'Sizzling' slow cooker beef dish that always goes viral

My family calls it the “look-at-me meal”.

You know the one, when you’re at the Chinese restaurant and the diners all go quiet as the waiter makes their way to your table with a sizzling hot plate heaped with tender beef in a dark sauce.

Everyone else feels a bit of regret as the aroma wafts around the room, as they look at you and think: “Oh yes, I should have ordered that…”

But that’s the nature of look-at-me sizzling Mongolian beef.

It’s probably the same reason that this slow cooker version goes viral every winter, as once one person makes this crave-worthy dish, everyone needs to give it a try.

Normally this classic sweet and savoury dish is found at restaurants, but this clever version takes those flavours and turns it into a slow cooker wonder that is easy and delicious.

This recipe for slow cooker sizzling Mongolian beef, by Best Recipes contributor Greer Worsley, is quick (for a slow cooker recipe!) and super easy, making it an essential winter staple.

Credit: Tiggy81

History of Mongolian beef

The truth is, the origins of Mongolian beef aren’t actually anything to do with the country of Mongolia.

There are a few theories of where exactly the dish originated, but it was likely either Taiwan or America, and was popularised as an “exotic” dish, hence the Mongolian name.

Actual Mongolian cuisine is very meat and dairy heavy, and doesn’t feature soy sauce or stir-fries.

What makes this recipe for slow cooker sizzling Mongolian beef unique?

It’s the sweet and savoury thick sauce, which turns sticky and moreish during its time in the slow cooker.

While we know and love this as a restaurant dish, it’s nice to enjoy the umami-rich flavours at home during winter.

Plus, using a budget cut of beef with some clever tricks means this easy meal is also easy on the wallet.

How does the beef get tender?

There’s a few hacks on how to get tender beef in this simple meal.

First, the slow cooker is a magic tool for turning tough cuts of meat into succulent bites.

It’s because the low and slow cooking technique turns the tough connective tissue (called collagen) in the meat into gelatin, which is soft and delicious.

Plus, to mimic the classic dish, we cut the steak into thin slices before cooking. It’s important to cut the steak against the grain, meaning that you find the line of fibres running through the meat and make sure your knife cuts through the fibres instead of parallel with them.

As the beef is cut thin, the cooking time for this dish is shorter than some slow cooker recipes, meaning that the hands-off meal is ready in less time.