or serve it with some rich Garlic Noodles. Me? I couldn’t stop eating it right out of the slow cooker. :P But honestly, I’m going to pair it with rice, some quick pickled cucumbers, and shredded carrots (you might see this combo in a Sunday Meal Prep in the future!).
What Type of Beef Should I Use?
One more note about the type of beef used. I used an eye of round roast because there wasn’t much of a selection at my store the other day, and this cut was the best price. Eye of round is quite lean, so the resulting beef had more of a flakey texture. A chuck roast or brisket would be more ideal as both have a little more fat and connective tissue, which will result in a more tender and moist shredded beef.
What Size Slow Cooker Should I Use?
I am use a 6-quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker (affiliate link), and it was only filled about 1/3 of the way to the top. I would suggest using a 3-quart or larger for this recipe.
Slow Cooker Sesame Beef
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce ($0.72)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ($0.24)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.12)
- 2 lbs beef roast ($8.14)
- 6 green onions, divided ($0.67)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.04)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.08)
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a bowl and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Add the garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame oil to the soy sauce mixture. Set the cooking liquid aside.
- Either slice or cube the beef roast. Slice three of the green onions into 1.5-2 inch sections (save the rest of the green onions for garnish after cooking). Place the beef roast and green onions in the slow cooker. Pour the cooking liquid over top and stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the slow cooker, and cook on HIGH for four hours or LOW for eight hours. After four hours on high or eight hours on low the beef should be very tender and should shred easily with a fork. If not, replace the lid and cook for 30-60 minutes more.
- Once the beef is tender, it’s time to thicken the sauce. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water, then pour it into the pot with the beef and cooking liquid. Stir to combine, then allow it to come back up to a simmer, at which point the sauce will thicken just slightly. Turn the heat off and garnish with the sesame seeds and remaining green onions (sliced). Serve over a bed of rice or as part of your favorite meal.
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How to Make Slow Cooker Sesame Beef – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the cooking liquid first. Combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil in a bowl (or large measuring cup). Set the liquid aside.
I used a 2 lb. eye of round roast because there wasn’t much available at the store the day I was there. This will produce a slightly dryer, more flakey end result. I would aim for a chuck roast or brisket, both of which have more fat and connective tissue to keep things moist and soft.
Either slice the beef or cut it into cubes. The goal is to increase the surface area so that it can soak up all the delicious flavors of the cooking liquid.
Place the beef in the slow cooker, along with three green onions that have been sliced into 1.5 to 2-inch sections.
Pour the cooking liquid over top and give everything a brief stir to make sure everything is in contact with the liquid.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours, or low for eight hours. After that time, the beef should be tender and easily shreddable. If not, replace the lid and cook a little longer. Once tender, stir together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water and then pour it into the pot. Allow it to return to a simmer, at which time the cornstarch will turn from cloudy to clear and you’ll notice the liquid will thicken just slightly.
Garnish the beef with 1 Tbsp sesame seeds and the remaining green onions (sliced).
This Slow Cooker Sesame Beef is SUPER flavorful, so I like to pair it with more mild foods, like rice and plenty of vegetables. :)
More serving suggestions at the top of the post!
I know for a fact how much flavor these ingredients have as I have tried them in many different applications. Great going!
Do you know how long it would take if I cooked this using a pressure cooker?
I’m not sure. Do you still have the manual for your pressure cooker? They might have a guide for how long to cook different cuts of meat and I would try using the suggested cooking time for beef roast.
I’m throwing a 2 lb roast in the pressure cooker this afternoon for this recipe.
I’d recommend searing the roast on all sides. Don’t bother cutting it up (with the exception of cleaning the roast). About 45-55 mins at high should do the trick.
I’m curious to know how this recipe came out on your pressure cooker. Did the cooking time you suggested work out?
What would a good vegetable side dish be for this main? Thank you in advance!
I love something simple, like steamed broccoli. This beef has so much concentrated flavor that you don’t want to do anything complicated with it.
Do you think it would be possible to cook this delicious-looking dish in an “Instant Pot”? I recently bought one (they are fabulous!) and am attempting to convert recipes so that I can use this new appliance.
Yep, absolutely! I would just check the manual for what time and setting they suggest for beef roast, and use that. :)
Sweetheart…Where is the beef. I don’t see it among the ingredients!
Sweetheart… Look again, it’s in there – below the sesame oil and above the green onions: “2 lbs beef roast”
:) TY.
She calls it beef roast “2 lbs beef roast”
Can you make this in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you should be able to. I don’t know the cooking times off hand, but just check the tables in the booklet that comes with the IP for how long to cook beef roast.
Another 5 stars recipe!! The whole family, including 3 picky eaters, loved it. I didn’t have soy sauce and had to use coconut amino instead and it turned out great. Thanks Beth!
This looks so tasty! And I love how super easy it is to make. This is definitely going on my list of meals to make next week.
Looks awesome!
Would it be OK to freeze the leftovers? 2 pounds of beef is more than this 1 person household could use before it goes bad.
Yes, absolutely. This will freeze well in the liquid! :)
Kinda new at crock pot cooking, I’m 45male ,first experiment was corn chowder which I over cooked by 3.5 hours because of work, still ok to eat, this recipe sounds great!! I’ll give it a try!!
Can I make this in my Instant Pot? YUM.
Sounds delish. I especially appreciate the “So what do you combine this Slow Cooker Sesame Beef with? ” section. Thanks for the great ideas & for remembering that some of us don’t blog-we just need some help. Can’t wait to try!!
I usually avoid slow cooker versions of Chinese dishes, mostly due to the texture thing which results in a stewed dish instead of flash fried–but most lean and inexpensive cuts of beef don’t perform particularly well when stir fried, ending up tough and flavorless. And stir fried scallions are often hard little nuggets, so this method will make them tender, too. Given the long cooking time, some finely sliced onion will disappear into the sauce, invisibly contributing its wonderful flavor. I plan to try this tonight. 2 tips–toasted sesame oil looses flavor when heated–tastier when added at the end of cooking; and sesame seeds always benefit from being toasted until golden–I dump 1/4 a cup or so in a dry 8″ skillet over medium heat and watch closely, stirring from time to time, until they are golden. Since I do only a small amount at a time, they keep well for the several weeks it may take me to use them up to garnish things. Another great idea, Beth–thanks again
This looks wonderful! Is it possible to do this more quickly in the Instant Pot, or would it not break down enough?
Yes, you can do it in an IP. I don’t know how long exactly, but the IP does a great job of breaking down meat like slow cookers.
I am so excited to make this dish! I just made your Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed chicken last night, and it was AMAZING. The cooking liquid in this recipe looks a lot like the marinade for the chicken, so I can’t wait to try this! I’m trying to cut down on my chinese take-out consumption, your asian/asian-inspired dishes are a life saver, thank you!