Slow Cooker Steak with Gravy - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

Can you put raw steak in a slow cooker? ›

If you want to, you can sear the edges of the meat in a skillet before starting it in the slow cooker for a little bit of added flavor. But if you prefer not to heat up your stove, you can just put the meat in the slow cooker raw.

It is possible to overcook beef stew in a slow cooker. If you cook it on high for too long, the beef can become tough and dry.

Chuck steak was practically designed for slow cooking. It comes from the shoulder and upper arm of the cow, so it's done a lot of work over the life of the animal — with its abundant collagen, it's the type of cut that gets tough when grilled quickly, but becomes tender and juicier the longer you cook it.

A beef joint in a crock-pot also needs about a ½ cup of liquid – beef broth is usually an excellent choice – to keep it tender and flavorful as it cooks. Place it on the lowest setting and only open it to add a small amount of liquid, if needed, and to stir your veggies.

1. Browning Is Better. Slow cooker recipes don't always instruct you to brown meat before adding it to the pot, but there are some advantages to doing so. If you sear meat to a crusty brown with a little oil in a hot skillet, the meat develops more complex flavors and improves the dish.

If you cook meat at too high of a temperature in your slow cooker, you're likely to overcook it. When you cook your food slowly at a lower temperature, you unlock the magic of slow cooking.

The most likely cause of this is overcooking. As meat cooks, its muscle fibers shorten in both length and width and eventually squeeze out the juices they normally hold. As you can imagine, this leaves meat dry, and often stringy in texture. To avoid this problem, choose less-tender cuts of meat.

Simply add the meat to your slow cooker with aromatics, stock and sauces and cook either on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 5-8 hours. How do you make meat tender in a slow cooker? Choosing a cut of beef best suited for low and slow cooking is the ideal way to get extra tender meat.

The meat was overcooked: Slow cookers are known for their ability to tenderize meat, but if the meat is cooked for too long, it can become overcooked and tough. It's important to follow the recommended cooking time for your recipe to ensure that the meat is cooked to the correct doneness.

Gravy beef is a cut that comes from three main areas; the hind leg and the front leg (also known as shin) plus the neck area. It is rich in flavour and is traditionally used with the bone in for excellent stews and soups.

Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low? ›

Change cooking times depending on your schedule. One hour on HIGH generally equals two hours on LOW.

Gravy Beef (and stewing steak)

Gravy beef comes from the shin area. It is a cheaper cut that will cook well in a shorter period of time (1.5 hours). When the bone is left in, Gravy beef is called Osso Bucco, which you might have seen in some Italian dishes.

Gravy beef is a relatively lean cut of meat, which means it can be tough if overcooked. It is typically cooked low and slow for several hours until it becomes tender and flavorful.

The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.

Chuck roast and top round roast are good choices for the slow cooker, which allows them to tenderize over time.

Chuck. Chuck steak was practically designed for slow cooking. It comes from the shoulder and upper arm of the cow, so it's done a lot of work over the life of the animal — with its abundant collagen, it's the type of cut that gets tough when grilled quickly, but becomes tender and juicier the longer you cook it.

One of the more affordable cuts of steak, flank steak works really well for slow-cooked dishes. Put it in a slow cooker for steak soups, fajitas, or tacos, and the meat will tenderize beautifully over time. It's also a good option for marinades to boost its flavor and make it more tender before cooking.