Be sure to try my Chicken Pot Pie and Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe next!
Beef Tips and Gravy
Welcome to one of my family’s favorite meals! We can’t resist this recipe with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. I love assembling it the night before and cooking it in the Crock Pot during the day, or serving it as a quick skillet recipe! You won’t believe how flavorful this gravy recipe is either. (I think I’ve definitely got easy gravy recipes down pat.) There are plenty of seasonings in this recipe, but they really add the best flavor to the meat and gravy, mix them together ahead of time and cooking will be a snap. Let’s get into everything you need to know to NAIL it!
What Cut of Meat is Beef Tips
Beef “tips” are smaller cuts of meat that are leftover from breaking down any of the larger, more tender sections. For example, a Top Sirloin is a large, tender cut of meat. A Sirloin Tip is an outer ‘scrap’ from that particular section. It’s not quite as tender as the whole top sirloin, but works well for cutting into cubes to make beef tips or stews. Sirloin or Tenderloin cuts are best for making beef tips on the stove top as they don’t require as much low and slow cooking to render down and tenderize.
Tender Cuts of Meat: Sirloin, Flank, Ribeye, Tenderloin. Tougher Cuts of Meat: Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, Brisket. (Best suited for slow cooking.) This guide from Fix.com provides a good visual as to the location of these cuts of meats, why they have varying degrees of toughness, and approximate cost per pound.
Are Beef Tips and Stew Meat the Same
Beef tips and stew meat are generally not the same, but labels can make it vague and hard to distinguish. I recommend purchasing meat that is directly labeled as containing sirloin or tenderloin if preparing this recipe on the stove top.
Stew meat usually contains a tougher cut of meat (such as a chuck or rump roast) which is best suited for making Slow Cooker Beef Stew. Beef Tips should be prepared with a more tender cut of meat such as sirloin or tenderloin, unless they’re being prepared in the Slow Cooker.
How to Make it
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Toss cubed beef in seasoning mixture, sprinkle with flour. Sear in olive oil for 30-45 seconds/side. Remove and set aside. Deglaze with red wine, (optional). Sauté butter, onions, and garlic until softened.
Add beef broth, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and whisk in cornstarch + cold water. Reduce heat.
Add beef + juices back to the pot. Cook, partially covered, for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, and roasted carrots.
Crock Pot Method
Season/sear the beef tips and prepare the gravy as outlined in steps 1-8, then transfer it to the crock pot along with the beef tips. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Combine the cornstarch and cold water until uniform in consistency and slowly stir it into the gravy over high heat. Remove from heat and serve.
How to Make Brown Gravy More Flavorful
Worcestershire Sauce: This is my top choice. You can’t taste it at all but it enhances the other flavors of the gravy and adds a rich element to it. We’ll use just 1.5 teaspoons in this recipe. Soy Sauce: (An alternative option to Worcestershire sauce.) Soy Sauce is a great way to add ‘umami’, which is basically a savory characteristic that makes gravy so irresistible. Like the above choice, you can’t taste it when it’s added in the right quantity. I recommend using low sodium. Use a Combination of Chicken and Beef Broth : This adds a nice depth of flavor, especially because chicken broth has slightly more flavor and substance to it than beef broth does. To maintain a dark brown color, read my next tip. Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: I like to add a few drops of this in combination with the ingredients noted above to add just a hint of a darker brown color. You can find it in the aisle where they sell gravy packets.
Make-Ahead Method
Sear the meat and prepare the gravy as outlined. Let the gravy cool completely, then combine with the seared meat + juices from the meat. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Finish cooking on Stove Top or in the Crock Pot as outlined.
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
What to Serve with Beef Tips and Gravy
Buttermilk Biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Green Beans, Corn Casserole
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the meat during searing. Kitchen Scale– Perfect for weighing the meat if needed. Deep 13-inch skillet– You’ll have this one forever. Crock Pot– This is the one I have, you can sear meat right on the stove top with it, and it automatically switches to warm when the cooking time is up.
