Ball-Tip Steak Stew With Mushrooms and Sherry

I often buy ball-tip steaks because they are less expensive than other steaks. This cut comes from the top of the round or sirloin. It isn’t as tender as other steaks, such as t-bone, and requires thoughtful preparation. Ball-tip steaks accept rubs and marinades well. They can be charcoal grilled, pan-grilled, or braised.

This cut has good flavor. Some steaks are an inch and a half or more thick. Before I cook thick steaks in a cast iron skillet I cut them in half horizontally to ensure doneness. The tenderness of this cut ranges from barely chewable, to chewable, to fairly tender. However, it isn’t as tender as tenderloin or t-bone.

There’s an old-fashioned butcher shop in my town and I love to go there because the meat is fabulous and the staff is friendly. Recently I bought some ball-tip steaks and they were huge, seven inches long, and two inches thick. How should I cook them? I decided to use the meat for stew and the recipe I created came from the ingredients on hand.

I had a box of fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator and decided to add them to the stew. I also had a large package of Roma tomatoes, the result of shopping at a discount store, too many tomatoes for a couple. Although we had been eating tomatoes regularly, I feared the rest would spoil, and decided to add them to the stew.

You may make this recipe in a Dutch Oven or slow cooker. I opted for the slow cooker method and the stew was delicious. We had it for two meals and I froze the rest. Serve the stew with crackers, or crusty bread, and a tossed green salad. This recipe makes about eight servings.

INGREDIENTS

2-2 1/2 pounds ball-tip steak

2 teaspoons reduced sodium salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Olive oil (as needed)

3 cups reduced sodium beef broth

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup very dry sherry

8-ounce box button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

2 cups frozen, French-cut green beans

2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped

4 tablespoons corn starch (or more)

Cold water

METHOD

1. Insert liner in slow cooker.

2. Cut steaks into 1 1/2-inch cubes.

3. Chop tomatoes and set aside.

4. Combine salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and flour in plastic zipper bag. Add meat, zip closed, and shake until cubes are well coated with flour mixture.

5. Pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil into skillet. Brown meat in small batches over medium heat, transferring each batch to slow cooker.

6. Add beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry to skillet. Heat to steaming and pour over steak.

7. Stir green beans and chopped tomatoes into meat mixture with rubber spatula.

8. Cover and set cooker in high. Cook for 1 hour.

9. Turn cooker dial to low and cook 3 more hours.

10. Put corn starch in small bowl. Whisk in cold water until mixture is a thin paste. Drizzle into stew and cook a few more minutes, stirring with rubber spatula, until stew has thickened. Add more cornstarch paste if necessary. Enjoy!