This amazingly fork-tender beef makes its own gravy as it bakes! This recipe uses a less tender, less expensive cut of beef that often has the best flavor when you cook it low and slow.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time5 hours20 minutes
Ingredients
4 pounds round steak or chuck steak, cut into serving-size pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 10.5 ounce cans of cream of mushroom soup
3 cups water (or about two soup cans full)
2 Tbsp instant minced onion
4 ounces Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
2 Tbsp parsley
pepper and garlic powder to taste
Instructions
Cut the steak into serving-size pieces about the size of your palm. They will shrink as they bake.
Put olive oil in a non-stick skillet and, on medium-high heat, brown quickly on both sides. You may need to add more olive oil.
Transfer the meat to a roasting pan and "shingle" the pieces. Sprinkle with pepper and garlic powder to taste.
In the same pan you used to brown the meat, combine the soup, water, beef base, parsley, and onion.
Whisk to combine all ingredients and pour over the meat.
Cover tightly and bake at 275 degrees for about 5 hours or until fork-tender. You can uncover for the last 30 minutes or so.
Baking time can vary due to the thickness and quality of meat.
You can also lower the temperature to 225 degrees and increase the cooking time, even overnight.
Check a time or two while baking to nestle each piece of meat into the gravy that's forming. It may be necessary to add a little more water, especially if the lid isn't tight.
If dinnertime is delayed, turn your oven to the lowest setting to keep warm. As long as the meat is kept moist, it's very forgiving.