Korean Tacos

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Jamie.  These tacos are filled with sweet, spicy tender Korean-style beef and tangy cucumber slaw. It makes a big batch, so I usually make half a recipe. The meat is cooked in a crock pot, so it can easily be made a day ahead and then rewarmed and served in the tacos with the other ingredients.

Ingredients for the Korean beef

5 pounds beef short ribs (or chuck roast)
1 (10 ounce) bottle low sodium soy sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 minced cloves of garlic
4 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon sriracha sauce
1 cup water

Ingredients for the Cucumber slaw

1 seedless cucumber
Thinly sliced red onion (1/2 to one onion according to your taste preference)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
Crushed red pepper to taste

For the tacos

16 small whole wheat tacos
Cilantro
Bean sprouts
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Sriracha sauce

Instructions

To make the cucumber slaw, slice the cucumber very thinly and sprinkle with salt. Place in a colander and let sit for up to an hour over a bowl.
Shake additional water from the colander and pat cucumbers with paper towels.
Transfer to a bowl and toss with red onions, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Note that the cucumbers get less and less crunchy as they sit. Drain off any accumulated liquid before serving.

To make the Korean beef, spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Whisk together all remaining ingredients. Pour over the ribs.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid and skim the fat from the top. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce liquid by about half.
Remove meat from bones and shred.
Pour reduced liquid over meat.

To assemble, served shredded meat on warmed tortillas topped with a spoon of cucumber slaw, cilantro, bean sprouts, sriracha and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.