Dutch Oven Sirloin Steak With Onion Gravy

Dutch oven sirloin steak is a slow dish, not a quick one. The steaks are dredged in seasoned flour and browned in the pot, then buried in sliced onions and beef stock and braised, covered, in a 325 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. The flour from the dredge thickens the stock into an onion gravy as it cooks, and the steak comes out tender enough to cut with a fork.

Top sirloin is usually cooked hot and fast. Braising it is a different idea: it turns a lean, firm steak into something closer to old-fashioned smothered steak. It will not be pink in the middle, and it is not meant to be.

At a glance: serves 4. Prep 15 minutes, cook about 2 hours, total 2 hours 15 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was talking about fermentation and sourdough bread, not braising, when he said:

“there's no substitute for the time that goes into doing something well.”

Gray Shipley

A braise follows the same rule. Nothing in this pot is difficult, but the oven time cannot be rushed. An hour and a half of low, steady heat is what softens the steak and turns the onions into gravy.

Ingredients

• 2 top sirloin steaks, 14 to 16 ounces each
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees with a rack in the lower middle. Cut each steak in half to make four portions and pat them dry.
2. Mix the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika in a shallow dish. Press each piece of steak into the flour on both sides, shake off the excess, and set the pieces on a plate. Keep the leftover flour.
3. Heat the oil in a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the steaks for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden, working in two batches if they do not fit with space around them. Move them to a plate.
4. Turn the heat to medium. Add the butter and the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot, for 10 to 12 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the leftover seasoned flour over the onions and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the stock a little at a time, stirring, then add the Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, scraping up anything stuck to the pot.
6. Return the steaks and their juices to the pot, nestling them into the onions and spooning some over the top. Cover and braise in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, and up to 2, until a fork slides into the steak with little resistance. Check at 45 minutes and add a splash of stock or water if the gravy looks too thick.
7. Take out the bay leaf. If the gravy is thinner than you like, lift out the steaks and simmer it on the stove for a few minutes. Taste for salt. Serve the steaks and gravy over mashed potatoes or rice, scattered with parsley.

Add 2 top sirloin steaks to cart

Why braise a sirloin steak?

Because some nights you want gravy more than you want a pink center. A braise cooks the steak well past medium. Seared and served that way, a lean steak would be dry and tough, but low, moist heat changes that: given time, the connective tissue softens, the fibers loosen, and the gravy keeps every bite moist. Top sirloin has less connective tissue than chuck, so it gets there in about 1 1/2 hours rather than the 3 or more a pot roast needs, and it holds together in neat portions.

For a braise you plan to leave in the oven all afternoon, a fattier cut such as chuck roast or short ribs is the better choice. Best Beef Cuts for Slow Cooking covers them.

Getting the onion gravy right

The gravy is built from three things: the flour from the dredge, the browned bits the steaks leave in the pot, and onions cooked long enough to turn golden and sweet. Do not rush the onions. If they are still pale when the stock goes in, the gravy will taste flat. If it comes out thin, simmer it uncovered on the stove for a few minutes; if it is too thick, stir in a little stock. Why Is My Gravy Thin? goes through the usual causes.

Cooking a sirloin steak in the oven without braising

If you want top sirloin steak in the oven the quick way, sear and roast it instead. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sear the seasoned steak in a hot oven-safe skillet for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then move the skillet to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until a thermometer reads your target. Rest it for 5 minutes and slice across the grain. That gives you a pink, juicy steak in about 20 minutes. This braise gives you something else entirely, and both are worth knowing.

Making it ahead

Like most braises, this one is just as good the next day, and the gravy thickens as it sits. Cool it, refrigerate it promptly in a covered container, and reheat it gently on the stove with a splash of stock until the gravy bubbles and the steak is hot all the way through.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef steaks. A braise passes that figure long before the steak is tender, but it is still worth checking a piece with an instant-read thermometer. FSIS lists 165 degrees F for reheated leftovers and casseroles, so bring leftovers back to that. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.