Bulgogi style Korean Beef Tacos that are easy enough to make any day of the week. These Korean beef tacos are sweet, spicy, and a hit with the whole family.
I was reading an article about the most hipster foods and had to laugh, because this recipe qualifies as 3 of them: food truck tacos, kimchi, and Korean tacos. If I served it with a craft pale ale, it would be a complete hipster meal. I am too old to be a hipster (my grandmother isn’t, apparently) but that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate a fancy doughnut (or my doughnut sandwich cookies), cold brew coffee, and brussels sprouts.
I love the Korean tacos that Takorean makes at Union Market in DC, and I crave them all the time, but getting there can be a pain. I’m always more than willing to recreate something that I love, though. And while these are not exactly the same, they absolutely did the trick when I was craving a taco and didn’t want to get in the car.
I made mine in the slow cooker (not exactly authentic), but there are other methods that make this an easy weeknight meal, too.
What Makes These Korean Beef Tacos So Good?
These tacos are so full of flavor, it’ll be hard to have just one. When you slow cook beef, it takes on an entirely new level of flavor, because all of the ingredients have time to soak into the meat. The tender, juicy beef, paired with a zesty lime cream are good enough on their own, but when you add the extra toppings, you get spice, crunch, and vinegar in every bite.
Variations
Change Up The Meat: One of the great things about this dish is that you can make tacos out of just about anything. If you want to make a vegetarian version, swap out the beef for your favorite meat alternative, like Quorn or tofu. You can also make a chicken version if you’re not feeling the beef.
Change Up The Toppings: When it comes to the toppings for these Korean beef tacos, let your imagination run wild. You can serve these tacos with just about anything you want. Add some cheese, swap the cilantro for some parsley, or incorporate other zingy ingredients, like jalapeños for an extra kick.
I thought, when using a slow cooker, the meat had to be covered in liquid?
This is sometimes the case, but more so for pressure cookers. I use a slow cooker in my recipe, which doesn’t require the meat to be completely submerged. Don’t worry, the meat will still be nice and tender because the steam keeps it moist.
How to Store Korean Beef Tacos
When you’re storing these tacos, you’ll want to keep the ingredients separate because the tortillas will get soggy if they’re sitting with the beef and sauce in them overnight. Wrap up the beef and lime cream in different containers and keep cold in the fridge for up to four days.
If you want to make the beef ahead of time, or save it for a longer period of time, you can keep it in the freezer for up to two months. When reheating, simply place the beef in a pot on the stove over a medium-low setting and stir as it heats up.
Korean Beef Tacos
Ingredients Â
Slow Cooker Korean Beef
- 3 lbs. chuck roast
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 sliced onion
- 10 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons grated ginger
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Lime Cream:
- 1 cup sour cream
- zest of one lime
- juice from one lime
- salt
To serve:
- Kimchi
- lime wedges
- Siracha
- sesame seeds
- corn tortillas
- cilantro
InstructionsÂ
- Add the beef, brown sugar, soy sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the insert of a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The meat will be fork tender and fall apart. Use a fork to shred the beef and crush the garlic cloves. Stir and coat with the sauce.
- Mix together the sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl.
- Heat the tortillas, top with beef, lime cream, kimchi, sriracha, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
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