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Prep dinner ahead of time with these Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls! I absolutely crave the favor of this delicious, tender meat and know you all will too.
As the weeknights start to get busier, it is all about planning ahead. To me, that almost always means getting something into my slow cooker in the morning. Then at dinner time, all I have to do is make a few elements right before serving so dinner can be on the table in no time.
While I’ve made a lot of shredded beef over the years, including my Salsa Verde Shredded Beef Bowls that continue to be super popular, but this recipe is quickly becoming a favorite. The beef slowly cooks with your usual pantry ingredients (coconut aminos, fish sauce, coconut sugar…), but I also include a little peanut butter to bring a delicious peanut taste. All of that along with some ginger, lime juice, Thai chiles, and a few other ingredients, results in the most tender and flavorful shredded beef!
You can enjoy the shredded beef however you prefer! I love to serve mine with rice and a simple, quick-pickled veggie salad.
for the quick-pickled veggie salad:
- Mini Bell Peppers (or one red, yellow, or orange bell pepper)
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Thai Chiles
- Garlic
- Rice Vinegar
- Fish Sauce
- Salt
Once your beef is cooked and salad is made, enjoy it all over rice as I did here or you could even serve in lettuce cups! Whatever you decide, be sure to pile on the fresh herbs and include a lime wedge.
I hope you all love these Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls as much my family and I do!
For more slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes:
Cuban-Inspired Pulled Pork with Mojo
Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos
Salsa Verde Shredded Beef Bowls
Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Chicken and Veggies
Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls
Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (I use Red Boat brand)
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- Zest of ½ lime
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1- inch knob of ginger peeled and finely grated
- 2 to 3 Thai chilis minced
- 2 pounds flap or flank steak cut into 4 equal-sized pieces (*See FAQs for my notes on the cut of meat)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Veggie Salad:
- 6 mini bell peppers, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup julienne carrots
- 1 Thai chili, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (I use Red Boat brand)
- Pinch of salt
For Assemby:
- 2 cups prepared white rice
- Fresh cilantro leaves,
- Fresh Thai basil leaves,
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Make the Thai-Inspired Shredded Beef:
- In the base of the slow cooker, combine the oil, garlic, coconut sugar, coconut aminos, fish sauce, peanut butter, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and Thai chilis. Whisk until well combined.
- Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper then nestle into the sauce. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 8 to 10.
- When the cook time is complete, use two forks to shred the meat and keep on warm while you prepare the veggie salad. Keeping the shredded meat in the sauce for 10-15 minutes helps rehydrate the shredded meat and make it even more delicious!
Make the Salad:
- Combine all of the veggie salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to lightly “pickle.”
Assemble the Bowls:
- Divide the beef into bowls with prepared rice and veggie salad. Top with the cilantro and basil. Serve with a wedge of lime.
Notes
- Complete step 1 by adding all of the sauce ingredients to the bottom of an InstantPot. Add 1/4 cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth and whisk until well combined. (unlike the slow cooker, you’ll need a little extra liquid to get the pressure cooker to work).
- Salt and pepper and pieces of beef and nestle into the sauce.
-
Close the lid and turn the valve at the top so that it is sealed. Press the ‘manual’ button, then set the time to 45 minutes. Walk away from the IP and let it do it’s thing.
-
When the cook time is complete, manually release the pressure by carefully turning the valve to vent. Allow all the of the steam to release (this takes a few minutes) before carefully opening the IP. Using two forks, shred the beef.
- Complete the recipe as written above (make the salad and assemble).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQS:
Flap steak is my absolute favorite cut of meat for this recipe. Ask your butcher if they have “flap” or “bavette” steak (it can be called both). If not, flank steak works fine here as a back up!
if you can’t find thai chiles, I recommend buying a serrano pepper.
1/2 of a serrano finely minced = 2 thai chiles finely minced.
You can sub in brown sugar for the coconut sugar here. To keep this dish Whole30 compatible, you can omit the coconut sugar overall. I will say, the coconut sugar adds a nice touch of sweetness with the savory flavors of the meat and helps the beef caramelize a bit. However, the coconut aminos also help with this so it’s still great without the coconut sugar.
yes, you can sub soy sauce for the coconut aminos– but keep in mind that soy sauce is much saltier than coconut aminos. Omit the fish sauce in the recipe and maybe cut slightly back on the salt amount on the meat to 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt.
Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
soooo delicious!!!
Is this on high pressure or low pressure for the new models?
High Pressure
how do you think it would do with another but butter substituted?