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Sticky, spicy Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice. Enjoy on nights when you’re craving your favorite bowl of sticky Thai-style beef, but don’t feel like doing carry-out. Tender beef short ribs are slow-cooked in a spicy chili sauce until the beef is caramelized around the edges and falling off the bone. Shred the meat and serve it over steamy coconut rice. Add fresh cilantro, green onions, salty peanuts, and sesame seeds. Each bowl is spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty. All cooked in one pot – either in the crockpot or on the stove. An almost effortless slow-cooked dinner!
It’s that time of year when I crank out all my favorite slow cooker meals. One of the reasons I love cozy fall cooking so much is that they’re simple and easy. And allowing something to slow cook all day long usually leaves your kitchen smelling incredible. Your home just gives off cozy vibes.
Short ribs are always a favorite in our house. I love slow-cooking them in the fall and winter. One of my favorite dishes to date is my French onion braised short ribs. I also loved last year’s short rib ramen.
Short ribs are amazing because as long as you cook them slowly, they almost always turn out tender and delicious. By the time they finish cooking, they should be falling off the bone and shred easily.
For today’s recipe, I used one of my favorite sauces and then added sweet pomegranate juice to create a delicious spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty beef.
These turned out so perfectly and the whole family loved the beef, especially with the creamy coconut jasmine rice.
Details
Step 1: start the ribs
This process could not be easier. Use your crockpot or your Dutch oven, it really doesn’t matter much. I actually use a cast iron braiser, I think it cooks the meat perfectly.
Add everything to the crockpot/pot, no searing, no pre-cooking. Nothing like that. Just add the beef short ribs, black pepper, shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Then pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari/soy sauce, and Thai chili sauce.
Cover the pot, and let the crockpot or oven work their magic. I skipped searing the ribs because I knew they would caramelize naturally in the spicy sweet chili sauce. By the time I uncovered my pot, the ribs were perfect, caramelized, and falling off the bone.
Step 2: make the coconut rice
About 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve, make the rice. This is one of my favorite rice recipes.
Mix dry jasmine rice with a can of coconut milk, bone broth, and a couple of tablespoons of ghee or butter. Bring to a boil, stir, then cover and let the rice cook until fluffy. My rice takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Don’t open the pot to check it while cooking!
Step 3: the toppings
You’ll need fresh toppings for this beef. I make an herb mix with cilantro, green onions, roasted peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds. I didn’t do this, but you could also add a squeeze of lime juice. That would be so delish!
Then if you’d like, toss in some pomegranate arils. I always do this if pomegranates are in season!
Step 4: shred the ribs
Shred the ribs and toss with the sticky sauce. If you notice a lot of grease on top of the sauce, do your best to drain that away before you toss the ribs.
Then serve the ribs and sauce over coconut rice with that fresh herb mix. Cozy, but fresh all at the same time. And most importantly, so darn yummy!! We just love the spicy, sweet, and tangy ribs. And the coconut rice rounds out a perfect, hands-off dinner.
Looking for more easy dinners? Here are a few to try for fall:
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make these Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice 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 Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 650 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- black pepper
- 4 shallots, halved
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 1-3 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds, optional
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, season the short ribs with pepper. Add the shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari, and chili sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.2. Shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs into the sauce. Keep warm.3. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Add the pomegranate arils, if using. 4. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with herbs/peanuts.
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. 2. In a large, oven-safe brasier, season the short ribs with pepper. Add the shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari, and chili sauce. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.2. Shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs in the sauce. Keep warm.3. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Add the pomegranate arils, if using. 4. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with herbs/peanuts.
Notes
Coconut Rice: Combine 1 (14 ounce) can of coconut milk, 3/4 cup bone broth or water, and 2 tablespoons ghee or butter in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 2 cups of jasmine rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.
This post was originally published on October 16, 2023
Plan on making this for our anniversary today! But is there a substitute for Chinese 5 spice?! I couldn’t find it at the grocery stores near me.
Hi Jillian! Happy Anniversary to you! I would use garam masala as it replicates similar flavors, or just omit it! xT
Cooked this in the oven but after 3 hours, there’s really not much liquid left… Just felt like it’s missing some depth of the taste to it. Maybe next time I will add just a bit more pom juice/tamari/thai chill sauce.
Hi Stacy! So sorry about that! Thank you for the input!
I want to make this tomorrow – do you recommend any of your veggie recipes as a side dish to go well with this?
