I originally saw this recipe Josie's blog Pink Parsley. Josie is on a cooking board with me and everyday members post blog updates. When she posted this recipe I knew I needed to give it a try. Ron and I love tacos and the flavors sounded fantastic. I love that it is a crockpot recipe because it is prefect for our bust nights and usually makes a lot so there are leftovers for lunches. I used short ribs for the tacos and they were fantastic, but next time I may use a beef roast because it is a little more cost effective and I am sure it will work just fine. The tacos topping recommendation is a light and refreshing cucumber slaw, chopped cilantro and a bit of sriracha. The slaw is easy to put together and is wonderful with the rich meat. We also added sliced radishes and jalapenos from our garden for a little more crunch and heat. Ron and I both loved the flavors of the tacos! Ron made his into sandwiches the following day for lunch and reported that it was just as yummy as the taco shells.
Thank you Josie for a delicious meal!
Ingredients
6 1/2 pounds short ribs (or other ribs)
1 1/2 cups low sodium soy sauce
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
10 cloves garlic
2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Cucumber Slaw
1 hot house cucumber
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 pinches of salt
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
To serve:
6-inch flour tortillas
fresh cilantro
extra Sriracha
Sliced radishes
Sliced jalapenos
Instructions
In the bowl of a small food processor, pulse the garlic and ginger until finely chopped (you can do this with a knife or on a microplane as well, but it was really fast and easy in a mini food processor).
Add the ribs to the crock pot. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the cooking liquid. Pour over the ribs.
Set the crock pot to low and cook about 8 hours. When ready to serve, remove the bones from the ribs, and shred into bite-sized pieces.
Skim the fat off the top of the liquid and add to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until thickened and reduced. Pour over the shredded meat and serve.
For the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber as thinly as possible, using a mandoline if you have one. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss the cucumbers in the mixture and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve, warm the tortillas and fill with the shredded meat, and top with cucumbers, cilantro, radishes, jalapenos and Sriracha to taste.