We loved this meal! First, because it just tastes great. It’s a bit of a change from the normal fare. Tender beef cooked with mid-East flavors, stuffed in pocket bread. I served it with cucumber-yogurt sauce instead of the more traditional tahini sauce. Either way is delicious.
I also love that it cooks in the crockpot. And leftovers can easily be reheated for lunch or for those nights when we are eating in shifts due to work and soccer practices.
I adapted the recipe from Chicken Shwarma. Both are tasty, but I think I have a slight preference for this beef version.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
Beef Shwarma in the Slow Cooker
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
- 6 Tbs. lemon juice
- 6 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. curry powder
- 2 dashes ground red pepper
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2.5 - 3 lbs. thin cut boneless beef steak
- 8 oz plain or Greek yogurt
- 1 small cucumber chopped
- pita bread
Instructions
- Stir lemon juice, olive oil, salt, curry, cayenne pepper and garlic together in a small bowl.
- Place meat in slow cooker.
- Pour mixture over the top and stir to combine with meat.
- Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours
- Combine yogurt and cucumber.
- Serve cooked meat in pita bread with cucumber-yogurt sauce.
I’m making this today, following along with the whole 30 plan. I fried the curry in the oil (this is standard in most curry recipes) and bumped it up a bit. Also I’m adding some sweet potatoes at the end as part of the meat weight. Will serve with the yogurt cucumber sauce with cilantro, feta, colored bell peppers, tomatoes and shredded lettuce.
Cheers!
I like your additions and alterations for this. I may try some of those too!
What kind of curry powder do you use? Is it crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper (it references one and then the other in the ingredients/instructions)? What is the actual cut of beef you recommend? My grocery doesn’t list anything as “thin cut, boneless beef steak”. I’m excited to make this!
I use McCormick curry powder and ground red pepper or cayenne pepper, (not crushed flakes). Any kind of think, boneless beef cut will work.
My family does not care for Curry. What other spice could I substitiue with? Thanks.
I’m not sure what would make a good substitute, but you could just leave it out.
What size slow cooker do you like to use for just meat recipes?
I usually use my 6 quart, but honestly for meat only it would be better to use a 4 qt.
I hate to sound ignorant, but do you cut up the meat first or after it’s cooked? Thanks for sharing the recipe! It sounds delish!
I’ve done it both ways. If I have a large cut, like a thick round steak or roast I shred the meat after cooking. If I have the very thin cut steaks, I’ll slice it before cooking.
This sounds delicious. I’m going to make it next week. My question is, I have young children, do you think cutting the cayenne pepper down a lot, or omitting it all together will take away from the recipe too much? Or is it not real spicy? Anything with any spiciness and they will not eat it.
It really isn’t spicy, but if you want to omit the cayenne it will be fine too.
I’m looking at this on my phone and cannot read the instructions because of a google ad covering it. I tried closing it and reporting it but even when I refresh it’s still there 🙁 . I really wanted to try this one.
I’m sorry to hear that, Katie! Here’s the recipe for either a slow cooker or pressure cooker –
Yield: 6-8 Servings
Hands-on Time: 10 Minutes
Slow Cooker Time: 5-8 Hours
Instant Pot Time: 15+ Minutes
⅓ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. curry powder
2 dashes ground red pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2½-3 lbs. thin cut, boneless beef steak
¼ cup beef broth (Instant Pot only)
8 oz plain or Greek yogurt
1 small cucumber, chopped
Pita Bread
Slow Cooker Version:
Stir lemon juice, olive oil, salt, curry, cayenne pepper and garlic together in a small bowl. Place meat in slow cooker. Pour mixture over the top and stir to combine with meat. Cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7- 8 hours Combine the yogurt and cucumber. Serve cooked meat in pita bread with cucumber-yogurt sauce.
Pressure Cooker Version:
Add ¼ cup beef broth. Place meat in the pressure cooker pot. Stir together all other ingredients except Greek yogurt, cucumber and pita, and pour over meat. Set cook time to 15 minutes. Do a quick pressure release. Combine the yogurt and cucumber. Serve with meat in pitas.
Hope that helps!!