My Salisbury Steak recipe – extra juicy beef patties drowning in a Mushroom Gravy Salisbury Steak Sauce! Make the gravy extra tasty by just searing the Salisbury Steaks quickly in a hot skillet, then finish cooking them IN the gravy. And my secret for extra tender patties!
I will always remember Salisbury Steak as the homeless man’s favourite meal of 2015.
The homeless man at the dog park has a name. It’s Geoff, but I feel like I shouldn’t use it too often on my website because I’ve never officially asked him if it’s ok for me to write about him on my website (though he does know I do). That’s why I keep referring to him as the homeless man – a token gesture of respect for his privacy. Not everyone wants an internet presence!!!
Anyway, the story of this Salisbury Steak recipe is that all through the year, I had been taking him meals and sometimes they were even things that are a bit schmancy-sounding, like tartare, confit duck, things like that. Just before Christmas back in 2015, he mentioned to me that he had organised Christmas drinks with locals that evening at the dog park and invited me to come along. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it, but I offered to drop round something for his party.
So I asked him what, of all the things I had brought to him over the past few months, he liked the most.
And he said “Oh, those burgers with the mushroom gravy were spectacular!”. So I made an extra big batch for his party, then I published the recipe on my site the next day. 🙂
And that’s how this Salisbury Steak recipe came to be on my website, and why I will always remember it as one of the homeless man’s all-time favourite meals. And he’ll be getting it tomorrow too, because I remade it to take fresh new photos and make a recipe video. I think he’ll be pleased!!!
Mince / ground meat is very good value here in Australia and in most countries around the world I expect. And because of this, I have always liked having an arsenal of minced meat recipes in my arsenal. Not that Salisbury Steaks is a personal creation! However, the way I make them is a wee bit different to the usual Salisbury Steak recipe in 2 ways:
- Grate onion and soak the breadcrumbs in the juices – guaranteed to make the steaks softer and tastier, a tried, proven and much loved method that I use for my classic Italian Meatballs (plenty of reviews substantiating this!). Plus it’s much more efficient than cooking chopped onions (raw onion bits in steak is not nice), and you avoid the risk of the steaks falling apart if the onions aren’t chopped finely enough ; and
- Sear briefly then finishing cooking IN the gravy: I like to sear them in a stinking hot skillet to brown the steaks so they are still raw on the inside, then finish cooking them in the gravy so the juices that seep while they are cooking flavours the gravy. Never waste free flavour! That’s my motto! Plus, the gravy infuses moisture in to the steaks. Double bonus!
Salisbury Steak isn’t well known in Australia, it’s an American dish. It tastes like beef rissoles, but with more seasoning, and is smothered in that extra tasty mushroom gravy.
It’s pretty much me on a plate. Wholesome, homely, down to earth good food that’s economical, packs a flavour punch but is not fiddly or time consuming to make. The homeless man and I have very similar tastes! – Nagi x
Resembling a hamburger, but drowning in a delicious mushroom gravy, Salisbury steak is a totally scrumptious way to transform the humble ground beef / mince into something amazing! My tips for making this extra delicious are to brown the Salisbury Steaks in a skillet, then finish cooking them IN the gravy. Also makes the steaks juicier! The method of grating the onion and soaking the breadcrumbs makes the steaks more tender, creates even better flavour and you can skip cooking the onion before mixing in. Recipe VIDEO below.
- 1/2 onion (white, brown or yellow)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or 1/3 cup ordinary breadcrumbs)
- 1 lb/500g ground beef (i.e. beef mince)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tsp dijon mustard OR 2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 5 oz/150g mushrooms , sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
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Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. Use a box grater and grate the onion over the breadcrumbs. Mix with fingers, leave to soak for a few minutes.
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Add remaining Salisbury Steak ingredients into the large bowl. Use your hands to mix until just combined - don't over mix.
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Divide into 5 and pat into oval patties around 3/4" / 1 2/3 cm thick.
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Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the steaks and cook the first side for 1 minute or until browned, then flip and brown the other side (they will still be raw inside). Remove onto plate.
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If skillet is looking dry, add a touch more oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 2 minute until onions are a bit translucent.
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Add the mushrooms into the skillet and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until golden.
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Turn heat down to medium. Add butter. Once melted, add flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
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Gradually add in beef broth, stirring as you go. Once mostly lump free, whisk in remaining Gravy ingredients.
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Add steaks along with the juices on the plate. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes, or until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally around the steaks. If the gravy thickens too quickly, add more water.
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Remove steaks onto a plate. Taste gravy and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve salisbury steaks topped with the mushroom gravy - over mashed potato is ideal! Sprinkle with a bit of parsley if desired.
1. Recipe originally published December 2015. Cooking steps streamlined to make it more efficient, and the recipe for the steaks amended to use grated onion instead of chopped cooked onion (less steps, better flavour, softer patties - read more about this grated onion breadcrumb soaking method in my Italian Meatballs, along with many reviews!). Ingredients have remained the same.
If you are determined to continue using the original recipe, here is a PDF version.
2. Nutrition below is per serving for the Salisbury Steak + gravy, no sides.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
Every morning over the summer break. PS He’s leaping to catch sand. No interest in the usual toys!
My American kids had not tried a “TV dinner” before, but my husband and I grew up occasionally eating them, so this was a treat–but definitely a much improved version. I served it with potatoes au gratin and peas and carrots for that authentic TV dinner experience, and everyone LOVED the meal. I have never had salisbury steak so good. Thanks for sharing this recipe and all the rest. Every recipe I’ve tried from you site has been a hit in my house, so whenever I need to think of dinner options, I Google “dinner and Nagi.”
Grinning like a fool, reading this message. Like a FOOL! ❤️
I made this for dinner last night – so delicious. Who would have thought I’d be so excited about Salisbury Steak? I was out of eggs, so no egg in the meat mixture and honestly I did not miss it – the meat was juicy and moist. This is a go-to recipe – everyone loved it!!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Stacy!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x ❤️
My wife of 13 years and my four kids ages 6-13 had never had salisbury steak. It being my favorite as a kid, I decided to try my hand at it. Took your recipe out one night and cooked it to a t. It is now a family favorite. Tha k you so much for bringing a part of my childhood to my kids and wife.
Good recipe. I used half whole wheat flour as I like that taste. When you are making something like I this, or sausage, cook a small portion to taste the seasoning before you form it all.
Thiis was a hit with the family! The gravy was a bit thin by my American standards [more of a sauce than a gravy] but that was easily adjusted to our taste.
Thanks for the feedback Bethany! Glad you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
These were amazing!! I didn’t use any mustard, and I sauteed my onions… Other than that, I followed the recipe. I was a little nervous because I’ve never made them before, but my goodness they were delicious! My husband loved them, and the gravy over the mashed potatoes was perfect! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!
That’s great Maria! Thanks for letting me know! – N x ❤️
Amazing! My first attempt with this recipe was delicious but my patties fell apart. I took your advice & made sure my minced meat was dry & I i I also used 1/2 cup of dried breadcrumbs & they came out perfectly. Such a simple dish but so delicious & lots of flavour.
Thankyou x