Slow Cooker Kimchi Sloppy Joes

📝Shopping list

To make this Korean-inspired dish, you will need these simple ingredients that are available in any local grocery store.  

• extra lean beef* 96% lean or greater
• tomato paste
• green onions sliced
• gochujang sauce
• sesame oil
• fish sauce
• rice vinegar
• garlic minced or grated
• ginger ground or grated
• kimchi 

🔪Instructions

This Korean sloppy Joes recipe involves just a few simple steps:

Preparing your slow cooker

Prepare your slow cooker by coating it with a non-stick agent.  Any nonstick cooking spray or oil will work. Olive oil and avocado oil are my go-to coatings. 

 NOTE: some slow cooker inserts come with a nonstick surface.  Use of a non-stick agent is still suggested. However, oil is sometimes recommended rather than spray to protect the longevity of the non-stick surface.  Check your slow cooker's manual if you have any concerns. 

Alternatively, you can choose to use a slow cooker liner.  

Cooking

• 🥬 Place an uncooked, extra-lean pound of ground beef into the bottom of your slow cooker.  Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to break, it apart.
• 🥬 Add all remaining ingredients (but only half of the kimchi) into your slow cooker.
• 🥬 Mix well to fully incorporate all ingredients.
• 🥬 Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  
• 🥬 Stir in remaining kimchi and fully mix again.  
• 🥬 Enjoy!

🍽Serving suggestions

• Just like traditional sloppy Joes, this dish can be messy!  It is great served sandwich style in brioche rolls, hamburger buns, or ciabatta-style rolls.  (Brioche is my favorite!). 
• Get creative with the sandwich toppings.  Pickles, coleslaw, lettuce, and marinated red onion are just some of the great toppings with this Korean food inspired dish!
• Not in the mood for a sandwich?  This amazing Asian sloppy joe is great served over white rice, in lettuce cups, or over riced cauliflower
• You will love this sloppy joe mixture served next to potato chips, corn tortillas, Mexican street corn, and quinoa. 

🔁Substitutions*

• replace fish sauce with soy sauce for a different flavor profile.
• To make this dish with a higher fat beef brown beef before add to your slow cooker.  This will allow you to drain off all of the fat.  If you cook raw, higher fat content beef directly with the other ingredients, the final product will be greasy.  
• Looking to spice things up, add extra Korean red chili paste and top with your favorite hot sauces.  
• Not a sloppy Joe fan?  Try these other Korean dishes (well, Korean-inspired!) Bang-Bang chicken, Spicy Korean Drumsticks, or Beef Bulgogoi.

😉Hints & hacks

1. Serving a crowd? You can easily double this slow cooker kimchi concoction by exactly doubling all ingredients. The hours of cooking may need to be increased slightly, but not doubled.
2. We love making this dish on nights when everyone is eating at different times. Just turn your crockpot down to the warm setting after cooking. Each family member can have a warm and wonderful meal on their own schedule.  
3. This is one of our non-traditional favorite slow cooker recipes to serve on game days. Our whole family likes to scoop it right out of the slow cooker with corn or tortilla chips.
4. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
5. Store leftovers of your sloppy Joe mixture in individual serving-size containers for an easy weeknight dinner or lunch.
6. In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
7. Don't forget to turn on (and plug-in!) your slow cooker!!