Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

I never had Salisbury Steak until  I went to graduate school at Iowa State University.  I went to eat at the university cafeteria and this dish was in their menu.  I loved it!  Ever since that time I would have it from time to time using frozen versions.  I love the sauce they came with.  Salty and thick. It is like eating steak with gravy.

The craving for this true blue American comfort food came two days ago but I wanted an easy way to prepare it.  So I decided to use my slow cooker and as for the meat source, I used frozen beef patties so I do not have to handle raw meat.  That was how energy challenged or lazy I was that day.

I did not want to resort to using any canned soup of any kind or that boxed onion dip mix in making the thick gravy I associate Salisbury Steak with. I am lazy but not squeamish to meet the challenge of experimenting to use simple ingredients to come up with something close to what the canned soup and boxed dip do so well in making gravies.  I opted to use beef broth, flour and mushrooms and dumped them with the meat in the slow cooker.  I also used dry minced onions and Worcestershire sauce to enrich the flavor. I then anxiously waited for the result.   The finished dish was a beautiful, delicious and comforting Salisbury Steak with that thick mushroom gravy. It was very close to any I have enjoyed elsewhere and brought back memories of my early years in the United States especially the first time I had it at the cafeteria at Iowa State University.

BTW my picky taster, my husband Bob, gave it not just one but two thumbs up.  Come to think of it he was the one who invited me to eat at the cafeteria that day. And the rest is history.  We dated and got married and had two daughters.  The end.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

(8 servings)

• 8 frozen beef patties (or make your own beef patty or cylinder from your favorite recipe using 2 lb ground beef)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms fresh or from a can
• 2 tbsp minced dry onions
• 2 cups beef stock  (or dissolve 2 beef bouillons in 2 cups hot water)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl, mix the flour, garlic powder and black pepper.   Divide the mixture into two portions.  Dredge each beef patty or cylinder in half of this flour mixture. 

Stack the beef patties or cylinder in your slow cooker in such a way they are not on top of each other. Place the mushrooms, dry onions and the other half of the flour, garlic and black pepper mixture over the patties. Pour the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce over the ingredients in the slow cooker. 

Cook the beef patties in its sauce in the slow cooker for 3 hours at high setting or 6 hours at low.  I cooked mine in an Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker for 3 hours at slow cooker setting.