For the first time ever I decided to experiment with 5-spice powder in this Asian short ribs recipe. And what better way to incorporate this flavor than in the slow cooker?! In case you haven’t heard me say it before – I LOVE making everything from soups to stocks to beans to dinners in my crock pot.
Preparing a delicious and nutritious meal in advance that is ready and waiting for you at dinner time, keeps your house smelling amazing all day long, and usually requires minimal cleanup after eating? I am sold. Especially on those nights when the kids have early evening extracurricular activities. Slow cooker dinners are the way to go in my opinion!
Another great thing about this recipe is that, for those who have an allergy or sensitivity, it does not contain any gluten or dairy (as long as a gluten-free soy sauce is used). You could also just omit (or replace) the soy sauce topping if someone in your family can’t eat soy. Oh, and while we are on the topic, there are no nuts in this recipe either. So there you go…this is officially an allergy-friendly dish that everyone can enjoy together!
Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs (with Soy Sauce Glaze)
For the first time I decided to experiment with 5-spice powder in this Asian short ribs recipe. And what better way to incorporate it than in the crock pot?
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the 5-spice powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Place the onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Put the ribs on top of the onion and coat them evenly with the spice mixture. Keeping the ribs on top of the onions helps to keep them out of the juices and fat that will collect at the bottom during cooking.
- Turn slow cooker onto LOW and cook for 9 to 10 hours. (No need to add any water or liquid before starting.)
- Just before serving the ribs, combine the soy sauce and honey in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the ribs to a serving platter (on top of the brown rice noodles and bok choy if using – as pictured above) and pour the sauce over the top of the entire dish. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Can I make gravy or sauce from the leftover juices?
We have not tried to do so but I am sure you can.
Can you use boneless ribs? Does he cooking time or any liquid need to be added? They are in the crockpot now :-)
So sorry. We can rarely reply to recipe questions in real time. How did they turn out?
My husband’s absolute favorite meal! If you can’t find the 5-spice mix, it’s really good without. I’ve made it both ways. Just do extra paprika.
These are incredible. I’ve made them a few times – they’re my husbands favorite so I usually cook them as a special meal or date night for us! The flavor is so good especially with the sauce drizzled on top!
Is there another name for the 5 spice powder? I’m having trouble finding it.
Hi there. This will help if you can’t find the blend: http://www.thekitchn.com/inside-the-spice-cabinet-chinese-five-spice-powder-74672.
This dish is definitely a winner! I’m not a very experienced cook, but this is the most impressive thing to come out of my kitchen – and it was so easy! I followed instructions exactly, except cut the ingredients in half since I was just feeding two people. The glaze at the end is the icing on the – ribs! I served with white rice, sauteed bok choy (with ginger, garlic, soy sauce), and a cold asian cucumber salad (just googled one). My boyfriend was very impressed, and this will definitely be on rotation for dinner parties! Keep the slow cooker recipes coming… I also really like the pulled pork from this website.
I am allergic to onions – any other alternative? Or will they cook fine on top of garlic?
Hi. It will do fine with the garlic but will sit on the bottom of the pot. This might help, too: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-best-substitute-for-onions-in-recipes-good-questions-211146.
Will this work if I double the recipe?
If your crock pot is big enough! :)
Are there nutritional values listed for any of these recipes?
Hi Ali. We really don’t focus on numbers. This post helps explain why we do not provide those details: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Wow Wow Wow! We had these Asian Ribs last night and my husband won’t stop talking about them. They were wonderful! We bought the grass fed beef ribs from Whole Foods. They cost a fortune but it was worth it! I used the recipe for Udon Noodles with Bok Choy that Amy Taylor (comment moderator) put the link on 10/7/14 in the comments. It went perfectly with the Asian ribs. I also quartered 2 onions instead of one to make sure the ribs were elevated off the bottom of the crock pot. This recipe is a keeper. Can’t wait to have my kids over to try this. Thanks!
We made the Asian short ribs for dinner tonight with steamed broccoli. This is dinner party worthy, AND, my 4 and 6 yo devoured it!
Cooking this for a Chinese New Year party. 2 questions. Is this cooked as one layer in the crockpot or can I put a few layers on top of each other. I have 20 ribs to do. Can I freeze these?
Hi there. Sure, you can freeze them.
My short ribs are in the crock pot right now. I’m going to have them with soba noodles and whatever organic green looks good at the market today. For those above with absolutely no imagination, http://www.pinterest.com literally has thousands of recipes for everything. I’m even providing the website link for all you lazy peeps.
I am new to this and will be doing the ‘ten day clean eating pledge’. I will be using this site a lot for recipes as well as a few others. This is the first meal on my very first ever meal planing journey. Did you list the side dishes? I see in some comments people were asking questions about the book choy and Asian noodles. Do I just have to go to recipes to find side dishes. Thanks so much and I am glad I am here and looking forward to journey.
Hi Bonnie. For most of the recipes, just one dish is featured. You can mix and match, however, throughout the recipe index: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/recipe-index/. Have you accessed the meal plans: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/our-free-meal-plans/? ~Amy
Someone earlier in the comments mentioned throwing the bok choy in the crockpot on top of the ribs, so I did that an hour before it was done cooking. Turned out fine. I thought the dish was a tad salty (and one kid wasn’t a huge fan of the bok choy, but ate most of it) overall my family liked it. My husband has been on board with clean eating for a while now and Lisa’s recipes are making him a big fan. Thanks!
So the noodles and bok choy are plain? It would be nice if the recipe included directions for these items as well.
Hi Krishell. Here is a favorite of mine: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/stir-fried-udon-noodles-with-bok-choy/. :)