Hi there! A yummy cucumber/carrot salad could be yummy! xT
While the short ribs were great, the coconut rice was a failure for me. I couldn’t see how the rice was going to be done in 10 minutes active time and 20 minutes for steaming. Because the rice was on such low heat, it never produced much steam to begin with. The end product was gloppy and underdone. I’m wondering, did you mean coconut milk in the carton (it says can in the recipe) or the can? I used the can, perhaps that was the problem. Plus, it was much too rich for the flavorful short ribs. I ended up making plain jasmine rice and it was perfect. I decided my family was short rib worthy and this recipe, sans the rice mistake, was delicious.
Hey Carla! I’m so sorry about that! I usually use coconut milk in the can as well! Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help! xT
Once again, absolutely loved another Tieghan recipe! The flavors worked perfectly together, and how can short ribs ever be bad?! The only thing I did differently is the sauce…I threw all of it (minus the short ribs) into the Vitamixer and blended it all together. Incorporated all those delicious flavors together…. Absolutely would make this again.
So glad you enjoyed these short ribs Josh! xT
Made this last week in the oven and it turned out so good. The house smelled amazing. I may try using chuck roast next time as short ribs are pretty expensive, but definitely worth the occasional treat. Coconut rice was perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe!! Have a great week! xT
I made this in my slow cooker yesterday (perfect for a rainy Sunday) and it was truly wonderful. The richness of the short ribs and jasmine coconut rice balanced the freshness of the herbs and pomegranate seeds and peanuts to perfection. Short ribs are quite expensive, so this will have to be a special occasion meal (but worth the splurge)! I loved how easy the rice was to make and that I didn’t have to sear the short ribs before putting them into the slow cooker – easy! It made our house smell heavenly as well. 🙂 I would love to see and make more recipes like this!
Thank you so so much Dana! xT
LOTS of flavor, and lots of fat. I followed the directions and even the rice was fatty. Maybe I didn’t use the right kind of coconut milk…. the one I used had a layer of coconut oil on it so I didn’t use the ghee. I think next time I make this, and I will make it again, I will use more ginger and shallot in the meat, and a coconut milk that doesn’t have the oil and pulp in it. It was still amazing though.
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xT
In your opinion, do you think cooking it at a low for 6-8 hours would make the meat more tender than on high in the crockpot?
Hi Makayla! I think that would definitely make your meat turn out super tender! xT
Good flavor although took longer to cook than the 8 hours on low crockpot. The phot does not reflect what the dish truly looks like. The sauce is much more liquid vs sticky, it is pulled and not on the bone nor is there star aniseed in the recipe. For our taste 1 teaspoon 5 spice goes long way. A photo reflecting the true reality of the dish would be appreciated vs food styling that is not accurate.
I notice that braising liquid reduces much more in oven braises than crockpots so that may just be because she used the oven, but I was also very confused by all the photos of start anise and none mentioned in the actual recipes…
Hi! Do you use sweetened coconut milk or unsweetened?
I use unsweetened! xT
This recipe looks wonderful but…..beef short ribs are SO EXPENSIVE! Any suggestions on a substitute meat that is less expensive?
You can definitely use chuck roast! xT
This was delicious! I cooked the short ribs in the oven for just about 3 hours and they were ready. Not much sauce in the pot so, I added more Pom juice a some stock. Was there supposed to be a good amount of sauce left after discarding the fat?
theyre much cheaper at smaller carnicerias or asian markets than they are at big brand stores
I want to make this but I’m confused with the star anise in the photo. Is it in the recipe?
Hi there! I just used it as a garnish! xT
Do you have any recommendations for making it in the instant pot?
Hi Kelly! I haven’t ever tried this recipe in the Instant Pot! So sorry! xT
I made it tonight in the instant pot. I used Chuck roast, cut into stew pieces and cooked for 45 min. It was perfect!
Lisa, how much meat did you use and did you change the liquid measurements at all for the instant pot?
My husband hates cilantro…..would basil work?
going to make these tomorrow and I’m using Thai Basil
Yeah, definitely! xT
Very pleased with this recipe-the flavors were interesting and pleasantly different than what I’ve made in the past. I’m glad I opted to use only 1 tsp of the Chinese 5 spice as that (along with the chili sauce and ginger) gave as much heat as I can eat and still enjoy (although my husband was fine). The coconut rice complimented the meat very nicely too!