How To Season Beef Tips?

Stovetop Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe

These tender beef tips in a rich, savory brown gravy are the perfect choice for a true comfort food-style dinner. These beef tips are guaranteed to be fork tender and flavorful when cooked slowly on the stove. The beef tips are incredibly tender, and when we say tender, we really mean it. Each bite of gravy-covered beef will fall apart on your fork.

Although this recipe does require some of your time, it won’t put a lot of strain on your patience. The instructions are simple to follow, and the list of ingredients is short and affordable. Serve your beef tips over some rice or our favorite Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, and we guarantee the whole family will be very happy with dinner! Plus, we haven’t met anyone (aside from a vegan or two) who doesn’t love this delicious beef tips recipe!

Check out our simple recipe for Instant Pot Beef Tips, which is a more hands-off recipe that lets the instant pot do most of the work, if you love this recipe for beef tips and gravy but don’t have the time to watch the beef on the stove top.

What Are Beef Tips?

Traditionally, beef tips are the leftover scraps from a beef tenderloin that are cooked in a flavorful brown gravy until they are fork-tender. However, beef tips have gained popularity, and many supermarkets now sell various cuts of meat under the label “beef tips.” Beef tips can refer to anything from stew meat to pieces of sirloin.

The most tender beef bites will come from tenderloin beef tips, with sirloin beef tips a close second. Stew meat will come in third for tenderness. Rump roast or chuck roast, both of which are a tougher cut of meat, are typically used to make stew. Although they might require a little more time to cook until they are fork tender, they will still work in this recipe.

My husband and I prefer to buy a whole beef tenderloin and cut our own steak filets from it. When we do this, we typically end up with small tenderloin pieces that cannot be grilled. To prepare these incredible beef tips and gravy, we always cut those pieces into bite-sized pieces.

Tips for cooking beef: To ensure that the meat is cooked at room temperature, leave it out on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper always have the best flavor.
Vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil can also be used in place of the olive oil in this recipe.
Yellow onions are perfect for this recipe because of their inherent sweetness.
Garlic: Use fresh minced garlic for the most flavor.
Beef Broth: Use low sodium beef broth to prevent a salty gravy.
Worcestershire Sauce: This gives the sauce a lovely umami flavor.
Alternative: You could substitute two beef bouillon cubes for the beef better than bouillon.
Don’t worry, no one will ever know you used store-bought dry gravy packets because this gravy is so elegant. Our little-known technique adds even more flavor and is very simple. Use low sodium gravy packets if you are concerned about the amount of salt in the food.

How to Make Beef Tips and Gravy

Season. Season the beef tips with salt and pepper.

Sear. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Sear the seasoned beef tips on both sides. To ensure a good sear, wait until the oil in the skillet is hot before adding the meat.

Sauté. Add the onion and garlic after lowering the heat to a low setting. Cook the onion for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Bring to a simmer. Stirring constantly, add 1 cup of the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and beef bouillon. Cover loosely with a lid.

Cook till tender. Cook the beef tips for another one to two hours, stirring occasionally. The beef tips get more tender the longer they simmer. You can add a little more beef broth, if needed.

Make the gravy. Just prior to serving, whisk the remaining 1 cup of low-sodium beef broth with the gravy packets. Stir the gravy mixture after adding it to the skillet.

Thicken the gravy. Turn up the heat to medium and simmer the gravy for 2 to 4 minutes, or until it has thickened.

Enjoy! Remove from heat and serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice, as desired.

