Salisbury Steak

Although the two recipes are slightly different, where I come from the terms 'Salisbury Steak' and 'Hamburger Steak' are used interchangeably. Now I am not talking about the pseudo mystery meat product that you get in a TV dinner, rather I am talking about a fresh made Salisbury steak pan fried and served with an onion or mushroom gravy. Back in the 60's and 70's when I was growing up Salisbury steak was a regular in our household meal rotation. Cheap and easy to make, it was one of those meals that was very popular. I still remember my mother cooking Salisbury steak in her electric skillet, then sautéing the onions in the grease, adding a little flour and milk to make the gravy and before you could say “Bob's your uncle” it was on the table.

Fast forward 40 years and as I began my low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) eating regimen, I began to think about Salisbury steak as I was eating a bun-less hamburger from a local eatery that was well, dry and not very good. So I decided to dig out the old family recipe to see if I could update it the match my new LCHF lifestyle. The funny thing is, other than substituting my own LCHF ketchup for store bought, there was nothing left to do as far as the patties (Salisbury Steaks) were concerned. I did however, have to make some changes to the gravy to make it more carbohydrate friendly.

In this article I am going to show you how to make a great tasting Salisbury Steak with two delicious gravies. Both the onion, and mushroom gravies are not only great with the Salisbury Steak, they are both low carbohydrate options.

The Patties

Because we are not generally concerned with the fat content of meats when eating LCHF, I use the cheapest ground hamburger I can get on sale. This week it was 73/27, that's 73% meat, 27% fat fro $1.29 per pound. Now you can use any percentage of ground hamburger you want, but I like to keep it simple. Now there are a lot of recipes out there for Salisbury Steak that include bread crumbs and eggs as binders, but that's not how momma made them and you do not need either of these for these delicious patties, especially if you want to keep them low carb.

1 pound ground beef (73/27)
1 tablespoon LCHF ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon beef bouillon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and with your hands, knead the spices with the ground hamburger until it is throughly combined. Form into 5 to 6 ounce oval patties.

Form into 5 to 6 ounce oval patties. Fry the patties in a skillet with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat on both sides until they are no longer pink in the middle. Remove the patties from the skillet and reserve 1 – 2 tablespoons of the pan dripping for making the onion gravy.

Grilling Options

Of course you could always grill the patties just like you would any hamburger patty. When I cook them on the gas grill, I use indirect heat. That is I heat the grill with all the burners lit, then once the grill is hot, place the patties on the grill and turn the burner off that is directly under them. Then after 6 minutes, flip the patties to the other side of the grill and re-lit the burner on the side in which they were, and turn off the burner on the side to which they were flipped and cook another 6 minutes. The primary reason to do this is to keep the patties from burning due to flareups from the fat that will drip down onto the burners while they are cooking. You can then serve them with a small amount of regular or compound butter brushed on top or your favorite LCHF condiment such as ketchup or barbecue sauce if you do not want to make one of the accompanying gravies.

Chef's Note: As with a lot of our food, we make Salisbury Steaks in 4 to 5lb batches and then vacuum seal them in the freezer so that we can just grab a package and thaw them out the night before we cook them. This is a great way to maximize your time and ensure that you always have a great LCHF entree ready whenever you need one.

Onion Gravy

1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 cups beef or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon LCHF ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

After making the patties and removing them from the skillet, reduce the heat of the skillet to medium (reserving 1 – 2 tablespoons of the grease) and add the sliced onions. Cook the onions until golden brown and somewhat soft, stirring often to keep them from burning. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the sauce until it is reduced by half (about 13 minutes). Then return the patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.

If the sauce is to thick for your liking, add more broth to thin it out. Then return the patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.

Mushroom Gravy

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned stems removed, and sliced

2 medium shallot, minced
1 ½ cups beef or vegetable stock

½ cup dry red wine (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

After making the patties and removing them from the skillet, reduce the heat of the skillet to medium (reserving 1 – 2 tablespoons of the grease) and add the sliced mushrooms and shallots. Cook the mushrooms and shallots until the mushrooms are slightly browned and somewhat soft (about 4 minutes).

Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook the sauce until it is reduced by half (about 13 minutes). Then return the patties to the gravy. Spoon the gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.

Conclusion

So there you have it, a quick, easy and delicious all beef Salisbury Steak recipe that has no added carbohydrates. As you can see from the pictures that accompany this article, we make them in 4 to 5 pound batches, vacuum seal them and freeze them for later use. They are not quite as convenient as a TV dinner, but their nutritional value and taste places them in a league of their own. So say goodbye to the mystery meat patties that call themselves Salisbury Steak, you know the ones with added bread, eggs, and other fillers. The ones that you find in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. As always, if you have found this article interesting and valuable, we ask that you share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook, or add us to your circles on Google+.

Similar Articles On Our Blog

Can Cheap Ground Beef Be Healthy? You Bet

Compound Butters (Coming Soon)