10ouncesroot vegetablesparsnip, celery root, burdock root, turnip, and/or Korean radish
1medium carrot
1/2medium onion
2scallions
8plump garlic cloves
3 to 4thin ginger slicesabout 1-inch round
4dried shiitake mushroomsor any other dried mushrooms, broken up into 2 to 3 pieces
4small dried red chili peppersor 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers - optional
Sauce
⅓cupsoy sauce
1/4cuprice wineor dry white wine
2tablespoonsapricot preserveor honey - see note
1tablespoonsugar
pepper to taste
salt
1tablespoonsesame oil
Garnish
1scallionroughly chopped
Instructions
Rinse the meat. Drain well or pat dry with paper towels. Cut the meat into about 2-inch chunks. Prepare the vegetables by cutting into about 1-1/2-inch chunks.
Place the meat and vegetables in the slow cooker. Mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, apricot preserve (or honey), sugar and pepper in a small bowl, and pour over the meat and vegetables. Toss everything to coat with the sauce. Cover, and cook for about 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. Flip the meat over midway through the process, if you’re home. Adjust the cooking time, depending on how tender you want your meat to be.
If necessary, sprinkle with a pinch (or two) of salt, and add more sugar or honey to taste. Stir in the scallions and sesame oil before turning the slow cooker off.
Remove the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker to a large serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the meat to serve. You can run the sauce through a strainer for a clearer sauce if you’d like.
Notes
If you want to use Korean pear, skip apricot jam. Use 1/2 of a medium size pear by cutting into chunks. Use the same amount of honey and sugar in the recipe for sweetness.