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My mother bought chuck roast because it was the cheapest cut at the meat counter, and she cut it into cubes herself at the kitchen counter, trimming off the hard fat as she went. My father would come in from work, lift the lid on the pot and declare that beef tips over rice was the best thing a cheap cut of beef ever did. He said it about once a month for forty years, and he was right every time. There was always a big pile of white rice on the plate, the gravy running down its sides, and a pan of biscuits if he was lucky.
The secret is the browning. Chuck is full of flavor but tough, and it needs two things: a hard, dark sear and a long, slow simmer. My mother dried the cubes, seasoned them and browned them in a heavy pot a few at a time, so they seared instead of steaming, until every side was deep brown. The brown crust left stuck to the bottom of the pot is the whole gravy. Onions went into the same pot and lifted it all up, then a little flour, then beef broth, and the beef went back in. The lid went on, the heat went down low, and she left it alone most of the afternoon. It is done when a fork falls through a piece without any pushing. If your beef tips ever came out tough, they needed more time, not less.
Why this beef tips and gravy works
- Chuck, not a lean cut. The connective tissue in chuck melts during a long simmer and makes the beef tender and the gravy silky. Lean cuts dry out.
- Browned in batches. A crowded pot steams the meat grey. A few pieces at a time get a dark crust, and that crust is the flavor of the gravy.
- Onions to lift the browning. The moisture in the onions loosens the brown bits from the bottom of the pot so they melt into the sauce.
- Flour before the broth. Cooking the flour in the fat for a minute thickens the gravy smoothly with no lumps and no raw taste.
- Low and covered. A bare simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours turns tough beef tender. A hard boil makes it stringy.
Ingredients
Serves 6 over rice. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the beef tips
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes (1.4kg)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28g)
- 2 medium yellow onions, sliced (about 300g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (32g)
- 3 cups beef broth (720ml)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
To serve
- 4 to 6 cups hot cooked long grain white rice
- Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Buy a whole chuck roast and cube it yourself if you can. Packages labeled stew meat are often a mix of cuts that cook unevenly. Trim off large pieces of hard fat but leave the thin seams; they melt into the gravy.
How to make beef tips and gravy
- Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season them all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add a single layer of beef with space between the pieces and brown well on at least two sides, 5 to 6 minutes a batch. Move each batch to a plate and repeat with the rest.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter and the onions to the pot. Cook, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions are soft and golden. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for 1 minute so it cooks in the fat.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the gravy is smooth. Add the bay leaf and thyme.
- Return the beef and any juices from the plate to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook at a bare simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until a fork falls through a piece of beef without pushing.
- Remove the bay leaf. If the gravy is thinner than you like, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes; if it is too thick, add a splash of broth. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve the beef tips and gravy spooned over hot rice, with parsley on top if you like.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not rush the browning. Pale beef makes a pale, flat gravy. The pieces should release from the pot on their own when they are ready to turn.
- If the bottom of the pot looks very dark while browning, lower the heat a little; brown is flavor, black is bitter.
- Check the pot after the first hour. If the simmer has become a boil, turn the heat down further or set the lid slightly ajar.
- It can also go into a 325 degree oven, covered, for the same 2 to 2 1/2 hours instead of the stovetop.
Variations
- Mushroom. Add 8 ounces (225g) of sliced mushrooms with the onions.
- Over noodles or mashed potatoes. Spoon the beef tips over buttered egg noodles or a bowl of mashed potatoes instead of rice.
- Slow cooker. Brown the beef and make the gravy as written, then cook everything in a slow cooker on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- Peppered. Add an extra teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper for a peppery gravy my father loved.
Storage and make-ahead
Beef tips are even better the next day. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently in a covered pot over low heat with a splash of broth, stirring now and then.
Freeze the beef and gravy without the rice for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my beef tips tough?
They need more time, not less. Chuck becomes tender only after the connective tissue melts, which takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours at a bare simmer. Keep cooking until a fork falls through.
What cut is best for beef tips?
Chuck roast. It is inexpensive, well marbled and becomes very tender with long cooking. Sirloin tips work for a quick skillet version but not for a long simmer.
How do I make the gravy darker?
Brown the beef longer and harder. The color of the gravy comes from the crust on the meat and the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, and it improves overnight. Make it a day ahead and warm it slowly with a little extra broth.
Brown it dark, cover it, turn it low and walk away. When a fork falls through, put the rice on. My father would only take rice.
Beef Tips and Gravy Over Rice (Old-Fashioned, Simmered Low)
Old-fashioned beef tips and gravy: cubes of chuck roast browned hard in batches, simmered covered on low in an onion and beef broth gravy for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until a fork falls through, served over white rice.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 to 6 cups hot cooked long grain white rice
- Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season them all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add a single layer of beef with space between the pieces and brown well on at least two sides, 5 to 6 minutes a batch. Move each batch to a plate and repeat with the rest.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter and the onions to the pot. Cook, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions are soft and golden. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for 1 minute so it cooks in the fat.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the gravy is smooth. Add the bay leaf and thyme.
- Return the beef and any juices from the plate to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook at a bare simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until a fork falls through a piece of beef without pushing.
- Remove the bay leaf. If the gravy is thinner than you like, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes; if it is too thick, add a splash of broth. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve the beef tips and gravy spooned over hot rice, with parsley on top if you like.
