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.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
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!
Totally delicious! I made this today and followed the recipe to a T. Wouldn’t change anything! This is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried from your blog in the past couple weeks, and all have been keepers!! Thanks for doing what you do!
I currently have this cooking right now, and the smell is UNBELIEVABLE. I kind of just want to eat it straight from the crock pot (ouch!)
Also, my roast ended up being cheaper than I expected, so I’m overall very happy with this recipe!
Would this recipe freeze well?
Yes, this one should freeze pretty well.
Made this tonight with essentially your cabbage stir fry without the beef & siracha in there as a side along with some white rice (I really wanted to make this recipe stretch, & stretch it did!!) My beef roast was a bit pricier than I’d have liked (I don’t have a ton of options at my store today haha), but honestly this was so good I’d happily make it week after week!!
Has anyone tried adding any kind of mushrooms to this? Any recommendations?
I made this today, sans mushrooms. If I wanted mushrooms, I would probably use shiitake, but even plain button mushrooms would work.
I ended up making this yesterday with a blend of mushrooms that included baby bella, shiitake, and some other stuff that I’ve forgotten – came out pretty good!
Would this work well with chicken? And if so, would you cut it into strips as well or shred it at the end? I’ve already made this recipe with beef and it’s delicious!
Yes, this will work great with chicken. You can cut it into larger chunks and then shred it at the end. :)
Served this about 45 minutes ago. I added red and green bell peppers, 1/2 yellow onion and a little bit of Nikki’s Hot A$$ seasoning (no joke that’s what it’s called) for some kick. There’s none left
Could this work in an Instant Pot? Would you change anything?
It should work just about the same. Just check the manual for how long and what setting to cook beef roast.
I let this hang out in the crockpot for longer than I should have, and it went a little dry. Should have added more liquid, knowing there’d be a longer cook time. Flavor’s fantastic, though.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! 10 out of 10, recommend!
I think the fresh ginger is key. I do wish there was a way to make it without sugar but I’m pretty sure it would not come close in deliciousness if I tried.
You could use Stevia :) Just make sure to use pure stevia and not truvia etc as those are mixed with artificial sweeteners.
I’ve been making recipes off of Budget Bytes for years, and I keep coming back due to the quality and ease of the recipes.
I just had to post on this one, as this is one of the tastiest things I’ve ever made. Great with rice and broccoli, and reheats very well for lunches. This is definitely going to be a staple for me going forward.
Thanks Beth!
So glad you liked it!! Thanks for commenting. :)
This looks so good! Can I use flank steak?
I haven’t tried flank steak in a slow cooker, but I googled it and it looks like there are plenty of recipes out there for slow cooker flank steak. So I can’t vouch for how the texture will turn out, but the flavor should be fine.
Oh yeah! sesame, ginger and soy sauce = the most most kick-ass flavour combo for slow cooked beef, and I’m totally guilty of just standing and eating from the slow-cooker, wtht no shame whatsoever!
This was GREAT and so easy! A total hit in our house. I served it over turmeric rice with a good squeeze of sriracha on top :)
I made this last night for dinner and OMG so delicious! It kept well for lunch today as well. I steamed some broccoli to mix with it and served over jasmine rice. There are seriously no bad recipes on this site!