This Slow Cooker Chinese Braised Beef is simply PACKED with flavor! Shin of beef slow cooked with soy sauce, five spice, garlic and ginger until meltingly tender. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
YOU WILL ALSO LIKE.. my Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
Post may contain affiliate links. For more information, check my disclosure
Published 2015, updated 2021
I love cooking beef in my crockpot and have several slow cooker beef recipes to prove it! What I particularly like is that these recipes are so EASY and yet they taste amazing.
This Slow Cooker Chinese Beef uses shin of beef slowly braised with soy sauce, Chinese Shaoshing cooking wine, five spice and broth. The beef literally melts into the richly flavored gravy!
All you have to do is add the ingredients to your slow cooker and leave it to do its thing over 7-8 hours (or even longer). Once the beef is fall apart tender, simply shred and serve!
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Shin of beef or beef cheek (also called ox cheek) are both excellent cuts for this Asian beef recipe. You can also use sliced brisket or braising steak.
Chinese cooking wine, made from rice, can easily be found online or in Asian supermarkets. You can replace it with dry sherry or vermouth in a pinch!
I used Sukrin Gold in this recipe but soft brown sugar or other sweeteners can also be used.
SLOW COOKER BEEF RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Slow Cooker Chunky Beef Chili
Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Slow Cooker Roast Beef
HAVE YOU MADE MY CHINESE CROCKPOT BEEF? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Slow Cooker Chinese Braised Beef
Equipment & Tools
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 pounds) beef shin cut into chunky cubes
- 240 ml (1 cup) hot beef broth or use a stock cube
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) dark soy sauce
- 120 ml (½ cup) Chinese cooking wine or use dry sherry
- 3 tbsp Sukrin Gold or dark brown sugar
- 2 onions sliced thinly
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
- 5 spring onions (scallions) finely sliced
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice
- ¼ tsp Szechuan peppercorns crushed (optional)
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) dissolved in a little cold water
To serve
- 1 red chilli finely sliced, to serve
- spring onions (scallions)
- fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks
Instructions
- Optional: brown the beef first until nicely seared on all sides. Use a large skillet or your crockpot if it allows for searing.
- Add the beef in your slow cooker together with the garlic, onion, star anise and cinnamon stick.
- Combine the beef broth, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, Sukrin and ginger in a measuring jug and stir. Pour over the beef, sprinkle with the five spice and add the spring onions and the pepper.
- Cook for 7 hours on low setting, or until the beef is very tender.
- If the sauce needs thickening, add the cornflour slurry to the slow cooker and switch to the high setting. Cook for 30 minutes or until the cooking juices are slightly thickened.
- Use two forks to shred the beef. Check the seasoning and serve over steamed rice or cauliflower rice with the sliced chilli, ginger and spring onions.
Lavina says
This is cooking in my kitchen right now and smells divine thank you but I find it’s so sweet. Should I add some chilli flakes as we like spice
Lucy Parissi says
Of course. If you find it too sweet then bear in mind the flavor will be diluted when serving with rice or noodles.
Diana says
I'm a bit confused by what you mean. "1. Slice the brisket into thick rounds and place flat in the slow cooker". How thick do you mean and against the grain, correct?
This recipe sounds great and I can't wait to make it!
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Diana – about an inch if that helps? But the thickness doesn't matter terribly as you will shred the meat after it is cooked
Camilla Hawkins says
Looks totally divine Lucy, love those flavours and the succulent pulled beef:-) Great shots as always!
plasterer bristol says
Yum, i love this recipe. One of my favorites, thanks for sharing.
Simon
Julia@Vikalinka says
Well done you! I've been so inspired by your healthy recipes of late that I decided to join the band wagon. It's been 2 weeks and like you said there is a little bit of progress but I have SO MUCH to lose right now that it's incredibly daunting. This time though I decided not to set a deadline, just to keep going at this pace until I reach my goal. 🙂
Lucy Parissi says
I have slipped a little this week as I have been very stressed AND surrounded by chocolate. A lethal combination. But running has definitely made me feel more in control and positive. I don't have a deadline and I am not making huge changes. I am curious as to whether I will lose weight this way rather than going on a 'proper' strict diet where i am counting calories…
Ciara Attwell says
This looks and sounds incredible. Putting it on my list to make ASAP! I think you've hit it spot on with your principles for adopting a healthier lifestyle. Setting myself month long weight loss or exercise goals can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. I'm all about the daily goals now!
Lucy Parissi says
I think judging by your blog recipes you must have an amazingly healthy diet Ciara! I am hoping these small steps will make a lasting change to the way I eat!
Kate Glutenfreealchemist says
This looks mouth-wateringly good Lucy. How do you manage to produce such great photos with such diabolical weather/light? The courgette noodles are a great idea….. Another one for the slow-cook list!
Lucy Parissi says
The light is not terrible – but doesn't last very long. With a good camera and tripod you can take photos is quite low light.
Angela says
If I didn't know better I'd think you were a machine. How do you manage to produce so many stunning meals? This one looks delicious and all the better for being healthy,
Lucy Parissi says
…am no machine – but for the past 3 months I have been blogging pretty much full time due to be being at home without much else on.