My recipe for Ginger Soy Braised Beef is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food dinner! Chunks of tender beef chuck simmer low and slow in a sweet & savory soy-based broth with loads of aromatics like ginger, garlic, and scallions.
Once the beef is fall-apart tender, serve it up over fluffy steamed rice with my zesty cilantro salsa verde and dinner is served!
Table of Contents
Your New Favorite Method for Cooking Beef: Braising!
As soon as the temperatures dip, I am so happy to be reunited with my favorite piece of cooking equipment: my dutch oven! All of my favorite cozy meals, like my red wine braised short ribs or my mom’s classic pot roast, are made in a dutch oven. And as much as I love a classic braised beef dish, sometimes I love to mix things up with Asian flavors.
So what exactly is braising? While this may sound like an intimidating cooking term, it’s actually so straight forward and mostly hands-off! Braising is a combination cooking technique that features both wet and dry heat. First, you sear beef chuck for flavor and color and then you add liquid to the pot and transfer the covered pot to the oven. In the oven, the beef cooks slowly at a lower temperature.
The resulting braised beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender! And I love this technique so much, I literally wrote the book on it! It’s truly the ultimate technique for cozy weather cooking.
Helpful Cooking Tools
Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Beef. I personally love using well-marbled beef chuck roast because it’s affordable and full of flavor! You could also make this recipe with beef short ribs or even pork shoulder.
- Aromatics. This recipe is all about the fragrant aromatics like ginger, garlic, orange zest, and scallions.
- Soy sauce. You can use any brand here. You could also swap in low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Beef stock. Any stock will work here, but the flavor that beef stock adds is the best.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds some sweetness and balance to the beef. You could swap in honey, but I would only use half the amount.
- Miso paste. Miso adds a deep umami flavor to the beef that is SO good. I recommend using a white or yellow miso paste as the flavor is milder.
- Sake. You could also swap in mirin here.
How to Make Ginger Soy Braised Beef
- Sear the beef and aromatics. Take your time here! Getting the beef browned all over builds the base of flavor that really takes this recipe to the next level. Don’t forget to give your aromatics some time in the pan!
Jenny’s Tip: Whenever I’m searing beef, I always work in batches. If you overcrowd the pot, the beef releases water before it ever gets browned. Depending on the amount of beef I’m working with, I plan to sear in at least 2 batches.
- Whisk together the braising liquid. Because we’re using brown sugar, be sure to whisk until all the sugar is dissolved otherwise it could burn in the oven.
- Braise until the beef is tender. While I give estimated cooking times, braising is really an exercise in cooking by visual cues. The shape or depth of your dutch oven might be different to mine, your oven might run hotter or cooler. Plan to check on your braise half-way through–if it looks dry, add liquid. If the meat looks too dark, lower the temp a bit. When it’s finished, it should shred easily with a fork.
- Finish the sauce. Discard the aromatics and stir a little cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer it for a few minutes. This makes the glossiest sauce that perfectly coats the beef!
- Make the cilantro salsa verde. This little sauce is so easy to make but it adds incredible fresh flavor to a meaty braise. You just mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and it’s done! The sauce gets better as it sits, so I like to mix it together about an hour before I plan to eat.
Stovetop & Slow-Cooker Instructions
Sometimes you need an easy set-it and forget-it dinner! Ginger soy braised beef is easy to adapt to the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker: Sear the beef and aromatics in a separate pot, then transfer them to the slow cooker. Whisk together the sauce and pour it over the top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the pork is very tender. At the end, season to taste with salt and pepper as needed. The sauce will be thinner, so you may want to strain out the aromatics, transfer it to a small pot, and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry.
Stovetop: Instead of transferring the beef to the oven to braise, simply simmer it covered on low heat for 2-2 1/2 hours. Then, crack the lid and continue to simmer until the beef is tender and easily shredded. Discard the aromatics, then simmer the sauce with a cornstarch slurry until slightly thickened.
My Favorite Way to Serve Ginger Soy Braised Beef
This ginger soy braised beef is saucy and just begging to be served over some fluffy jasmine rice or rice noodles to soak everything up! You could even serve it over a really flavorful fried rice. I love serving a heavier meat dish with something green on the side like seared bok choy, green beans, or sautéed snap peas.
My gochujang cucumber salad is so perfect on the side! Having a cool, crunchy side dish is definitely the play here to balance out the rich beef.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Braised Beef Recipes to Try
French Onion Braised Beef
Coconut Braised Beef
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
Braised Beef Ragu
Winter Veggie Beef Stew
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Meltingly Tender Ginger & Soy Braised Beef
Ingredients
Braised Beef
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 3.5 lbs well-marbled beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 4 scallions, roughly chopped
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 2 inch piece of ginger, sliced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 2 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Cilantro Salsa Verde
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup minced cilantro
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
- 1/2 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 serrano, seeds removed, finely minced
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Juice of 1 orange
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 325 F.
- Sear the beef. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Pat the beef pieces dry with a paper towel and season liberally all over with salt and pepper. Arrange the beef pieces in a single layer and sear the beef for 4-5 minutes per side until it’s deeply browned. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer the beef to a plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat.
- Make the braising liquid. Add the sliced ginger, scallions, and garlic to the pot and let them brown in the oil for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, beef stock, miso, brown sugar, sake, and orange zest together in a large measuring cup until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the braising liquid into the pot and bring to a gentle simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Braise. Return the beef to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover, and transfer to the oven to braise for 3 – 3 1/2 hours (start checking for doneness at 2 1/2 hours). If the liquid is evaporating too quickly, simply add a bit more beef stock to the pot.
- Make the salsa verde. While the beef braises, combine the cilantro, scallion, shallot, serrano, garlic, oil, and orange juice together and season with salt and pepper. The sauce gets better as it sits, so I like to make it about an hour before we eat.
- Finish the beef. Once the beef is tender and easily shredded with a fork, remove the pot from the oven and let the beef rest in the juices for 15 minutes. Then, transfer the beef to a large bowl. Discard the ginger, garlic, and scallion pieces, and skim off as much of the fat on the surface as possible. Whisk in the cornstarch and water slurry and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes. Toss the beef in the sauce once more and then serve right away over rice with the herby sauce on top.
Nutrition
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