Ultimate Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Printable)

Tender beef slices in a rich, sweet-savory sauce slow cooked until flavorful and tender.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain

→ Sauce

02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
03 - 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

# How To Make:

01 - Lightly spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
02 - Place the sliced flank steak in the slow cooker.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, and minced garlic until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
04 - Pour the sauce mixture over the beef and toss to coat evenly. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened.
05 - Stir well before serving. Serve hot over steamed rice or with steamed vegetables.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Five minutes of prep time yields restaurant quality beef that falls apart at the touch of a fork
  • The sauce strikes that perfect balance between salty, sweet, and umami rich
  • Your slow cooker does absolutely all the work while you go about your day
02 -
  • Cutting against the grain means slicing perpendicular to those long muscle fibers running through the meat, see how they run one way and cut the opposite direction
  • The sauce will look thin when you first pour it in, but it reduces and concentrates beautifully during those four hours
  • Do not be tempted to cook on high, low and slow is what transforms flank steak into something meltingly tender
03 -
  • Partially freeze the flank steak for thirty minutes before slicing, it becomes firm and infinitely easier to cut into thin, even pieces
  • Let the beef rest for a few minutes after cooking before serving, this helps it retain those juices and stay tender

Go Back