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My brothers begged for the frozen dinner trays they saw on television, and my mother told them the Salisbury steak in those trays was not the real thing. Hers was. Then she made it, and nobody asked for a tray again. Her Salisbury steak was ground beef mixed with grated onion, an egg and a handful of breadcrumbs, shaped into thick ovals and browned hard until they had a dark crust on both sides. Then they simmered slowly in a glossy brown mushroom and onion gravy made in the same skillet, and the whole thing went over a mountain of mashed potatoes.
It was a cheap supper. One package of ground beef fed all of us. What made it taste like Sunday was the gravy, and the gravy is where most homemade versions go wrong: pale, thin, or full of little lumps of flour. The secret is to build it on the browned bits the patties leave in the pan, to cook the flour in the fat before any liquid goes in, and to add the broth a little at a time. Here is how to make the gravy thick and brown without a single lump.
Why this Salisbury steak works
- Grated onion in the meat. Grated onion melts into the patties and keeps them juicy, with no crunchy pieces.
- Breadcrumbs soaked in milk. They hold moisture inside the patties so they stay tender as they simmer.
- Patties browned hard. A dark crust gives flavor to the meat and leaves the brown bits that color the gravy.
- Flour cooked in the fat. Stirring the flour into the butter and pan juices for a minute before adding broth stops lumps and gives a nutty brown flavor.
- Finished in the gravy. The patties cook through slowly under a lid in the gravy, soaking it up instead of drying out.
Ingredients
Serves 4, two small patties or one large patty each. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the patties
- 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (35g)
- 1/4 cup milk (60ml)
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 85 percent lean (680g)
- 1 small onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the mushroom gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, sliced (225g)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth (600ml), warm
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, to finish
To serve
- Mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles
Use beef broth for a deep brown gravy. Warm broth whisks in more smoothly than cold broth straight from the refrigerator.
How to make Salisbury steak
Patties
- In a large bowl, stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and let them soak for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the ground beef, grated onion with its juice, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix gently with your hands just until combined. Overmixing makes tough patties.
- Shape into 4 thick oval patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Press a shallow dent in the center of each so they stay flat as they cook.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the patties for 4 minutes on each side, without moving them, until a dark crust forms. They do not need to be cooked through. Move them to a plate.
Gravy
- Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter.
- Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned underneath. Stir, add the sliced onion, and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until soft and golden.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour smells toasty and coats everything.
- Pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm broth and stir hard, scraping up every brown bit from the bottom. It will turn into a thick paste. Add the rest of the broth a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until smooth. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer and let it bubble for 2 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Finish
- Return the patties and any juices on the plate to the skillet and spoon the gravy over them.
- Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the patties are cooked through (160 degrees inside).
- Scatter parsley over the top and serve over mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy.
Tips that make the difference
- Give the mushrooms room. Crowded mushrooms steam and turn gray instead of browning.
- If the gravy gets too thick while the patties simmer, stir in a splash of broth or water.
- If a few lumps do appear, whisk the gravy hard before the patties go back in.
- Make the patties thick. Thin ones dry out during the simmer.
Variations
- Onion gravy only. Leave out the mushrooms and use two onions, cooked slowly until deep brown.
- Over noodles. Serve over buttered egg noodles instead of potatoes.
- Oven finish. After browning and making the gravy, bake the covered skillet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Peas. Stir a cup of frozen peas into the gravy for the last 5 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep leftovers in their gravy, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth.
Freeze the patties in their gravy for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep my gravy from getting lumpy?
Cook the flour in the fat for a minute or two first, use warm broth, and add the first splash of broth slowly, stirring it into a smooth paste before adding the rest.
What is the difference between Salisbury steak and hamburger steak?
Salisbury steak has breadcrumbs, egg and onion mixed into the meat and is usually served in a mushroom gravy. Hamburger steak is closer to a plain patty with onion gravy.
Can I make it without mushrooms?
Yes. Use extra onion, cooked until deep golden, for a rich onion gravy.
How do I know the patties are done?
They are cooked through when the center reaches 160 degrees, or when a patty cut open shows no pink and the juices run clear.
Ladle the gravy over everything, give whoever asks the extra spoonful of mushrooms, and let the frozen trays stay on the television.
Salisbury Steak with Mushroom and Onion Gravy (The Real One, Not the Tray)
Homemade Salisbury steak: ground beef patties with grated onion, egg and breadcrumbs, browned hard and simmered in a thick brown mushroom and onion gravy made with beef broth in the same skillet. Served over mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 85 percent lean
- 1 small onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth (600ml), warm
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, to finish
- Mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and let them soak for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the ground beef, grated onion with its juice, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix gently with your hands just until combined. Overmixing makes tough patties.
- Shape into 4 thick oval patties, about 3/4 inch thick. Press a shallow dent in the center of each so they stay flat as they cook.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the patties for 4 minutes on each side, without moving them, until a dark crust forms. They do not need to be cooked through. Move them to a plate.
- Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter.
- Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned underneath. Stir, add the sliced onion, and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until soft and golden.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour smells toasty and coats everything.
- Pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm broth and stir hard, scraping up every brown bit from the bottom. It will turn into a thick paste. Add the rest of the broth a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until smooth. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer and let it bubble for 2 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Return the patties and any juices on the plate to the skillet and spoon the gravy over them.
- Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the patties are cooked through (160 degrees inside).
- Scatter parsley over the top and serve over mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy.
