These. Tacos. Are. Life.
They are so life that I used the periods-after-each-word trick right up there to really make you understand. Had to. Desperate times, desperate measures, all that stuff. You HAVE to understand the beauty of this combination:
- tender, fall-apart, juicy, flavorful meat (this from a veg-lover, okay? so please just realize that I do not often praise meat like this)
- bendy, pillow-soft flour tortillas, because we’re going for a total food truck vibe here
- kimchi, which is spicy fermented cabbage that sounds 100% awful but is, in fact, delicious
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- spicy mayooooo and don’t even go middle school on me with the “I don’t like mayo” thing. these tacos require mayo.
This beef – this gingery, garlicky, flavor-loaded beef – is kind of a workhorse around here. It has shown up in many of my recipes: Korean BBQ Burrito, Korean BBQ Steak Salad Bowls, Korean BBQ Yum Yum Rice Bowls… and now, look. Here it is again. I kind of hope it never leaves.
Basically what has happened is me saying “I need to eat that Korean style beef again” + “I have an Instant Pot now” and then *poof*! This recipe.
Guys, I have mixed feelings about the Instant Pot. Mostly because I don’t like telling you that you need to buy something when I think you probably don’t need it. You probably already have a ton of unused appliances in your kitchen and I would be adding to that long list. That stresses me out.
On the other hand, YOU KINDA NEED IT. It can cook your meat in less than an hour. Wait though: it can cook your meat in less than an hour!! You don’t have to plan ahead. Dinners will be rescued, souls will be saved. I dunno, it’s up to you. A slow cooker would work. A pan on the stove would work. Instructions for both are in the recipe.
But still. Think about that hour. You might kinda need it.
How To Make Our Korean Beef Tacos (1 MIN):
This is kimchi. Are you guys on that bandwagon? Or are you closing your browser window?
Annnnd juicy beef. Ready in an hour. Did I say that already?
I honestly do not rave about meat recipes. That’s just not my jam.
But this is a meat recipe I am raving about. I adore it. I think you will love it.
Buy some quality meat, legit kimchi, and extra fluffy tortillas. You are about to operate a standard FOOD TRUCK SERVICE out of your house. For yourself. Singularly you. Sweatpants-wearing, top-knot-rocking you.
Tacos are the best. Have fun. XO
PS. I adore this video. It’s where I got the inspiration for this Korean style beef recipe way back when I made it the first time. ♡
Instant Pot Korean Beef Tacos
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Food truck fusion-style tacos, straight outta the Instant Pot! Flavorful garlic and ginger beef gets tucked into flour tortillas with kimchi, cilantro, peanuts, and spicy mayo. Oooo-ee!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Korean Beef:
- 1 14–ounce can pears, drained (fresh pears work, too)
- 1 two-inch knob of fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 lbs. top sirloin (see notes)
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- kimchi !!!! or slaw of some sort
- sriracha mayo or yum yum sauce
- flour tortillas
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Pulse pears, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar until mostly smooth. Reserve half for later use (see notes).
- Cook the meat: Trim any fat off the meat and cut into a few large chunks (it will shred, but cutting the meat helps it cook faster). Place in an Instant Pot and cover with half of the sauce. Cook on high pressure (manual) for 45 minutes. Release steam and shred the meat in the Instant Pot with two forks.
- Tacos: Fill each tortilla with beef, cilantro, peanuts, kimchi, and spicy mayo. Oh.My.Gosh. It’s so good.
Notes
Slow Cooker: If you want to make this in the slow cooker, follow the same directions but cook the meat on high for 3-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
Stovetop: If you want to make this on the stovetop, I recommend slicing the meat thinly and following these directions for super quick and yummy beef.
Cuts of Meat: Chuck roast can work, but I found that even with some trimming, it still had too much fat for my liking. Top sirloin is a little more spendy, but I love it in this recipe because there is less fat to work around and you really just get the awesomeness of the beef.
Marinating: If you have time to marinate the meat, DO IT. It really enhances the flavor of the meat to let it all kinda hang out together with the sauce for a while. If you don’t have time, no biggie. I usually don’t have time either, and I’d still give it 5/5 for flavor.
As written, you’ll have double the sauce you need! So save the remaining sauce (fridge or freezer) for a super fast and easy Round Two of your Korean Beef Tacos. LUCKYYYY.
Freezer Meal Version
- Blend into a sauce:
1 15-ounce can pears, drained (or 2 fresh pears, cored)
a 2-inch knob of ginger
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil - Freeze sauce with:
2 lbs beef chuck or top sirloin, cut into 4 pieces - Instant Pot Instructions: For beef chuck: From frozen, 65 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes nature release. For top sirloin: From frozen, 45 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes nature release.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: High setting 6 hours (thaw first)
- Final Step: Serve in rice bowls or fusion-style burritos or tacos with kimchi, rice, slaw, spicy mayo, etc.
- Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Korean-Inspired
Keywords: korean tacos, korean beef tacos, beef tacos
View freezer meal version of this recipe here.
You might also like our full freezer meals post.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best taco recipes. Check it out!