Salisbury Steak

Kathy was very similar to my father in that her meat of choice was beef.  I don't really remember eating meatloaf or Salisbury steak growing up, but we did have Swedish meatballs on occasion.  As an adult, my sister loved meatloaf and Salisbury steak.  She would often get meatloaf at Cracker Barrel or the Cheesecake Factory. I started making Salisbury steak when I lived in the south and it was one of the things she requested when I would make meals to keep in her freezer when she was undergoing various cancer treatments. 

These days it's rare that I get to cook for someone else. This is really due to my tiny apartment, where it's difficult to have another person over without being on top of one another. My dear friend Amy came up for a visit and requested Salisbury steak. I made it in the crockpot to minimize the amount of time I needed to be in the kitchen while she was visiting. This was the first time I've made it in the crockpot and it worked out well.

I use Chef John's recipe with a few alterations:

Steak Ingredients: 

• 1 pound 85% lean ground beef

• ½ cup plain bread crumbs

• 1 large egg, beaten

• 2 tablespoons ketchup

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard or yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 1 cup diced onion

• salt to taste

• 3 cups high-quality, low-sodium beef broth- I use Better than Boullion

• 2 tablespoons ketchup

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

Now it might sound weird, but one of the things I struggle with is putting my bare hands into a bowl of raw meat. I keep disposable gloves in the kitchen for this very reason. I don't mind carving out the small steaks with my bare hands, but after the mixing and then the formation process, I never feel like my hands are clean. They feel oily, so I use the gloves. Easy clean up!

Instructions:

1. Combine all steak ingredients into a medium bowl (one you would use for a bag of popcorn is a good size.) Mix ingredients until well blended.

2. It's up to you whether or not you use oil or butter in your pan. I used butter this time. Heat the butter up in your pan, and then after forming the steaks, place them in the pan. You don't need to cook them all the way through, just sear them on the outside.

3. Spray your crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. Once the steaks are seared you can move them directly to the crockpot. 

4. Once you have seared all of the steaks, scrape the drippings and keep them in the pan. Add the ingredients for gravy.  Once the ingredients have come to a boil, pour it over your steaks, and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.  

5. Remove the steaks from the crockpot and pour the gravy back in the pan to thicken it. I thickened it before adding to the pot to cook and it waters down.  Use two tablespoons of corn starch and a tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry. Bring the gravy to a boil and gradually add the corn starch mix to thicken. 

6. Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes!