Growing up in the small rural community of Prairie Laurent, La., as a child of 10-11, I was allowed to stay home during the summer while my parents were at work. (I wouldn’t advise this in this day & age; you may be incarcerated). Not being able to touch the stove, I quickly grew tired of cold-cut sandwiches & canned meat such as spam. My dad raised cattle, so my mom would put out a pack of meat to defrost every day to cook when she got home, or my great aunt, Mary Lou Lemelle, who lived with us, would cook if she got home early. Anyway, one day, I decided, NO MORE BOLOGNA, so I attempted to cook the beef meat left out defrosting to help out & also because I wanted it. IT TURNED OUT HORRIBLE & my mom was furious. “Wait until your dad gets home; he will fix you for messing that good meat up,” said my mom. When my dad got home, she immediately told him what I had done & he walked right up to me, told me to look at him, then said, “Ok, Boobie, now that you know what not to do again, let’s make sure the next time, you do know what to do, ask for help, it’s ok, you will mess up again sooner or later, but you will mess up if you don’t try to get it right.” So yes, the Sauce Boss finally learned how to master the Smothered Beef Gravy. Let’s see if my recipe & technique can help you avoid ruining such a tasty gravy maker.
Ingredients:
- 2-3/4 inch (7cm) thick, seasoned beef, seven steaks, shoulder steaks, chuck steaks, short ribs, or neck chops.
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1-bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
- 1-2 cups beef stock, depending on how much meat will be used
- 1 oz white vinegar
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 bunch green onion (onion tops) diced
- Brown Gravy Mix or flour optional
- Pot of white-cooked rice
Preparation:
- In a skillet large enough to accommodate your steaks (cast iron is my choice), heat cooking oil on medium to high heat and sauté beef steaks until both sides are brown.
- Once steaks are sautéed, remove from heat & sauté trinity (onion, bell pepper, garlic), until translucent.
- Once the trinity has sautéed to the desired consistency, add beef stock and vinegar and cook on medium heat with the lid on the skillet for 30 minutes. If you want a very thick gravy, you may whisk in 2 heaping tablespoons of flour or brown gravy mix; this step is optional.
- After cooking the gravy for 30 minutes, drop the heat to low and add sautéed beef steaks. Cook on low until the desired tenderness is achieved, which may take up to 2 hours, depending on the calf’s age.
- Once desired tenderness is achieved, remove from heat, add diced onion tops, and let rest 15-20 min before serving over a bed of rice.
I want to dedicate this dish to the memory of my dad, Henry “Sonny” Fuselier, my great-uncle, Sostain “Romeo” Lemelle, and my third cousin, Matthew “June” Fuselier. All of them taught me the dying art of raising and slaughtering livestock for the good of our families.