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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
The chili sauce in the thai chili sauce part of the recipe…Heinz chili sauce? Can you be more specific?
Hey Lisa,
Sorry for any confusion, you’ll want to use something like sriracha for the homemade recipe! I hope this helps, I hope this dish turns out well for you:) xx
I can’t find Chinese five spice… what can I use instead?
I would use garam masala! xT
Made with chuck roast in a Dutch oven and made the rice in an instant pot. Both were perfect. For the rice: you definitely don’t need the ghee but it does make the rice extra rich. I cooked the rice 3 min on high pressure with a 10 min natural release. Will make both again!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! Have a great Halloween 🙂 xT
These ribs were amazing! I didn’t even add the extra toppings. I will definitely be making this again.
I also made the rice! Question…should the recipes say to add 1 3/4 cups of water? I did based off of other recipes I found. I didn’t think there would be enough liquid if I just used 3/4 cup.
Regardless….amazing flavors!
Absolutely delicious – the perfect fall dish! It made the entire house smell amazing and was relatively easy (while making it seem like a fancy dish). I will definitely make this again. Thank you so much for this gem.
I paired with sautéed green beans.
Thanks so much Amanda! So glad you loved these short ribs! xT
Delicious recipe, but I had some trouble with the meat – maybe it’s just my slow cooker, but I found the meat still tough and the sauce not reduced even after 6 hours on high. Threw it all into a pressure cooker for 15 more minutes and it came out perfect – next time I’ll probably just skip the slow cooker and go right to that.
Hi,
Please review the Coconut Rice recipe to double check the amount of rice to the amount of liquid. I believe there is not enough liquid for the amount of rice. My rice never cooked in the time stated. As I added more water and time, I ended up with an epic fail for the trash!
Hey Ian! Thanks for letting me know, I’m so glad it ended up turning out well for you! xT
I want to use my dutch oven…would you recommend braising the beef first? I”m using a roast. Thanks !
Hi there! You definitely can if you’d like! xT
Made it as directed and it was delicious. Added a quick pickled carrot and cucumber side which really cut threw the richness of the meat. It was a nice balance. To make this more of an everyday meal I plan on trying it with a different, cheaper cut if meat. Hopefully it will be as yummy as the short ribs!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a great Halloween weekend! 🙂 xT
Delicious! I made this for a wedding anniversary dinner and it was amazing! I seared the short ribs and braised them in the oven. The meat fell right off the bone. I heated the Thai chili sauce to garnish with. I was nervous about the rice after reading some of the reviews but I trusted the instructions. I will definitely make this again. Like others mentioned I might try chuck roast as the short ribs are definitely a splurge. It is much cheaper than a meal out though and tastes just as delicious.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a great Halloween weekend! 🙂 xT
Delicious! Flavorful and the rice cooked perfectly for my husband. Will definitely be on our cold weather rotation!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a great Halloween weekend! 🙂 xT
I had the same issue with the rice. I usually use my instant pot to make rice and even at sea level and the long end of the times it was very undercooked. I tried to salvage it by adding more liquid and letting it steam longer but it was definitely the worst rice I’ve made. I’ve never had coconut rice and I’ve heard it is good so will try another recipe for it.
The ribs were decent but definitely look at the the price. As I stated previously these can be very pricey depending where you buy them. Asian markets and smaller carnicerias will be less expensive.
I don’t think I’d make these again. I even tried to make them a little more “thai” adding in star anise at the end and using goguchang.
Rice did not cook. I followed the directions and at the end of the cooking time it was still very hard
Putting in the menu for the week! If I were to use boneless how long should they cook for in slow cooker?
If I make these in the instantpot do I need to adjust the liquid amounts?
Excellent! Absolutely delicious! So easy! We loved it! Thank you for another delicious recipe.
Thank you so much Kym! xT
For this recipe, do you rinse your rice?
Thanks!