How to cook the most delicious slow cooker braised steak & onions. This old fashioned braised steak recipe has a slow cooker makeover and is loaded with a flavoursome onion gravy and creamy mashed potatoes.
Looking for the best old school slow cooker recipes that remind you of childhood and are easy to cook? Then look no further than braised steak and onions.
Slow Cooker Braised Steak
I have been on a mission with the slow cooker. To make as many of my favourite childhood recipes that my grandparents made me and transfer them to the slow cooker.
The favourite comfort foods that never feel like they ever age, fill us up and are even better as leftovers the next day.
And would you believe it, the bulk of them involve mashed potatoes.
We have done slow cooker fish pie, slow cooker cottage pie, slow cooker shepherd’s pie, slow cooker Cumberland pie and best of all sausages in onion gravy.
Today’s braised steak and onions of course, has a similar theme. Rich delicious gravy and perfectly cooked mashed potatoes.
But what it teaches you most, is that you can mix and match your ingredients and make any of your favourite recipes with onions and mash and the slow cooker always does an amazing job.
Or if you have not had braising steak and onions since childhood, let me take you on a trip down memory lane.
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What Is Braising Steak?
Braising steak is a cheaper cut of beef that is known for being tough, therefore needs to be braised in order to be yummy and tender.
Braising is also known as stewing steak because its mostly associated with beef stew such as our instant pot beef stew and dumplings or our slow cooker beef bourguignon.
In the US braising steak is known as chuck roast. And if you are in the US simply buy some chuck and then follow this recipe as written.
What To Do With Braising Steak?
Braising steak is mostly associated with pies and stews. For example, we used braising steak to make our pie maker meat pies and our meat pies in the air fryer.
We also use it whenever we make a beef stew, whether we cook it with dumplings or not.
This is because braising steak, because its naturally tough unless cooked slow fits in with the stewing way of cooking.
But alongside slow cooking you can also pressure cook braising steak and when pressure cooked it can replace leaner, quicker cooking beef. For example, you can make our instant pot frozen steak with braising.
Or our instant pot frozen pot roast is another great example and just like our slow cooker braising steak, it can then be sliced like a classic roast beef, yet its been made for a fraction of the cost.
Best Way To Cook Braising Steak?
Like I have already mentioned above, the best way to cook braising steak is either in the slow cooker or in the electric pressure cooker.
We like the pressure cooker for a quick option when you are in a rush for dinner and the slow cooker for the slower alternative.
Both will produce delicious braising steak that will make you want to go back for seconds.
What Is Steak & Onions In Gravy Like?
Imagine you are at the carvery, and you have just ordered roast beef and then they have added loads of gravy.
You are then in foodie heaven, and you can’t believe just how tender the roast beef is. Well, that is how amazing the beef and gravy is when you slow cook your beef.
You can also choose between having it like pulled beef or carving it like roast beef like we do when we cook braising steak in slow cooker.
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Braised Steak Slow Cooker Ingredients
Steak – For this braised steak recipe you will need a medium sized cut of braising steak. Ours weighed at 1.2kg which is 2.6lbs. Try not to go too small as it does shrink as its cooking.
Onions – Because its all about steak and onions, you will need plenty of onions that you can load into the slow cooker. We went with 2 large brown onions but you could use white or red.
Stock – I love to create a beef stock for my braising steak recipe made up of red wine and our frozen instant pot beef stock cubes. You can do similar or just go with beef stock.
Garlic. I also recommend to compliment the onions that you also add some thin slices of fresh garlic. Though of course, this step is optional.
Seasoning – Then for seasonings we have just kept it simple with salt, pepper and bouquet garni.
Potatoes – We also used the slow cooker first to make some mashed potatoes. We then put them to one side as we braised steak in the slow cooker. You can also use a little of the mashed potatoes to naturally thicken the gravy.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this recipe for old fashioned braising steak and onions it has just been our Crockpot. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of slow cooker recipes and also great for easy Sunday lunches.
