Slow Cooking for Fast-Paced Crazy

We are nearing the end of "Crazy Week" and are now headed, full-tilt, into "Crazier Weekend." The VBS goers finished their activities last night to great relief and accomplishment of the workers. Today the theater campers wrap up final rehearsals and Molly's softball team continues onward in the quest for the trophy or a trophy or the end of the season in some form or fashion. Tomorrow Molly and her team play at least two games and Meg and Kate and their theater company perform two shows. As you would guess, most of these things happen nearly at the same times. Happily, they happen in the same general area which is less happily not close to home because where would be the challenge then?

The slow cooker has been the MVP of the week and one of our very favorite meals was it's opening act:

Slow Cooker Korean Beef

My first introduction to this meal was by smell when I dropped something off at a friend's home and upon opening the door the scent of warm and yummy hit my nose. I asked fourteen questions in rapid fire fashion and came to discover a meal that quickly rose to favored status at The Wright Table. It's beyond simple to prepare, it's versatile, it's different from the usual fare…perfect for Crazy Week.

Here's what you need:

{Click HERE for printable recipe}

3 pound chuck roast
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce (in the Asian foods aisle)
1/2 sliced onion
10 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons minced ginger
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (in the Asian foods aisle)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil (in the Asian foods aisle)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more, less, or none…depending on your heat tolerance)

Now, grab that slow cooker and fill it up…

I have doubled the recipe because every time I make this we are all elbowing each other away from the slow cooker trying to fill our plates. Not a sweet family scene! The quantities pictured are for my double recipe. The ingredients as listed above are for a single recipe.

Chuck roast…

supporting cast…

…and a crazy amount of garlic but trust me here, it's the perfect amount, not too strong at all.

All you do is place beef in slow cooker and slice the onion, crush but don't chop the garlic, chop up the ginger (fresh ginger is the only way to go here, find it in the produce section of grocery store, peel off thin brown skin with the edge of a spoon, and cut it into coins like you would a carrot then chop the coins into tiny little pieces. I keep the rest of the "root" in my freezer where it lasts forever!)

…and add everything else to the cooker. 

Put the lid on and set it to low for 8 hours. 

(If pressed for time you can set it on high for 5 hours and be fine, but if you have time…go slow and low.)

The beef will be fork tender, the onions like candy and all of the other ingredients will have simply melted into a lovely broth which will taste heavenly over rice or noodles or mashed potatoes, believe me, we've tried it each way. Perhaps our favorite way to eat Korean Beef is in a soft taco shell with sour cream and a squirt of lime and maybe some shredded lettuce or cabbage and a drop or two of Siracha. 

Don't ya love options? Korean Beef is ready to provide! 

Happy Weekend!