Slow Cooking Transforms This Tough, Inexpensive Cut
Round steak is a budget-friendly piece of beef, but it's not cut out for grilling or other traditional steak-style cooking methods. It's tough and relatively fine-grained, which makes it perfect for slow cooking. Most recipes for round steak in a slow cooker call for powdered soup mix, canned soups, or both. This Crock-Pot round steak recipe makes its own scratch gravy instead, which takes a bit longer but means you'll know exactly what you're feeding your family.
Total Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 pounds round steak, cut into individual portions
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper, or more to taste
Directions:
- Heat a large, heavy skillet over a hot burner. Add half the oil, and then sear one or two pieces of steak at a time until well browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per piece. Remove the browned steak slices to a plate, and reduce the heat to medium.
- Pour the rest of the oil into the pan, then add the onions and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and the onions have softened. Add the garlic and stir for one more minute, until nicely aromatic.
- Stir in the flour, until the onions and mushrooms are well coated and no dry flour is visible. Stir in the first half-cup of broth, whisking until it's incorporated and makes a thick paste, then add the remainder of the broth and the salt and pepper. Stir until there are no visible lumps of flour, then remove from the heat.
-
Spray your Crock-Pot or fill it with a slow cooker liner bag, then arrange the steak pieces on the bottom. Pour the onion gravy over the meat
— it will still be slightly thin at this point
— and cover. Cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low, until the meat is fork-tender. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Serve hot over potatoes or broad noodles, with your choice of vegetables.
Tip
- Browning the beef is an optional step. You can skip it if you're pressed for time, but it does add a lot of flavor to the finished dish.
- If you want the whole meal to be waiting when you get home, add quartered medium Yukon Gold potatoes to the Crock-Pot and carrot pieces cut lengthwise into halves.
- You can make Swiss steak much the same way, substituting 2 cans of whole tomatoes with their juice for the beef broth. Mash the tomatoes lightly with a fork before adding them to the Crock-Pot.
