Stewed Steak

Stewed Steak

Here is one of our family's favorite winter comfort food recipes that is pretty well fuss free and foolproof. It is an economical meal as well, as it makes use of less expensive cuts of beef that benefit from the slow braising cooking method. It takes just a few minutes to prepare the steak and then it is simply slowly braised in beef stock for a couple of hours until the meat is falling-apart tender and a rich gravy has formed. This is an excellent relaxing weekend meal that satisfies practically everyone. 

Originally published on February 25, 2010.

Serves 4-6

• 3 pounds of sirloin, cross-rib or round steak (or similar cut)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Mix together the flour, thyme and nutmeg. Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture, then brown them on both sides in a little canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. No need to cook them fully, just brown the surfaces well. Drain the excess oil from the skillet and deglaze the pan with a little beef stock before adding it to the steak in the roasting pan.

Place the browned steaks in a covered roasting pan and add:

• 5-6 cups of good beef stock (low sodium stock if you are using sore bought) NOTE: You can substitute 1 cup of broth with a cup of red wine for an even richer gravy.
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Cover and slow cook the steaks in the oven at 300 degrees F for 2-3 hours or until the meat is very tender and begins to fall apart. The flour that was used to brown the steaks helps to thicken the gravy as it cooks. I like to skim any surface fat off the gravy before serving. Serve with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.