This is a slow cooker dinner you set up in about 15 minutes and then forget about. Chuck steak, a pile of sliced onions, and a sauce made from stock powder, tomato paste, Worcestershire and balsamic.
Seven onions sounds like a lot. They cook down to almost nothing and they’re what makes the gravy taste like it took real work.
By the end the beef shreds with two forks. Serve it over mash with whatever vegetables you’ve got, and you’ve fed four people for very little money.
Why You’ll Love It
Chuck steak is one of the cheapest cuts you can buy and the slow cooker turns it into something that falls apart. Everything goes in at the start, so there’s no browning step and nothing to watch. It makes its own gravy as it cooks, thickened at the end with a spoon of cornflour, and the whole thing is hands-off for either four hours or eight depending on how your day looks.
The Shortcut That Makes It Work
There’s no browning and no separate gravy. You whisk the sauce ingredients straight into the slow cooker, layer the onions and then the steak on top, and put the lid on. The stock powder, tomato paste, Worcestershire and balsamic do all the work that a browned pan and a roux would normally do.
Handy Tips
Put the onions in before the steak so the meat sits up out of the liquid and the onions melt into the sauce underneath. Add the cornflour mixed with a little water about 30 minutes before the end, not at the start, or it won’t thicken properly. Shred the beef right in the sauce with two forks so it soaks the gravy back up. If it looks thinner than you want, leave the lid off for the last stretch.
Make It Your Way
Push it further into a stew by adding carrot and celery at the start, or serve it as a pie filling once it’s shredded and thick. It also stretches a long way over mash if you’re feeding more than four.
What To Serve With It
Mashed potato is the obvious one, and it’s what the recipe is built for. Steamed greens or peas on the side, or crusty bread if you want to mop up the gravy.
Leftovers / How to Store It
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It reheats better than most things because the sauce keeps the beef from drying out, and honestly it tastes even better the next day. Add a splash of water when you warm it up if the gravy has gone thick in the fridge.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Braised Steak and Onions
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time
4 hours 
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes 
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place everything in your slow cooker except the onions and steak.
- Give it a whisk to combine.
- Add the onions first, then the steak.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Stir through the cornflour mix 30 minutes before the end to thicken.
- Shred the beef with two forks and serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Nutrition
Video
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FAQs
Can I use a different cut of beef?
Chuck is ideal because it’s cheap and it breaks down beautifully over a long cook. Gravy beef or blade would also work. Steer clear of the lean steaks, they go tough rather than tender in a slow cooker.
Do I really need seven onions?
Yes, and they’re the point. They cook right down and become the base of the gravy, so what looks like far too many onions ends up as sauce.
Can I cook it on high instead?
Four hours on high does the same job as eight on low. If you’ve got the time, low is a bit more forgiving.
My gravy is too thin, what now?
Take the lid off for the last half hour so some liquid can steam off, and make sure the cornflour went in mixed with water rather than dry.
Can I make it in a pressure cooker?
That’s a common question and I haven’t tested it, so I can’t give you a time I trust. Stick with the slow cooker method as written.
