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Hamburger steak was payday supper at our house, and it was also the supper on the day before payday, because a pound and a half of ground beef and two onions will feed a family either way. My mother made it in the big black skillet and served it over a hill of mashed potatoes, and the gravy went over everything on the plate, patties, potatoes and the green beans too.
The whole trick is the order of things in that one skillet. The patties are seared hard and come out onto a plate. The onions go into the same pan, with a little butter, on a lower heat, and they cook slowly for a quarter of an hour while you scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon. Everything the patties left behind, the dark brown crust on the iron, dissolves into the onions. Then a little flour, then the broth, and the gravy is made from what was already there. Wash the skillet between the patties and the onions and you have poured supper down the drain.
Why this hamburger steak works
- Seared patties. A hot skillet gives the beef a deep brown crust, and that crust is what flavors the gravy later.
- Slow onions in the same pan. Fifteen minutes on medium low turns the onions sweet and soft and lifts the brown bits off the bottom.
- Flour cooked in the onions. Two minutes of stirring cooks out the raw taste and thickens the gravy smoothly, without lumps.
- Simmered back in the gravy. The patties finish cooking under a lid in the gravy, so they stay tender and the gravy takes on more beef flavor.
Ingredients
Makes 4 thick hamburger steaks with plenty of gravy. The measurements are in US cups and spoons with grams in brackets.
For the hamburger steaks
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (680g), 80 to 85% lean
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs (35g)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (15ml)
For the onion gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter (28g)
- 2 large onions (about 500g), sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (24g)
- 2 cups beef broth (480ml)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Do not use very lean beef; a little fat gives the skillet the brown bits the gravy needs. Low-sodium broth lets you season the gravy yourself at the end.
How to make hamburger steak
- Mix the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder with your hands just until combined. Shape into 4 thick oval patties about 3/4 inch thick.
- Heat the tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Sear the patties for 4 minutes on each side, until deeply browned. Move them to a plate. They will not be cooked through yet.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and the sliced onions to the same skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft and golden and the pan is clean of brown bits.
- Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the onions and stir for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the 2 cups beef broth slowly, stirring all the time, until the gravy is smooth and thickens.
- Return the patties and any juices on the plate to the skillet, spoon gravy over them, cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, until cooked through. Taste the gravy for salt and pepper.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or rice with the onion gravy spooned over everything.
Tips that make the difference
- Press a shallow dimple in the middle of each patty with your thumb so it stays flat instead of puffing up.
- Do not move the patties while they sear. Let the crust form, then turn once.
- If the gravy gets too thick while simmering, add hot water a splash at a time, never more flour.
- Scrape well during the onion stage. The brown bits are the color and the flavor of the gravy.
Variations
- Mushroom and onion. Add 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (225g) with the onions and cook until their liquid has evaporated.
- Peppered gravy. Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper to the gravy for the old diner taste.
- Onion soup style. Add 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and a teaspoon of soy sauce to the broth for a darker, deeper gravy.
- Ground chicken or turkey. Use the same method; add a tablespoon of butter to the sear because the meat is leaner.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep leftover steaks in their gravy in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of water.
They freeze well in the gravy for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm slowly.
Leftovers make a very good sandwich on toasted bread with the onions piled on top.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hamburger steak and Salisbury steak?
They are close cousins. Salisbury steak usually has more filler and seasoning mixed into the meat and often a mushroom gravy. Hamburger steak is simpler: seasoned beef, seared, with onion gravy.
Can I make the gravy without beef broth?
Yes. Use water and a little more salt; the brown bits and the onions carry most of the flavor. That is how my mother made it when there was no broth in the house.
Why is my gravy lumpy?
The broth went in too fast or the flour was not stirred into the onions first. Cook the flour in the onions for 2 minutes and pour the broth slowly while stirring.
What should I serve with hamburger steak?
Mashed potatoes or rice to catch the gravy, and green beans, corn or a simple salad on the side.
One skillet, never washed in between, onions cooked slow and a wooden spoon on the bottom of the pan. That is the gravy, and it was there all along.
Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy (Made in the Same Skillet)
Old-fashioned hamburger steaks with homemade onion gravy: thick seasoned beef patties seared in cast iron, onions cooked slow in the same skillet to lift the brown bits, a little flour, beef broth, then the patties simmered back in the gravy under a lid. No packet. Exact amounts and times.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (680g), 80 to 85% lean
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large onions (about 500g), sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder with your hands just until combined. Shape into 4 thick oval patties about 3/4 inch thick.
- Heat the tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Sear the patties for 4 minutes on each side, until deeply browned. Move them to a plate. They will not be cooked through yet.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and the sliced onions to the same skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft and golden and the pan is clean of brown bits.
- Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the onions and stir for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the 2 cups beef broth slowly, stirring all the time, until the gravy is smooth and thickens.
- Return the patties and any juices on the plate to the skillet, spoon gravy over them, cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, until cooked through. Taste the gravy for salt and pepper.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or rice with the onion gravy spooned over everything.
