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Instant Pot Korean Beef ~ so fast and tender!

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Instant Pot Korean beef

by Ed

The Instant Pot is an amazing tool for cooking lots of stuff, but where I think it really shines is preparing cheaper, tougher cuts of meat blazingly fast.

That’s right – blazingly fast! Like this Instant Pot Korean Beef recipe!

Usually, tougher cuts need long slow cooking to break down into something tender and normally that takes all day.  Not so with pressure cooking.

The Instant Pot Ribs and Dark Beer Pulled Brisket recipes I’ve shared here before are great examples of the real magic of pressure cooking.

Add to that list this Instant Pot Korean Beef. Raw ingredients to table in around about an hour – for a cut of meat that normally takes 4+ hours to cook.  Also, super delicious.

So, SO good. I-ladled-up-the-leftover-sauce-and-drank-it-like-a-beverage good. (Robin’s Editors Note: Not just lip service. He totally did that. 😂)

It’s one of our instant pot dump recipes, with a couple extra steps at the end just before serving. Trust me – they’re worth it.

Instant Pot Korean beef recipe

Instant Pot Korean Beef Recipe


Using prepared chopped garlic and minced ginger means the sauce mixture can be tossed together really quickly!

But, of course, fresh would taste the very best. I also think you could add more red pepper flakes than is called for if you want your Korean Beef with a little more heat. 

I love cooking cheaper cuts of meat and having them turn out amazing.

This dish uses chuck steak (aka blade steak) which is a cheaper cut. I found some discounted even further and so the whole 3+ pounds ended up costing around $7.

In making this Korean Beef recipe, the first step is to brown up your steak pieces to give them some colour and flavour. 

You don’t need to cook through – the pressure cooking will look after that. 

This step also gets things heated up so when you add the liquids, it gets up to pressure faster, too.
first step for instant pot Korean beef browning
One of the Instant Pot’s many great features is that you can sauté/brown the meat right in it before pressure cooking.

(Saving you washing another frying pan up later? Yes, please). 
I mixed all of the liquids and seasonings in a single measuring cup, stirred it together and poured it in with the brown sugar.

Seal and pressure cook on ‘Stew’ setting for 35 mins.

(This was the default meat/stew setting on our Instant Pot and it worked well).
In the half-hour the Korean Beef is pressure cooking, you can make some rice, clean and separate the baby Bok Choy and mix the water and corn starch.
When pressure cooking ends, let Instant Pot sit for 5 mins, then manually release pressure and open.
Stir in cornstarch mixture.
Add the bok choy and stir if you can.

Things will look very full, but will wilt down after cooking.
Reseal and use the Steam setting for 3 mins. Open and stir.
Done – for an extra hit of sesame, you can add another Tbsp. of oil and/or a sprinkle of sesame seeds.(Our kids preferred this meal without them).

Stir up and serve over rice. Enjoy any leftover sauce as a warm beverage. 😉
Instant Pot Korean Beef

Instant Pot Korean Beef

Yield: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This Korean Beef recipe is done quickly in the Instant Pot. It is savoury and tender - even though cheaper cuts of beef are used!

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs chuck or blade steak or stewing beef
  • 1 Tbsp Canola Oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
  • 1.5 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 6 cups baby bok choy
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut beef into large cubes or strips.
  2. Brown the beef with canola oil in Instant Pot on 'Saute' setting.
  3. Add brown sugar, soya sauce, 1/4 cup water, minced ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and sesame oil.
  4. Seal and pressure cook on 'Stew' setting for 35 mins (This was the default meat/stew setting on our Instant Pot and it worked well).
  5. Clean and separate baby Bok Choy.
  6. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbsp cold water.
  7. When pressure cooking ends, let Instant Pot sit for 5 mins, then release pressure.
  8. Stir in cornstarch mixture and Bok Choy.
  9. Reseal and use the Steam setting for 3 mins. Open and stir.
  10. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with rice. Enjoy!

    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/8
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 601Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 1076mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 24gProtein: 70g
    © Ed Hicken
    Cuisine: Asian / Category: Instant Pot

    Want some more fast and easy recipes for the Instant Pot?  We’ve got a great collection of Instant Pot dump recipes here!

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    Rosemary

    Wednesday 15th of June 2022

    I'm amazed how tender the beef was in this. And the sauce had real flavor depth. Definitely saving this one!

    frugalfamilytimes

    Friday 17th of June 2022

    I'm so glad you liked it, Rosemary! Thanks for letting us know. :)

    Barb

    Sunday 20th of January 2019

    I just made the Korean Beef. Excellent!Next time I might add broccoli.I look forward to your decorating projects & recipe postings.Congratulations on your magazine feature! So excited for you!

    frugalfamilytimes

    Monday 21st of January 2019

    Oh yum! Broccoli would be yummy in this. Thanks for your encouragement and celebrating the magazine feature with us, Barb! It truly means a lot. :)

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