Korean Beef Tacos are all you’ve ever wanted in a meat dish. As sweet as they are savory, as simple as they are succulent, whoever you serve these to are in for a seriously flavorful treat!
The beauty part is you can dress these tacos up however you want, but I feel some kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) and Sriracha mayo complement that juicy, flavorful meat to perfection. The Instant Pot does it again!
Here’s How I Made It! (scroll to the bottom for the fully-written recipe):
Begin with some cloves of garlic…
…and then SMASH ’em (I use the flat side of a chef’s knife).
Then take a knob of ginger…
…and peel and roughly cut it into chunks.
Now take a can of pears…
…drain them, and add them to a food processor or blender.
Toss in the garlic and ginger…
…along with low-sodium soy sauce…
…brown sugar…
…honey…
…hoisin sauce…
…sesame oil…
…and fish sauce (it’s pungent on its own but it’s actually amazing when mixed into many recipes).
Blend everything up…
…until puréed and a marinade is formed.
Now, take a chuck roast…
…and cut it into large chunks.
Place the meat in a gallon freezer bag…
…and pour the marinade over it. Cutting the beef into chunks not only allows it to cook a bit faster but it also ensures the marinade really gets into the meat even more.
Get the air out of the bag as you seal it and pop in the fridge to marinate. (NOTE: You don’t HAVE to do this but it’s suggested for eve richer flavor).
When ready to cook, simply dump the meat and the marinade into the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure.
When done, you’re going to have some SERIOUSLY tender beef.
Use tongs to carefully transfer the beef to a mixing bowl.
All you need are a pair of forks to shred the beef – it’s that tender!
Ladle some (but not all) of the sauce over the shredded beef to add additional flavor and moisture…
…and now we’re ready to make our tacos however you like them!
I suggest to grab a tortilla of your choice and spread on some Sriracha mayo…
…top with the beef…
…some kimchi…
…and maybe a few crushed peanuts and/or crispy wontons.
Roll the taco up…
…insert it into your mouth (and this photo shows how comfortable in my own skin I can be)…
…and have a reaction Dumfounded is likely the first expression to own your face.
But then you’ll glance at the trophy taco in your hand, admire it and be SO happy there’s still a bunch more to go!
Enjoy this INSTANT favorite!
Instant Pot Korean Beef Tacos
Taco Tuesday just got terrific. These Korean-style tacos are officially my favorite style. Make sure you wrap it up with a little spicy mayo and kimchi (pickled, fermented cabbage) for the ultimate experience.
Ingredients
The Marinade
- 14-15 ounce can of pears, fully drained OR 2 Anjou pears, peeled and cored (NOTE: If using canned pears, try to get the ones with no sugar added or in lite syrup – although it doesn’t matter much since we are draining them)
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 1/4 ounce knob of ginger, peeled and cut into small chunks (you can also use 2-3 tablespoons minced or squeeze ginger instead)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari or coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (any kind)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, and don’t mind the pungent scent. It adds incredible flavor once in the sauce)
The Beef:
- 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into large chunks
The Tacos (all optional):
- Tortillas or taco shells (any kind, I used an enchilada size that was half corn and half flour)
- Sriracha Mayo (mix 1/4 cup mayo with 1 tablespoons Sriracha)
- Kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage)
- Crushed peanuts
- Crispy wontons
Instructions
- Add the pears, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and fish sauce (if using) to a food processor or blender. Blend until it’s become a purée.
- Place the chunks of chuck meat into a gallon freezer bag and pour the marinade all over it. Squeeze the air out of the bag as you seal it and place it in the fridge to marinate for 8-24 hours (See yellow “Jeffrey Sez” section).
- When ready to cook, dump the beef and all the marinade to the Instant Pot. Hit Manual or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 35 minutes. When done, allow a 10-minute natural release (meaning you do nothing for 10 minutes). Once those 10 minutes have passed, follow with a quick release.
- Using tongs, transfer the beef to a bowl and use two forks to shred apart, which will happen with barely any effort since it will be so tender. Ladle in 1-2 spoonfuls of the broth/sauce into the shredded beef for additional flavor and to keep it moist.
- Assemble your tacos as you see fit and enjoy! I like to schmear on some of the Sriracha mayo, top with the beef, kimchi and peanuts and then roll it up and munch away!
