Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

By jbrockel

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1.5 - 1.75 pound "stir fry" beef (little strips) seasoned with salt and pepper.
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
• 2-3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• Bag of fresh broccoli florets
• Additional veggies I added:
• A handful of baby carrots
• A can of water chestnuts, drained
• Half of an onion, cut into thin strips
• Red and yellow pepper strips

Details

Adapted from menumusings.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Season the beef strips with salt and pepper and add to the crock pot.
In retrospect, if you are using this thin sirloin, consider cutting it a little larger than you want the pieces to be at the end. The sirloin tends to shred more easily than the beef labeled "stir fry beef," which is likely to be skirt or flank steak. The "stir fry beef" holds together a little better. That said, my kids said they didn't care if it shredded in the end - because it was so tender and flavorful.

Today, there was no "stir fry" beef, so I went with the thin cut Sirloin Steak, which I cut into strips.


kosher salt


black pepper
Mix the sauce ingredients:

1 cup beef broth


1/2 cup soy sauce


1/2 cup brown sugar


2 tsp sesame oil


3 cloves of garlic, minced


2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar


2 - 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
Pour the sauce over beef. Mix the sauce with the beef so that each strip of meat is coated.

Pour sauce over beef.


Stir to ensure all the beef is coated and separate.

Oops... forgot the Sriracha!

1 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
I did add the additional vegetables to the dish. I love the different colors and textures all together, not to mention all the extra nutrition and yum factor! If you are interested in doing it this way, add the onion strips and baby carrots at the beginning for the entire cooking time.

Add in the "hard" veggies that will stand up to hours of cooking - onion slices and baby carrots.

a handful of sliced onions


a handful of baby carrots, whole
Today, I am doing the dish on HI for 4 hours.


Add the drained water chestnuts and broccoli (along with the slurry of cornstarch and gravy - or flour and cold water), in the last 30 minute cooking segment. Remember, the cornstarch needs to come to a boil to do its job as a thickener, so mix - lid on - no peeking - hi for 30!