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Crockpot Korean Inspired Tacos with Yum Yum Yummm Sauce. Shredded beef in a sweet and spicy Korean inspired sauce topped with slaw and the yummiest sauces. Inspired by the tacos served up on the streets of LA, but with my own twist. These tacos are made in the crockpot (along with instant pot and oven variations). They’re the best tacos to really switch up your weekly taco night.
With the Olympics coming up in February, I keep thinking back to our time spent in South Korea 4 years ago. One, it’s so crazy that it’s been 4 years since we all traveled across the world to watch Red compete. We’re so excited for this year’s Olympics in Bejing (but bummed we can’t be with Red and Hailey this time). My memories of Korea have me craving those Korean flavors we all enjoyed while there.
Surprisingly, the Korean taco is more of an LA thing, but the flavors are just so delicious. These tacos are inspired by those famous LA food truck tacos. I did a little bit of my own thing here and they turned out so good! Everyone really loved these.
The meat
I actually used Korean short ribs from Five Mary’s Farms, which were so awesome. You could also use regular short ribs (though I would just use boneless). A flank steak works in a pinch too.
The sauce is a mix of soy sauce (I use Tamari, which is just gluten-free soy sauce…I actually think it’s better), rice vinegar, and honey with lots of ginger and garlic. Brown sugar is traditional, but I wanted to use something healthier. The pear also sweetens the sauce slightly too.
Pour the sauce over the meat, then cook low and slow in the slow cooker. You can also use the instant pot or even the oven.
Just before serving, I like to put the shredded meat under the broiler to caramelize it and get some of it a little crispy. Delicious.
The yum yum yummm sauce
I stole this name from the creamy pink sauce often served at Japanese steakhouses alongside steaming plates of food. Everything I found online was a little different for the sauce, which is tomato-based and made with a little butter.
I wanted something creamy, but spicy, so I made my sauce with Gochujang, which is Korean chili paste. It’s been one of my favorite ingredients for years. I love to use the Mother-In-Laws brand, which doesn’t have any weird ingredients or a lot of added sugar.
It’s so delicious, so I thought it would be fun to just call it yum yum yummm sauce.
Serving
Do these tacos up with a quick homemade slaw. Then top with that yum yum yummm sauce. If you love sauces like we do, you can also make a simple sesame salsa verde with store-bought salsa verde and sesame seeds.
There’s a lot happening with these tacos. Lots of sauce, slaw, and, of course, that caramelized Korean beef. Definitely not your average taco, but so flavorful and delicious. These are the perfect tacos to switch things up any night of the week!
Looking for other Korean inspired recipes?? Here are my favorites:
Oven Fried Korean Popcorn Chicken
30 Minute Korean Beef and Peppers with Sesame Rice
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Korean Inspired Tacos with Yum Yum Yummm Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Korean Inspired Tacos with Yum Yum Yummm Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 919 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless short ribs or 2 pounds flank steak
- 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chile paste)
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small pear, cored and quartered
- 8-10 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
- sesame salsa verde, for serving (see notes)
- avocado, sesame seeds, queso, for serving
Slaw
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1-2 fresno peppers, seeded, if desired, and sliced
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Yum Yum Yum Sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil mayo
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chile paste)
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- juice from 1/2 a lime
Instructions
- 1. In a blender, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, Gochujang, ginger, garlic, and pear. Blend until mostly smooth, then pour the sauce into the bowl of your crockpot. Stir in 1/2 cup water. Add the meat, then cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. 2. Preheat the broiler to high. Remove the meat from the sauce to a baking sheet and lightly shred. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Broil for 2-5 minutes, until the meat caramelizes. Watch closely! Toss with additional cooking liquid, if desired.3. To make the slaw. In a bowl, mix the cabbage, cilantro, green onions, peppers, lime juice, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. 4. To make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 5. Stuff the meat, slaw, and avocado, into the warmed tortillas. Top with sauces, sesame seeds, and cheese.
Instant Pot
- 1. In a blender, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, Gochujang, ginger, garlic, and pear. Blend until mostly smooth, then pour the sauce into the bowl of your instant pot. Stir in 1/2 cup water. Add the meat, then seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. 2. Follow the directions as directed above for steps 2-5.
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. In a blender, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, Gochujang, ginger, garlic, and pear. Blend until mostly smooth, then pour the sauce into a large dutch oven. Stir in 1/2 cup water. Add the meat, cover and roast in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.3. Follow the directions as directed above for steps 2-5.
Notes
Sesame Salsa Verde: combine 1 1/2 cups salsa verde, 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. Serve with the tacos.
This post was originally published on January 6, 2022
Really delicious and super easy! Thanks Tiegha!
Hey Erin,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
So excited to make this! We could only find skirt steak though. Do you think the cook times will be the same? Thanks!!
Hi Liza,
Yes, that will work well for you. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
It seems so delicious !!
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
Thanks so much!
This recipe is awesome! I ended up making it w/ brisket as sold out of short ribs. It was right before the first snow storm of the season – I think everyone had plans to fire up the crockpots. My daughter and I just tasted them – will be a repeated recipe in our house. Thank you!
Hey Barbara,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Is there anything you would substitute for Mayo? My husband has a serious aversion…
Hey Stephanie,
Try using avocado oil mayo or a vegan mayo from Primal Kitchen, they have great options that are a switch up from your typical mayo. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Made this for my college age son and daughter. My son deemed it the best thing I have ever made (and I cook alot). I did take 10 min after the meat was done to boil down some of the sauce from the slow cooker (fat skimmed off) to condense the flavors before putting it under the broiler. The meat was so tender and flavorful you could eat it straight, however the slaw and sauce were so fantastic that we did the whole taco. Putting this in the regular rotation. I used 4 lbs of short ribs and next time will likely increase (short ribs are delicious, but they disappear when cooked). We could have eaten twice the amount. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey Tara,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Do you peel the pear?
Hey Lea,
No, I did not peel the pear. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
What would you recommend in place of pear? An apple? So excited to try this recipe!
Hey Leah,
Sure, apple would be great here! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What corn tortillas do you use and how do you keep them from totally breaking when you go to eat them? This looks amazing! I am so excited to try them
Hey Erica,
I get my tortillas from Whole Foods and as long as they are warm they typically don’t break. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Excellent! I mistakenly added low sodium teriyaki sauce instead of soy to the marinade but end results worked. My husband loved the burnt ends from the broiler. Too bad flank steak is at $10.99/lb! Will def make again!
Should also add I used jalapeños for the slaw!
Hey Carrie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Excellent! I mistakenly added low sodium teriyaki sauce instead of soy to the marinade but end results worked. My husband loved the burnt ends from the broiler. Too bad flank steak is at $10.99/lb! Will def make again!
Hey Carrie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Just made these for dinner on a cold Canadian January evening- they were excellent. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was perfect just as written!
Hey Trudy,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
Could you use chicken instead?
Hi Tiffany,
Sure, chicken would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi. Which cheese is that in the photos? I don’t see any listed in recipe. Sorry if I overlooked it!
Hi Kathleen,
I used a queso fresco cheese. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
What can you use instead of Fresno peppers? I feel like they can be hard to find
Hey Kim,
You could use jalapeños or even bell peppers. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan