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Sticky, spicy Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice. Enjoy on nights when you’re craving your favorite bowl of sticky Thai-style beef, but don’t feel like doing carry-out. Tender beef short ribs are slow-cooked in a spicy chili sauce until the beef is caramelized around the edges and falling off the bone. Shred the meat and serve it over steamy coconut rice. Add fresh cilantro, green onions, salty peanuts, and sesame seeds. Each bowl is spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty. All cooked in one pot – either in the crockpot or on the stove. An almost effortless slow-cooked dinner!
It’s that time of year when I crank out all my favorite slow-cooked meals. One of the reasons I love cozy fall cooking so much is that they’re simple and easy. And allowing something to slow cook all day long usually leaves your kitchen smelling incredible. Your home just gives off cozy vibes.
Short ribs are always a favorite in our house. I love slow-cooking them in the fall and winter. One of my favorite dishes to date is my French onion braised short ribs. I also loved last year’s short rib ramen.
Short ribs are amazing because as long as you cook them slowly, they almost always turn out tender and delicious. By the time they finish cooking, they should be falling off the bone and shred easily.
For today’s recipe, I used one of my favorite sauces and then added sweet pomegranate juice to create a delicious spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty beef.
These turned out so perfectly and the whole family loved the beef, especially with the creamy coconut jasmine rice.
Details
Step 1: start the ribs
This process could not be easier. Use your crockpot or your Dutch oven, it really doesn’t matter much. I actually use a cast iron braiser, I think it cooks the meat perfectly.
Add everything to the crockpot/pot, no searing, no pre-cooking. Nothing like that. Just add the beef short ribs, black pepper, shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Then pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari/soy sauce, and Thai chili sauce.
Cover the pot, and let the crockpot or oven work their magic. I skipped searing the ribs because I knew they would caramelize naturally in the spicy sweet chili sauce. By the time I uncovered my pot, the ribs were perfect, caramelized, and falling off the bone.
Step 2: make the coconut rice
About 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve, make the rice. This is one of my favorite rice recipes.
Mix dry jasmine rice with a can of coconut milk, bone broth, and a couple of tablespoons of ghee or butter. Bring to a boil, stir, then cover and let the rice cook until fluffy. My rice takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Don’t open the pot to check it while cooking!
Step 3: the toppings
You’ll need fresh toppings for this beef. I make an herb mix with cilantro, green onions, roasted peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds. I didn’t do this, but you could also add a squeeze of lime juice. That would be so delish!
Then if you’d like, toss in some pomegranate arils. I always do this if pomegranates are in season!
Step 4: shred the ribs
Shred the ribs and toss with the sticky sauce. If you notice a lot of grease on top of the sauce, do your best to drain that away before you toss the ribs.
Then serve the ribs and sauce over coconut rice with that fresh herb mix. Cozy, but fresh all at the same time. And most importantly, so darn yummy!! We just love the spicy, sweet, and tangy ribs. And the coconut rice rounds out a perfect, hands-off dinner.
Looking for more easy dinners? Here are a few to try for fall:
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup.
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic
Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Lastly, if you make these Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Thai Short Ribs with Coconut Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 650 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- black pepper
- 4 shallots, halved
- 2 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 1-3 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/3 cup Thai chili sauce (homemade in notes)
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds, optional
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of the crockpot, season the short ribs with pepper. Add the shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari, and chili sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.2. Shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs into the sauce. Keep warm.3. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Add the pomegranate arils, if using. 4. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with herbs/peanuts.
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. 2. In a large, oven-safe brasier, season the short ribs with pepper. Add the shallots, ginger, and Chinese 5 spice. Pour over the pomegranate juice, tamari, and chili sauce. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone.2. Shred the ribs and discard the bones. Drain any excess grease away from the sauce. Toss the ribs in the sauce. Keep warm.3. In a bowl, mix the cilantro, green onions, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Add the pomegranate arils, if using. 4. Serve the ribs and sauce over rice. Top with herbs/peanuts.
Notes
Coconut Rice: Combine 1 (14 ounce) can of coconut milk, 3/4 cup bone broth or water, and 2 tablespoons ghee or butter in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 2 cups of jasmine rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1-2 tablespoons chili sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 clove grated garlic in a glass jar. Shake or stir well. Use as directed.
This recipe sounds amazing! To save time I’m thinking of making it in my instant pot. Any suggestions/ do you think it’ll work? Thanks!
Hey Brooklyn! I haven’t ever tried that before but that should be fine! xT
Hi! So excited to be making this 🙂 Just to confirm based off the comments – is using a store bought Thai chilli sauce a substitute for the homemade one in your notes? As in, can I use a store bought one instead of making the homemade version? Thanks!
Hi! Yes you can definitely use a store bought version instead of homemade! xT
After reading the comments and the recipe, I thought that using Trader Joe’s That chili sauce meant that I didn’t need to use the recipe included here. Wrong! The meat was tender but bland, and not at all caramelized. So, I stirred in some chili garlic sauce, ketchup and honey, and put it back in the oven with the lid off for about 30 minutes. That helped, but it would have been much better to have known I needed to use the recipe from the start.
Hey Leslie! Thanks for the feedback. of this recipe, I appreciate it! So sorry if this recipe didn’t live up to your expectations! xT
I’d love to make the coconut rice in the instant pot – any tips?
Hey Kelly! I haven’t ever tried to make it in the Instant Pot! So sorry 🙂 xT
Hi, I’d like to serve this for X-Mas Eve. How far in advance can I make it and keep it refrigerated? Or, would it still be good if I froze it? I am having surgery 12/21 and I’m trying to figure out how to entertain my family at a high level with limited mobility. Thank you! Sarah
Hi Sarah! I am so sorry I haven’t ever frozen this! This should be fine for 3-4 days if made ahead and refrigerated! Best of luck with your surgery 🙂 xT
I have frozen this and it came out perfect.
Freeze after shredding, when re warming allow to defrost, spread out on cookie sheet and put under a medium broiler to heat / get some charred bits of meat. I add butter during this step to keep the meat moist, or you could use the sauce if you froze it with the meat.
Honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
Great recipe! Might add a little salt to the short ribs when seasoning with pepper next time. Overall a hit!
Thanks sooo much! Love to hear that this recipe was a success! xT
Looking forward to making this! Quick question, which chili sauce do you use for the homemade sweet Thai chili sauce?
Hi Elizabeth! The recipe is just underneath the coconut rice recipe in the notes! xT
Hi,
I wanted to make the homemade Thai chili sauce. In the notes you say 1-2 tablespoon chili sauce. What kind are you referring to?
I’m guessing not Thai chili sauce since that’s what we are trying to make. Can you specify what kind? Thanks!
Hi Monica,
You will want to use something like sriracha! I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Question? Should the liquid be covering the Short Ribs?
Hi Sue,
No, the short ribs will not be fully submerged. Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this recipe! xx
I really loved the flavour of this dish and would make it again however, I had issues with the cooking of the meat. I did it in Dutch Oven as per recipe, but my short ribs ended up very tough more like well done chunks of steak than a shreddable texture. What do you think could have gone wrong? I cooked it for 2.5 -3 hours at 325 F. Also I made your homemade Tai chili sauce which is delicious, however the end result of the sauce in the dutch oven was more liquid than sticky. Do you recommend removing the top of the dutch oven so the sauce reduces and the sauce gets sticky and ribs caramelized? Any help would be greatly appreciated, would love to make it again but with better texture results. Thank you!
Hi Ari,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so sorry to hear they were tough for you! Sounds like they were over-cooked some how…maybe just 2 hours would have worked better for you. Sure, you could remove the lid, that would help to thicken it! xx
Oh my gosh this was sooooo good!
The flavor was so amazing and the coconut milk rice went so well with it! I need to figure out why my short rib didn’t get very tender…. I must have done Dow thing wrong but really amazing dish! I’ll try again soon! Thank you for the recipe !
Hey Sachi,
Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
Love, love, love this recipe. Just made it tonight for the family (husband, daughter 7, mother in-law, brother/sister in-law and nieces 9/5). All devoured their plates. For those that wanted spiny either added red pepper flakes or Sriracha. This portion was perfect for all of us we didn’t have any left overs.
I WILL be making this again.
Hey Shelly,
Wonderful!! I am so glad that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a go! xx
The Rice would not cook. I ended up cooking the rice for an hour and it’s still not cooked. I also thought the meet was really fatty. I would have preferred a less fatty meat. Not my favorite
Hi Jesika,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. What kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xx
I made this in my Dutch oven but made some tweaks. I used a chuck roast instead of ribs. Seared the outside with the mentioned spices and added in the other ingredients. I subbed chili paste for the thai chili sauce because I like spicy. PERFECTION! Rice came out great and helped balance flavor. Really loved it! Thanks Tieghan
Hey Miranda,
Love to hear that this recipe was delish! Thanks for making it and your feedback! Have a great weekend!🍁🍃
Hi!
I’ve already purchased short ribs but not bone in :-/
Are there adjustments I should make to the recipe with this difference?
Hi Christa,
It should be just fine for you to follow the recipe as written:) Let me know how this dish turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx