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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
Used a flank steak in the instant pot. I made all the sauces and the coleslaw the day before – the dish came together very quickly. Everyone loved it.
Hi Bridget,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
These tacos were AMAZING! Delicious slaw, yumyum sauce was YUMMY. Our favorite to date, only rivaled by the Mojo tacos in your first cookbook.
Hi Erica,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Everyone in my family LOVED this recipe- which is a rare feat. Did the slow cooker method and made everything exactly except had to substitute Sirracha in the Ym Yumm sauce. The sauce was so good, I can’t imagine it being any different or better. Thanks for an amazing and different taco night!
Hi Tracey,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Amazing! I couldn’t find boneless short ribs so I used bone-in. The meat fell off the bone it was so tender! The slaw and yum yum yum sauce were perfect accompaniments to these tacos.
Hi Heather,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Hi Tieghan,
Not being familiar with gochujang, I thought I bought the right thing, but turns out it’s Korean Gochujang with Chipotle, Apple juice, and Sesame Oil. Since I already have it, I’d like to try to use it, but would you recommend adjusting the recipe in any way? Since honey and pear are included in your ingredients, I wasn’t sure if the added apple juice would make it too sweet. Also, since it’s a sauce instead of a paste, would I need to adjust the measurement?
Hi Natalie,
I would really need to see what the exact Gochujang you are referring to is, it’s hard to say without knowing. You can certainly give it a try, but for best results I would try the Gochujang paste, I love Mother in Laws. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing!!! Great combination of flavors.
Hi Anne,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
I think this is my favorite dish from Half baked Harvest. Absolutely divine on a cold evening in front of the fire
Hi Holly,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
We made this for dinner last night and it was so good! We used flank steak and we had to sub gojuchang sauce in for gojuchang paste since the store we went to didn’t have the paste. It still turned out delicious! Next time we make this recipe, we’re going to try assembling everything as a bowl instead of a taco. The meat/marinade is just so tasty!
Meant to include a 5-star rating but hit post before clicking on the stars. Oops!
Thanks again Emily!
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I used flank steak that I had, since it was suggested as an alternative. The meat was chewy but tender. I followed direction so not sure what happened. I guess I’ll use short ribs next time.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Kerry, sorry I am not sure what the issue is here is the meat but was tender? Let me know if I can help! xTieghan
This was amazing! Followed the directions exactly as written. My husband loved it and it will be a new go-to for us. Thanks Tieghan for your delicious recipes and fresh ideas! Cheers!
Hi there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this tonight and loved it! Lucky for me there is enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow!
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Holy smokes…this might be one of your best yet. What a hit at dinner tonight. All of my people devoured it. They ate every last bit.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Your recipe looks delicious. Thought of making this for a large group. What sort of sides would you serve?
Hi Cathy,
You could do rice and beans, my family enjoys the tacos just with the slaw:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made this recipe a couple of nights ago . My whole family loved it. Going to try soon with pork shoulder bet that would be great also
Hey Tom,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
We enjoyed these for dinner last night. They were so full of flavor and delicious. We’ll be making them again for sure!
Hi Mikaela,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Love, love, love this recipe. Multiple flavors made the tacos so tasty. If you like Korean tacos I highly recommend this recipe. The only thing I added was pickled carrots.
Hi Lindsay,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
These were very yummy! I had to use gochujang sauce instead of paste (all that I could find). I increased the amount but am excited to try the paste and see how the flavors are enhances. Thanks Tieghan for your flavor combinations!! So much depth, but easy to achieve.
Hi Kristi,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan