Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

It has been a while since my last update.  I have been trying out a few new recipes and unfortunately, they have been a little lackluster -- until last night.  I have been scouring the web for ethnic slow cooker recipes - specifically, Chinese food.  If you have not been paying attention, I have been really disappointed about the lack of good Chinese takeout.  So I somewhat reluctantly threw together this recipe after having looked at several online.  It is a combination of a couple of recipes - so I have no idea to whom I should give credit.  But thanks to everyone for all the ideas - because this one pretty much nailed it on the head.

Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

1 lb stew beef
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 pkg frozen steamer broccoli florets
rice

Steps

1.  I had big chunks of stew beef.  I took a minute to cut them into smaller strips.
2.  Mix together the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic.
3.  Place beef pieces in slow cooker and cover with mixture.
4.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
5.  When done, create a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and some of the slow cooker liquid together.
6.  Stir the slurry back into the slow cooker and add the package of broccoli florets.  Cook on low for another 30 minutes.
7.  Serve over rice.

The Final Product
I wish I had taken a picture.  The flavors melded wonderfully.  It reminded me so much of good east coast Chinese takeout.  The only thing that I was disappointed with was that my sauce did not thicken up as much as I would have liked after having added the cornstarch.  I suspect it is because the slow cooker didn't bring the sauce up to a boil in the last half hour.  I think I will wait until the very end to make the slurry.  I will remove the beef and broccoli to another dish and pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan.  Add the slurry and bring the sauce up to a boil to get it to thicken.  Then pour the sauce back over the beef and broccoli once it is the right consistency.  Give this one a try!