What is awesome about this slow cooker is that the insert is nonstick cast-aluminum. Blah, blah, insert, blah, cast-aluminum, blah. That means I can take the insert and move from the slow cooker to the stove without any worries. Hurray, for having one less pan to dirty when I need to brown meat before putting it in the slow cooker.
We finally got around to moving our presents to their new respective homes around the house, so clearly it was time to test it out. We did on New Year's Eve. I looked around online for some beef/steak recipes. I looked for a while - could you believe it that I just didn't have the right grouping of ingredients?!?! I will grant you that I have not gone food shopping in over a week but we stocked up big time prior to the arrival of my family for Christmas. So what did I do - wing it!
Attempted Slow Cooker Steak
Ingredients:
3 - 4 steaks
1 onion sliced
4 - 6 medium potatoes, halved and sliced
approximately 1 cup sliced mushrooms
10 3/4 oz can Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic
12 oz can of beer
olive oil
salt and pepper
Steps:
1. Put the insert on the stove at medium heat. Drizzle olive oil.
2. Season steak with salt and pepper. Sear steaks for approximately 2 minutes on each side.
3. Place insert back in slow cooker. Layer potatoes, mushrooms, and onions on top of the steaks.
4. Mix cream of mushroom soup with beer. Pour over vegetables making sure everything gets covered.
5. Cook on Low for 6 hours.
How did it turn out? Tasted a lot like a stew. The steak did hold together because of the searing but was very easy to tear apart. It did not turn out very garlic-ey. Next time I think I would add some green beans to the mix, probably some minced garlic, and a bit more pepper. Maybe a few herbs but I have not decided which ones yet.
Not a bad concoction - but could definitely be better. I have a Chicken Pot Pie slow cooker recipe to try for later this week.
Signing Off.
Speaking of stew that is what I made today. Not in the slow cooker because I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer to defrost. I added green beans , carrots and celery & beef broth in addition to the mushrooms , onion & potatoes you added. Oh no beer for me either. Cooked it for almost 2 hours. Dad thought it was a bit too watery but I thought it was ok once you mashed up the potatoes. Next time I will put it in the slow cooker- but I will dirty a pan to fry the meat in.
ReplyDeleteThe beer gave it a nice interesting taste. I used a can of Yuengling. I wouldn't choose one that is a dark beer. If it is too watery, make a slurry - mix about a 1/3 cup of flour to 1/3 cup of beef broth. Mix it really well. Then add it to the stew - it won't clump up but it will make it thicker.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep that hint in mind the next time.
ReplyDelete