Plus, we recommend you head over to our slow cooker recipes category as we have more than 100 tried and tested slow cooker recipes and have been using slow cookers for 18 years.
How To Cook Braising Steak In Slow Cooker?
- Peel. Start by peeling and dicing your potatoes. Load them into the slow cooker with butter, or margarine along with mixed herbs and salt and pepper. Let them slow cook for 90 minutes.
- Prep. Next peel and dice your onion and garlic. Load onions into the slow cooker with extra virgin olive oil and saute until they resemble the onions you have in a hot dog.
- Add. Next add in the braising steak and season the braising with salt, pepper, and half the bouquet garni.
- Cook. Once you have browned your meat on all sides add in the frozen stock cubes and the red wine. Slow cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.
- Mash. When the slow cooker is back on add margarine and any extra seasonings and some milk to the bowl and mash until you have creamy mash.
- Rest. When the slow cooker has done, remove the beef to rest and then add the rest of the bouquet garni and a heaped tablespoon of mashed potatoes and stir until you have a thick onion gravy.
- Serve. Next carve the braising steak and load onto dinner plates with the onion gravy and mashed potatoes.
And I am sure you can see why this recipe for braising steak in slow cooker is a true favourite of mine.
How Long To Cook Braising Steak In Slow Cooker?
The braising steak cooking time is JUST 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low. Though this doesn’t include the option of making the mashed potatoes first in the slow cooker.
If you don’t want to wait for the slow cooker, you can make our ninja foodi mashed potatoes or our instant pot no drain mashed potatoes at the same time.
What About Braising Steak & Chips?
You could absolutely make braising steak and chips and use your braising steak as an alternative to our air fryer sirloin steak.
Simply ignore the mashed potatoes step and make some of our air fryer chips instead.
More Slow Cooker Dinners
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef Hash
- Slow Cooker Pork Leg Joint
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew
- Slow Cooker Savoury Mince
- Slow Cooker Bacon Chops
- Slow Cooker Stovies
Your braising steak and onions is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Slow Cooker Braised Steak & Onions
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Mash
- 1 kg White Potatoes
- 2 Tbsp Butter/Margarine
- 4 Tbsp Skimmed Milk
- 1 Tsp Mixed Herbs
- Salt & Pepper
Braised Steak
- 1.2 kg Braising Steak/Chuck Roast
- 2 Medium Onions
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 240 ml Red Wine
- 240 ml Frozen Beef Stock
- 3 Tbsp Bouquet Garni
- Salt & Pepper
Kitchen Gadgets:
Instructions
- Peel your white potatoes and dice them and load the potatoes into the slow cooker with half the butter or margarine, salt, pepper, and mixed herbs. Allow to slow cook for 90 minutes on high to create soft mashed potatoes. After 90 minutes put the potatoes to one side in a suitable bowl and add the milk and other half of the butter.
- Whilst the potatoes are cooking in the slow cooker, peel and slice your onions and also peel and slice your garlic cloves.
- When the slow cooker is done, and you have emptied out the potatoes use the slow cooker on the stovetop to sauté the onion with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté until the onions are similar to hot dog onions and have some colour to them.
- Then stir in the garlic and add to the slow cooker the braising steak. Season the braising steak with salt, pepper and half the bouquet garni. Slowly turning it and re-seasoning until it is browned and seasoned on all sides.
- Add in the red wine and beef stock and then slow cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low. Then whilst the slow cooker is working its magic mash your potatoes and put to one side.
- Remove the braising steak from the slow cooker and allow to rest on a clean chopping board.
- Then add a heaped tablespoon of mashed potatoes and the rest of the bouquet garni. Stir and allow it to thicken.
- Then slice the braising steak and serve the braising steak with mashed potatoes and onion gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
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I had lost my recipe and needed a new one and i was on your site as i had just bought a new air fryer as they are the new cooking gadget and came across your slow cooker section and just found this recipe, so good and tasty and your instructions really helped.