Slow-Cooked Beef Tips

I have had a lot of “Beef tips and rice” in my day and let me tell you… If you cook beef tips, they need to be slow-cooked. This makes them nice and tender and the gravy unbelievably delicious. Nothing hurts my heart as much as a challenging piece of beef. Now, I am not talking about a tasty steak that has been grilled up to your liking. I am talking about a dish that is supposed to be tender and buttery.

I know, I know, how can beef be buttery? If you cook it low and slow, you will know exactly what I mean by “buttery”. The beef is so tender it just falls apart. My slow-cooked beef tips are just that. They are slow-cooked in a wonderful base that later turns into a delicious gravy. You pile it high on mashed potatoes or rice, add a few veggies and you have a wonderful dinner. The hardest part of this dish is waiting to eat it.

Let me share with you how to make it.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs (1 large beef roast) Roast – Cut into 1 1/4-inch by 1 1/4-inch pieces
3 C. Beef Broth
1 Onion – diced
1 Tbsp. Butter or neutral oil
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
Salt and pepper – to taste
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bay leaf
2 Cloves Garlic – minced
1 Tsp. Dried Thyme

Rice or Mashed Potatoes for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. To a Dutch oven ( you can use any pan that has a lid. This will not be going in the oven) over medium-low heat, add either your butter or oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. When the pan is hot, working in 2 or 3 batches, add the beef to the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.
3. Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Once the mixture is combined add the beef back into the pan. Stir to coat the beef in the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 50 to 60 minutes. The beef should be quite tender so be careful on the next step.
5. Once the beef is done add the cornstarch to about 1/3 cup water and stir. Add a little of the mixture to the pan and stir to prevent the mixture from clumping up. Keep adding the cornstarch slurry to the broth until you get the desired consistency. keep in mind that it takes about 1 to 2 minutes for the cornstarch to thicken so add a little and if you need more, add more.
6. Once the gravy is how you want it you can adjust the seasoning to taste and serve this with either rice or mashed potatoes.

• If you do not want to buy a beef roast, which I recommend, you can use the pre-cut beef tips. They will do just fine. I just find that they are a lot smaller in size and a bit more pricy for 2 lbs of beef tips compared to 2 lbs of beef roast. So, why not save money by buying a beef roast and slicing it yourself. You do you.
• I like to serve this over rice because “beef tips and rice” but slightly shredding the beef after you add the cornstarch slurry and serving it over mashed potatoes…… you can not go wrong. I like to slightly shred the beef when serving it with mashed potatoes because it is easier to scoop into a spoon or fork. lol. You certainly do not have to do that.
• Don’t want either of those? ok. I got you. Serve it over bread. Yep. Bread. it’s good. Want a bit more low-carb? Ok. serve it over cauliflower rice. It is equally as delicious and I do this on occasion when I want a lower-carb dinner.
• Don’t want beef? why not? But, ok. Swap out the beef for chicken thighs or chicken breast. Swap the beef broth for chicken or vegetable broth. Swap the Worcestershire sauce for the juice of 1/2 lemon and add 1 tsp dried parsley. Cook as stated above ( I recommend chicken thighs for slow cooking) and serve over rice, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes. A delicious swap and two recipes for 1. lol.