Jeffrey's Tips
Don’t have time or forgot to marinate the meat in the fridge? NO PROBLEM! While marinating the meat isn’t a requirement for an absolutely amazing end result, it DOES add more flavor into the beef itself. Think of doing this extra step as an extra flavor bomb. My suggestion is to simply make the marinade, pour it over the beef in the freezer bag and pop it in the fridge just before bed. Then, by dinner (or lunch) time the next day, simply dump the meat and marinade into the pot to cook and it’s done!
Chuck roast cooks down and 3 pounds of meat will feed four hearty appetites. If you wish to double to 6 pounds, go for it! Same cook time but only add an additional half of the amount of the marinade ingredients, not double. It makes a ton as is once the meat cooks and releases its own juices into the sauce!
While I listed my favorite topping, you can top this taco however you wish. Or forget the taco and serve over nachos or over a salad! The beef itself is the star!
Mark Dobson
This recipe has become a go to recipe at our home.
The recipe is easy to follow, and the flavor is AMAZING!
I’ve been told my Korean BBQ is better than at a Korean BBQ restaurant! Thanks Jeffrey!
Jeffrey
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
RicoKeto
A new family favorite. We loved these. Made and dressed with the kimchi, siracha mayo, and peanuts. I skipped the tortillas on mine and wrapped my taco in the whole Napa cabbage Kimchi leaves to reduce the carbs. So good!
Jeffrey
Wonderful!!!
Dee Dee
Holy tacos Batman! We had these last night and they were amazing! I marinated the meat and added a blob or two of gochugang paste for a little extra kick and used an Asian pear because I was feeling fancy. I also made the sriracha mayo and put some of my Asian cucumber salad on it and the surprise crunch of the peanuts. Who knew? Wrapped it all in a low carb tortilla. All those flavors together were perfection. My husband was stationed in Korea as a Marine and grew to love Korean food. He had 3 helpings. If you haven’t tried this, what are you waiting for???
Jeffrey
Wow! What an amazing comment. Thanks so much for sharing, Dee Dee!
Helen Williams
I have made so many of your recipes, and they have all been so tasty. But with this one, Jeffrey, you’ve seriously hit it out of the park. So, so good. And so versatile. And it couldn’t be easier to throw together.
Rob Sinatra
Thank you for this recipe, Jeffrey! We’ve made it a few times and have absolutely loved it each time! However, we are shifting to a diet restricting our red meat intake, so wondering if this can be done with chicken instead? I would imagine the marinade would stay the same, but I don’t think I’d need to cook it as long, for fear of drying out the chicken. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Car ol
Don’t have inst pot can I cook wrapped in foil in 275 or 300 oven for 4 hours?
Susan Mirus
Any clue about the sodium content? My husband is on a low sodium diet, but this sounds wonderful!
Jennifer Lee
Boyfriend is Celiac and has to be gluten free. Hoisan sauce is typically NOT gluten free (the Hoisan Sauce there is a link for in the recipe contains wheat flour!) but you can find GF varieties. Always check your labels for wheat flour, soy sauce (many brands ADD gluten to their soy sauce) or gluten protein on the ingredients list, or look for certified GF stamp!
Melissa
Thank you Jeffrey! I love all of your recipes- you’ve made me a dinner time goddess. I am thrilled for all of your much deserved success and can’t wait for your new cookbook! Oh and this recipe was amazing! Hubby and I went for Korean version, kiddo went Korean by way of Mexico with trad toppings. All enjoyed immensely.
Marguerite
I love this recipe (all your recipes really!!) and plan to make it for a crowd. I have an 8 qt instant pot. Do you think I can double this recipe? Should I change cook time? Or better to do two batches?
Steve
Fantastic!!! I personally skip the mayo. I put out a bowl of Kimchi and another bowl of Daikon and Carrot Salad. Some folks like using Kimchi. Others like using the salad to make their burritos. It is a winner either way.
Jeffrey
Fab!
Becky
These were out of this world, amazing!! I didn’t actually marinate the beef for longer than about 20 mins as I rushed out and bought the ingredients without reading that it would need a night in the fridge. BUT, to be honest I’m not sure it’s essential. My boyfriend ate so many he couldn’t move, and actually would not stop saying how good they were. I’ll marinate overnight next time and see what difference it makes. Thanks Jeff!
Jeffrey
I’m so happy you enjoyed!!