Instant Pot Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

hand holding a Korean Beef lettuce wrap

Delicious, flavorful beef on a weeknight is possible with this easy, craveable,crunchy Instant Pot Korean Beef recipe. Fill bowls, tacos, salads, lettuce or cabbage leaves.

Raise your hand if you liked your mom’s pot roast?🙋‍♀️

Pot roast recipe to love

The tender, succulent meat that usually came with carrots and potatoes, and cooked for hours in the oven. This was how she made less expensive cuts of meat delicious and fork tender. This is how the house filled with the rich aroma of someone cooking. This made condensation on the windows. This is what you want when you think of home… like Old Fashioned Beef Stroganoff

Except. I changed all that.

4 Korean Beef lettuce wraps on a plate

Look at the texture crunchy carrots, tender meat and crisp lettuce!

A new pot roast recipe

I didn’t have 3 hours and I wanted the rich flavor and tenderness but in a sweet and spicy wrap with fresh, crunchy lettuce. I made this beef in the Instant Pot. It really is a time saver for less tender cuts of meat. Don’t have an Instant Pot? No worries, you can still have Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps by cooking the roast in the oven. See the note at the end of the recipe.

What is braising?

Your home-town pot roast was likely braised. Braising, a gentle cooking process, breaks down tough connective fibers. It turns less-tender cuts of meat into fork tender bites in a two-step process. Browning the food, then cooking in a tightly covered pan with liquid, low and slow. Braising can be done on the stove or in the oven and is not limited to meat. But the Instant Pot and slow cooker also turn tough to tender.

Here’s a Texas Chile braised on the stove.

How to cook Korean Beef

The ingredients

  • 3–4 pounds chuck or rump roast
  • dried red Chile flakes, smoked paprika, can use regular paprika
  • onion
  • apple
  • garlic, fresh ginger
  • beef broth
  • gochujang, Siracha or Thai chile paste
  • soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil
  • Red cabbage, Bibb lettuce or green lettuce leaves
    TOPPINGS (Use what you like)
  • shredded carrots
  • shredded cabbage
  • chopped cucumber
  • chopped peanuts
  • kimchi
  • pickled onions

Korean Beef is a great make-ahead recipe. I think the flavor is even better on Day 2, but the beef filling keeps up to 4 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it airtight up to 3 months.

Let’s get to cooking. To start, wash your hands. Take a moment to relax with the warm water, slippery soap, aroma of the soap. This is a way to hit the Pause button before we really begin cooking.

Lay the roast on cutting board or sheet pan and pat it dry with paper towels. This helps get a good sear and develops flavor. Stir together a few of the spices and rub all over the roast for even more flavor.

Add oil to Instant Pot, then brown for 2-3 minutes, flip meat to brown other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove meat to sheet pan.

The other ingredients are added to the pot and then the meat is cooked for an hour or so in the Instant Pot. When the meat is cooked and tender, remove it from pot, place on clean cutting board, shred the meat with 2 forks, or slice thinly with knife. Return meat to pot and stir into sauce.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons shredded beef in center of cabbage, sprinkle whatever toppings you choose, fold into a taco. The serve on some colorful plates!

To braise in the oven: Heat a Dutch oven pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add all the oil, brown the seasoned meat. Stir in the spices and other ingredients, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, bring to a boil. Cover pan, place in oven and bake at 325°F for 2-1/4 to 3 hours. You’ll know it’s done when the meat is fork-tender.

Instant pot filled with Korean Beef

Beef is tender and flavorful after 60 minutes in Instant Pot

Korean Beef Lettuce Wrap toppings

Choose your favorite crunch or use what you have on hand.

  • shredded carrots
  • shredded cabbage
  • chopped cucumber
  • chopped peanuts
  • kimchi
  • pickled onions

Korean Beef gives you that cozy, home-cooked aroma will hit you as soon as you open the Instant Pot. I think mom would approve.

A few more Instant Pot recipes:

  1. Instant Pot Apple Pumpkin Butter
  2. Instant Pot Chicken Mole
  3. Instant Pot Chicken Jambalaya
  4. Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu
  5. Instant Pot Curried Egg Salad

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pinterest image of hand held Korean beef lettuce wrap

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Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

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Korean Beef is a great make-ahead recipe. I think the flavor is even better on Day 2, but the beef filling keeps up to 4 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it airtight up to 3 months.

  • Author: Judy Barbe
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Instant Pot, Braising
  • Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Ingredients

Scale
  • 34 pounds chuck or rump roast
  • 12 tablespoons dried red chile flakes (if you like spicy heat, use 2 T)
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, can use regular paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, (about a 2-inch piece), peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • ¼ cup gochujang, Siracha or Thai chile paste
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • Red cabbage, Bibb lettuce or green lettuce leaves
  • Toppings (choose what you like)
  • shredded carrots,
  • shredded cabbage
  • chopped cucumber
  • chopped peanuts
  • kimchi
  • pickled onions

Instructions

  • Wash your hands before cooking. Lay roast on cutting board or sheet pan. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Stir together chile flakes, paprika, salt and pepper then sprinkle on and rub over roast.
  • Add 2 teaspoons oil to Instant Pot, push Saute. Using tongs, add meat, cook 2-3 minutes to brown, flip meat to brown other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove meat to sheet pan.
  • Add 1 teaspoon oil, onion and apple to Instant Pot, cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute. Add beef broth, gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Stir to combine. Add roast. Put on the cover, close vent, press Manual, cook 60 minutes, release vent. Remove cover, meat should be fork tender and easily shred.  If not, reseal, close vent, press Manual, cook 10 -15 minutes more.
  • When meat is cooked and tender, remove from pot, place on clean cutting board, shred the meat with 2 forks, or slice thinly with knife. Return meat to pot and stir into sauce.
  • Rinse and pat dry cabbage or lettuce leaves. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons shredded beef in center of cabbage, sprinkle whatever toppings you choose, fold into a taco.

Oven method: Heat a large pan or Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Add all the oil, brown the seasoned meat. Stir in the spices and other ingredients, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, bring to a boil. Cover pan, place in oven and bake at 325°F for 2-1/4 to 3 hours. You’ll know it’s done when the meat is fork-tender.

Comments

  1. Sounds good . My mother made pot roast like that. I will give your recipe a try. Thanks.

  2. Pingback: Instant Pot Recipes | Mediterranean Diet | The Domestic Dietitian

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