3 to 4 pounds beef short ribs
  1/2 medium onion
  1 to 2 carrots
  1/2 medium Korean/Asian pear (or 1 bosc pear or apple)
  7 to 8 plump garlic cloves
  3 to 4 thin ginger slices (about 1-inch round)
  6 ounces Korean radish (omit if unavailable)
  3 to 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, briefly soaked and quartered (omit if unavailable)
  1/2 cup soy sauce
  1/4 cup rice wine (or dry white wine)
  4 tablespoons honey (or sugar) – adjust to taste
  pepper to taste
  2 to 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Trim off any excess fat. Rinse the ribs and let them sit in cold water for about 30 minutes to draw out excess blood. Drain well or pat dry with paper towels. Prepare the vegetables and pear by cutting into large chunks (about 1-1/2-inch pieces).
2. Place the ribs and vegetables and pear in the slow cooker. Mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, honey (or sugar) and pepper, and pour over the ribs. Toss everything to coat with the sauce. Cover, and cook for 6 to 7 hours on high or 9 to 10 hours on low. Flip the ribs over midway through the process if you’re home. (Adjust the cooking time, depending on how tender you want your ribs to be.) Stir in the scallions and sesame oil.
3. Remove the ribs and vegetables from the slow cooker. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl to skim off the fat. I use a fat separator. Pour the sauce over the ribs to serve. (You can also cool it in the fridge or freezer until the fat solidifies to spoon off. Reheat the sauce.
4. Serve with rice.