Slow-Cooked Apricot Beef Recipe

This apricot beef recipe is absolutely heavenly. Slow-cooked with tomatoes and spices until golden and fork-tender. A little zing of apricot jam makes a huge difference. It takes only 10 minutes of hands-on work and the oven does the rest of the work.

The first time I tried the beef with apricots was on my travel to Istanbul. It was a gorgeous slow-cooked beef tagine dish with lots of apricots. A bit too many apricots, but I loved the idea very much. When I came back, I made my slow-cooked apricot cranberry chicken with couscous which was so delicious. Considering beef and apricot are a classic combination I knew this would be a huge hit too.

Table of Content

• About this recipe
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions (pin)
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe

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About this recipe

This slow-cooked beef is probably the easiest to make whether you make it in the oven, stovetop, slow-cooker, or instant pot. It takes only 10 to 15 minutes of hands-on work, and then the oven does the rest. The slow cooking makes the meat fork-tender and delicious. The apricots add a rich fruity flavor and complement the beef and spices really well.

Today, I am serving it with couscous. In fact, I am using the instant couscous here. And yet, steamed rice, mashed potatoes, or even creamy polenta works great.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Beef - It's best to use meats that work well for slow cooking. I use a shoulder or leg which is delicious and cooks to be fork-tender.
• Onions - If prefer the red Spanish onions but any other will work as well.
• Ginger and garlic - Adds so much flavor to the meat. Make sure you mince or grate them finely so they cook down and disappear in the sauce.
• Apricot jam - I make homemade apricot jam, and yet any store-bought jam would work just as well. 2 tbsp is not a lot but trust me it does add so much flavor.
• Paprika - If you like spicy, use hot paprika. Otherwise, smoked sweet paprika will do. In addition to the flavor, paprika also adds a nice color to the dish.

Step by step instructions (pin)

Oven

• Preheat oven to 150 C / 300 F.
• Using a sturdy cutting board and chefs knife cut lamb into bitesize pieces not too small.
• Season with salt and pepper. Coat well in flour and dust off excess. Set aside
• Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom saute pan and brown the meat on all sides; 3 to 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. If necessary do this in batches. Remove and keep warm
• To the same pan, add the remaining oil and saute onion, garlic, and ginger until onions are translucent
• Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Return the beef back to the pan.
• Followed by the crushed tomatoes, apricot jam, and lemon juice. Add the parsley and water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Transfer to the oven. Cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.
• Always ensure you have enough water so the meat has enough moisture to cook. If necessary add ¼ to ½ cup more.
  Tip - This has a thick sauce so don't add too much water either.

Stovetop

• If you do not want to use the oven. Continue to cook in the Dutch oven on the stovetop stirring frequently until meat is cooked through and become fork-tender - about 1 to 1 ½ hour
• Always ensure you have enough water so the meat has enough moisture to cook. If necessary add ¼ to ½ cup more.

Slow Cooker

• Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker or crockpot, and cook until the meat is fork-tender
  Tip- You can cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or for 3 to 4 hours on high. Personally, I like cooking on low so the meat is moist, juicy and fork-tender

Instant Pot

• Instead of using a Dutch oven, saute everything in the instant-pot
• Close the lid and steam valve of the instant pot. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.When done - release pressure naturally for 10 minutes.

Couscous

• Place instant couscous in a bowl. stir in the olive oil well.
• Pour boiling water over the couscous. Cover with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes fluff with a fork. Add cranberries or pomegranate and parsley.
• Enjoy

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Frequently asked questions

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Printable Recipe