Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Gal-Bi): Adapted for the Slow Cooker

For some reason, I am have been head-over-heels in love with my crock pot, lately. I am rediscovering the honeymoon phase of our relationship...my slow cooker is perfect. I love the freedom it gives my afternoons. I love the good, home cooking type of smells that it emanates. I love that it does not heat up my house...which, by the way, is very important during a nasty Phoenix summer. I love the sleek chrome finish. I love it's size. I love that it can accomodate any thing I throw into it. I love that it makes my husband think I have been slaving away in the kitchen all afternoon but in fact I was sitting on the couch watching Oprah. Yes, that was a run-on sentence. I love how easy it is to clean. Oh, slow cooker...if I were not already married....

But I digress.

Once again, back to my recipe. I am doing some creative cooking today (i.e. improvising). I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, but I am adapting it to my needs (i.e. my gorgeous slow cooker...hello, lover).
I will post the original recipe, but then include my changes in the notes at the bottom of the post. I added a couple extra tidbits that were not in the recipe and I have to stretch the meat component. I only have a total of 3 short ribs, so I am going to make an extra side dish. I want to make sure there is enough leftovers for the husbands lunch tomorrow.
I think I will serve this dish with white rice, stir fried veggies, and some baked spring rolls. Since we have never tried this version of short ribs before, I will review the results later.

Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Gal-Bi)

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 large onion, minced
3 pounds Korean-style short
ribs (beef chuck flank end, cut
1/3 to 1/2 inch thick across
bones)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour soy sauce, water, and vinegar into a large, non-metallic bowl. Whisk in brown sugar, white sugar, pepper, sesame oil, garlic, and onion until the sugars have dissolved. Submerge the ribs in this marinade, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 7 to 12 hours; the longer, the better.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
3. Remove ribs from the marinade, shake off excess, and discard the marinade. Cook on preheated grill until the meat is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com

Jen's Notes & Slow Cooker Adaptation:
I only had 1/2 cup of soy sauce, so I added some Teriyaki sauce to make up the difference for the amount needed. I used a combo of white vinegar and white wine vinegar, since I did not have the whole amount of either one. Lastly, I added about a tablespoon Chinese Five Spice powder. Why you ask? It struck my fancy when I was foraging in the pantry.

Instead of marinating then grilling (as the recipe suggests), I just threw all the ingredients in the slow cooker. I think 4 hours on the 'high' setting should be a sufficient cook time, but I am keeping my fingers crossed for good luck.