An absolutely perfect, tried-and-true recipe for cubed round steak so tender you won't need a knife, braised in a rustic tomato gravy.
JUMP TO RECIPEIn all my LIFE I had never eaten cubed steak this tender! When I grabbed the knife and fork to cut one and the piece where I speared it with the fork just fell over, I knew something magical had happened!
It's like cutting meatloaf. And I have NEVER seen anything else like it.
And I found out how to cook it by pure-T accident.
When I first got married and started cooking family meals, I didn't know how to cook all the stuff I know now. I mean, I had a pretty good arsenal of family favorites I grew up with but I wasn't in a place yet where I could just pull something new from my behind.
One day, when I was making my meal plan and grocery list for the week, I asked Husband if he wanted anything special. And he replied that he wanted Salisbury Steak.
At the time, I didn't know Salisbury Steak is basically what I know as Hamburger Steaks & Gravy. The internet was juuuuust starting to become a resource for recipes so when I searched, I went straight to the Food Network website. Food Bloggers (like me! look at me go!) weren't a thing back then.
Well, when I found a recipe for Salisbury Steak (and saw what it was) then just below it was Alton Brown's recipe for Swiss Steak, I assumed Husband asked for the wrong thing and what he really wanted was Swiss Steak.
He's not much of a culinary mastermind so it wasn't too far of a leap.
So, come Sunday, I made the Swiss Steak recipe from the Food Network website and presented it to the family like Behold, you lucky devils! Look at the glorious meal I made!
Just about the time my ego was reaching maximum capacity, Husband sat at the table and asked What is it? I was like Duh, it's the Salisbury Steak you asked for except you didn't know what you were talking about so I made Swiss Steak because you were confused.
After an almost-heated conversation, on the verge of getting my feelings hurt and Husband being good and thoroughly confused, I just told everybody to DIG IN!!
And that's when I discovered the magic that is this Swiss Steak recipe. Over the past 20+ years, I've learned why the recipe works so perfectly (acidic tomatoes, baking method, etc.) and made the recipe my own but Lord, I surely am grateful I fell down the rabbit hole that lead me to it!
10 FAQ ON THE BEST SWISS STEAK
1. Do I have to use tomatoes? You do, indeed. Not only are tomatoes traditional to Swiss Steak recipes, they are THE KEY INGREDIENT for making the meat so, so, soooooo tender.
2. Is Swiss Steak made with cubed steak? It sure is! Just use regular cubed steak or you can make your own tenderized bottom round steaks by using a spiked meat mallet and a needle tenderizer (a lethal looking gadget that punctures the meat with dozens of sharp spikes).
3. What do you serve with Swiss Steak? Serve with boiled potatoes, white rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes (the sauce is glorious over rice and noodles!)
4. What do I do if my skillet isn't big enough? You'll just brown the meat and prepare the sauce in whatever skillet you have then arrange everything in a 13x9 baking dish and pop it in the oven!
5. Why do the steaks have to rest after they're floured? To ensure the flour sticks to the steaks and not the pan. Breaded cubed steaks are safe to fry when wet spots start to appear in the flour. This means the flour will adhere better to the meat.
6. Can I make it in a crock pot? Not this recipe. Honestly, now that I understand how important the cooking method is, I can't imagine any crock pot recipe could even come close.
7. What's so special about the cooking method? Well, I'm glad you asked! Browning the steaks and starting the sauce in a hot skillet are important BUT it's the slow, low DRY heat in the oven that makes the tomato magic work. The sauce will reduce and thicken into a gravy in the oven whereas it would become watery in a crock pot and essentially boil the meat which is NOT what happens with slow, low, dry oven heat.
8. Can I leave out the Worcestershire Sauce? Please don't. But if you're out, you can use tomato paste or fish sauce instead (1 tablespoon either). All three ingredients are types of "umami" or flavor bombs that intensify the flavor of many savory foods (kind of the same way salt does). If using tomato paste, add it with the garlic then cook both 2 minutes before adding liquid. Note: if using tomato paste instead of Worcestershire, don't cook this in a cast iron pan as the extra acid may cause a reaction.
9. Is Swiss Steak a recipe from Switzerland? Nope! "Swiss" is a reference to the tenderizing method called swissing or cubing wherein bottom round beef steaks or similarly tough cuts are processed through a machine that punches tiny cubes into the meat.
10. Won't the tomatoes be an issue with a cast iron pan? Not in this recipe. There isn't enough acid in one can of diced tomatoes to cause a reaction with cast iron. If the recipe had red wine, more tomatoes, tomato sauce or didn't include plenty of neutral liquid (broth) we might need to be cautious, but we're good here.
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Recipe for The BEST Swiss Steak
The BEST Swiss Steak
An absolutely perfect, tried-and-true recipe for cubed round steak so tender you won't need a knife, braised in a rustic tomato gravy.
Ingredients
- 6 cubed steaks (1.75-2 lbs)
- 1 cup flour
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 14.5 oz can beef broth (or 1.75 cups)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- NOTE: You'll need an extra-large, oven-safe skillet (14-16") OR you can transfer everything to a 13x9 baking pan before finishing in the oven. Don't layer the steaks in a smaller skillet.
- Season steaks with salt and pepper to taste then dredge in flour on both sides. Set floured steaks aside to rest while you chop the vegetables and gather ingredients. Once wet spots start to appear in the flour of the breaded steaks, proceed to Step 3. 6 steaks, 1 c. flour, salt & pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of skillet then heat over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- Brown the steaks, 3 at a time, until flour is just turning light brown (about 3 minutes each side). Remove steaks to a plate then brown and remove the remaining steaks.
- Add celery and onion to the skillet then sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic then cook 1 minute longer. 1 c. celery, 1 diced onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add tomatoes (with juice) then cook over high heat until liquid is reduced by at least half (about 5 minutes). This really intensifies the flavor so don't drain the tomatoes and skip this step. 1 can tomatoes
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then turn off heat. 1 Tbsp Worcestershire, 1 can broth, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp each pepper, thyme & oregano, 1/4 tsp salt
- Arrange steaks in skillet over sauce (or pour sauce into a 13x9 baking pan then arrange steaks on top). Cover skillet or baking pan with with aluminum foil then bake at 325 degrees for 90 minutes. Don't use a fitted lid or wrap the foil too tightly. We want a little of the steam to escape as the steaks cook (do it the way a 6-yr old would... pretty-much right but a little loose here and there).
- Remove aluminum foil then continue cooking, uncovered 15 minutes. Remove from oven then serve. The steaks are even more tender if you let the dish rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you increase the quantity (servings) of the recipe, increase the size of your baking pan accordingly. We don't want the steaks submerged in the sauce or layered on top of each other.
- Other questions have likely been answered in the FAQ section above the recipe card.
So pleased to see this delicious dish from my childhood. My Mom used canned stewed tomatoes and added a small jar of pickled cocktail onions to amp up the savory notes. You are right - always comes out fork tender if you use cube steak. Thanks!
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