Tips for the Best Beef Tips

Use A Good Cut Of Beef: The “What Are Beef Tips?” section, which can be found by scrolling up, contains a wealth of knowledge about the various cuts of beef tips. For the most tender beef, we advise using tips from the tenderloin or sirloin.
Don’t rush it: The results of this recipe are worth the extra time. The meat will become tough if you raise the temperature and try to cook it more quickly.
Better than Bouillon (in beef flavor), low-sodium beef broth, and beef gravy packets are some ways I like to enhance the flavor of the beef.
Reduced Sodium: If you are worried about the sodium content of this recipe, you can reduce it by using low sodium bouillon, low sodium gravy packets, and no salt added beef broth.
Check Your Meat: Before adding the gravy, make sure to gauge how tender your beef tips are. Add a little more beef broth and simmer the beef for a little while longer, until it is fork-tender. (You don’t want to continue cooking the meat after adding the gravy. The gravy will thicken and not be the correct texture. ).

What Can I Use In Place Of Gravy Packets?

You can also use cornstarch if you don’t have any gravy packets on hand. Because they have a small amount of beef flavor and seasoning added, we prefer to use gravy packets. However, you could substitute cornstarch for the packets of gravy. If your gravy is a little flavorless, you might need to season it to taste.

To Use Cornstarch In Place Of Gravy Packets:

To replace the two gravy packets, you will need 1/3 cup cornstarch.
Instead of adding the gravy packets as directed in the recipe below, whisk together the 1/3 cup cornstarch and the 1 cup chilled (or room temperature) beef broth.
Cook as directed in the recipe after adding the beef broth and cornstarch mixture to your pot.
When the gravy has thickened, taste it to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Your beef tips probably require a little more salt to make them flavorful if they aren’t already.

What To Serve With Beef Tips?

Commonly served over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles are flavorful beef tips and gravy. I find that most people serve them in the manner in which their mother served them when they were young; there is no right or wrong way, just what you personally prefer. It’s all about that comforting feeling you get from eating delicious food with pleasant memories, so if your mother served them over rice, you probably will enjoy them best that way as well.

Here are some of our favorite vegetable dishes that would go well with them, in our opinion, they are best served over mashed potatoes with some kind of yummy veggie on the side:

Fridge: Any leftovers you may have will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Your beef tips can be heated up once more on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Put this recipe in the freezer for up to three months if you want it to stay fresh even longer. For best results, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Easy Beef Recipes

Here are a few more of our favorite quick dinner recipes that use beef:

Beef Tips And Gravy

2 pounds beef tips, room temperature*
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups no-sodium beef broth, divided
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes, or 1 1/2 tablespoons beef better than bouillon
2 .87 oz reduced sodium brown gravy packets**

Season beef tips with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Sear seasoned beef tips on both sides.
Reduce heat to low, then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is soft.
Stir together 1 cup of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon. Cover loosely with lid.
Cook beef tips over low heat for an additional hour or two, stirring occasionally, until fork tender. (Beef tips become more tender the longer they simmer.) If more beef broth is required, you can add it while the food is cooking. ).
One cup of low-sodium beef broth and the gravy packets should be whisked together just before serving. Pour gravy mixture into the skillet and stir to combine.
Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the gravy for 2 to 4 minutes, or until it has thickened.
If your gravy needs any additional seasoning, taste it before removing it from the heat and serving it however you like (over rice, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles).

Fridge: Any leftovers you may have will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Your beef tips can be heated up once more on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Put this recipe in the freezer for up to three months if you want it to stay fresh even longer. For best results, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Beef Tips Recipe – How to Make Beef Tips and Gravy

FAQ

What goes good with beef tips?

Traditionally, mashed potatoes, cooked egg noodles, or rice are used to serve beef tips. To add some color to your plate, serve this dish with a straightforward side salad or steamed vegetables like broccoli or asparagus.

How do you make tough beef tips tender?

Physically tenderize the meat using these 8 easy methods. Use a marinade. Don’t forget the salt. Let it come up to room temperature. Cook it low-and-slow. Hit the right internal temperature. Rest your meat. Slice against the grain.

Are beef tips the same as stew meat?

Beef Tips are typically cut from a tenderloin or sirloin and are naturally tender and will cook up quickly, so are they the same as stew meat? Beef stew meat, on the other hand, is frequently cut from the shoulder and typically requires braising to become tender.