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.
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
Frequently asked questions
Fresh apricots while delicious are not concentrated in flavor, so the sauce will be too runny. But, you can use 1 cup apricot sauce instead of apricot jam.
Yes, chicken works beautifully with apricot and slow-cooking. I have shared my delicious Slow-cooked apricot chicken with you.
My kids love slow-cooked meat dishes with couscous or mashed potatoes, so today I served these with instant couscous which takes just five minutes to make.
If your not particularly fond of couscous this one goes well with so many other options. One-pot Vegetable Rice, roasted potatoes, crispy potatoes, potato wedges. If you are looking for a low carb alternative try Cauliflower Rice or my Turmeric Cauliflower Rice.
Some great vegetables to serve alongside this slow-cooker apricot beef would be some sesame quick sesame green beans, garlic sesame asparagus, Lemon rosemary potatoes, or roast butternut squash or Carrot sticks.
Homemade Apricot Jam without Pectin
Apricot Crumble bars
Homemade Apricot Creme Brulee
Slow-cooked Apricot Chicken
Homemade Apricot Flan
Apricot Creme Caramel
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Description
Ingredients
For the Apricot Beef
- 2 lbs (1 kg) Beef cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp All purpose flour
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ cup Onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ inch Ginger grated
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon stick 1 large or 2 small
- ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Sweet or hot paprika
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- ½ cup (120 g) Apricot jam
- 14 oz (400 g) Crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup (250 ml) Water
- ¼ cup Parsley
For the Couscous
- 2 cups (350 g) Instant couscous
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 cups (1 liter) Boiling water
- ½ cup (50 g) Cranberries
- ½ cup Fresh Pomegranate Pearls
- ½ cup Parsley chopped
Instructions
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 is 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-tenderTip- 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
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
