Smothered Steak

I haven't had smothered steak in years. I remember my mom making it 25 years ago, but it has never been in my repertoire. And I certainly wouldn't trust the stuff that comes in those frozen dinners. So I decided to try the recipe in the recent Southern cooking issue of Gourmet. Breaking news...smothered steak is now in my repertoire and likely to be prepared quite often.


Note: The meat you'll need for this is not to be found in the styrofoam trays in your grocery meat section. Got to the butcher and get advice. When I went to Central Market and explained what I needed, the man behind the meat counter cut me some slices of eye of round and ran them through the tenderizing machine. A couple more pounds from me at home and they were perfect.


Smothered Steak
Serves 4.


4 bacon slices
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds chuck eye or blade steaks
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 cup water

Cook bacon in 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving fat in skillet.

Meanwhile, pound steaks 1/4 inch thick between sheets of plastic wrap using flat side of a meat pounder. Snip through any gristle with kitchen shears (to prevent curling), then pat steaks dry.

Mix together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and dredge steaks on all sides, shaking off excess.

Heat reserved bacon fat over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown steaks on both sides in batches; transfer to a plate.

Add onion to skillet with remaining tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping up brown bits, until softened and browned, about 10 minutes.

Add steaks with any meat juices and water and bring to a boil. Simmer, tightly covered, over low heat until meat is very tender, about 1 1/4 hours. If sauce is thin, transfer meat to a platter and boil until reduced to about 1 cup. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Serve with sauce.