Smoky Beef Stroganoff~skirt steak recipe

Smoky Beef Stroganoff

prep time: 10 mins.
cook time: 35-40 mins.

Our family loves beef stroganoff, and my mom makes an awesome traditional stroganoff, so that’s pretty much exactly what we think of when we hear those words. This recipe in particular is an adaption of a dish served at one of our favorite lunch spots in Charlotte and has a delicious smokey taste to it that makes it completely different from a traditional stroganoff. We classify them in my family as Mom’s stroganoff and Taylor’s stroganoff. We are super creative…you don’t have to tell me!

My sister came up with this dish by merging two copycat recipes she found for a particular dish at a favorite restaurant. She simplified it and added some things to better suit her taste, and my oh MY, it’s good! We give her a hard time that it doesn’t smell or look like Mom’s, but she’s pretty unfazed by it since she knows we will gobble it up as soon as she lets us! One really great thing about my family is that my parents thought all of us kids should learn how to cook, boys and girls alike, which means no matter whose house you’re at, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a good meal before too awful long!

This dish ideally uses skirt steak which is a huge favorite in our house! This particular cut is made up of layers of fat and meat stacked on top of each other. It can look a little daunting, and you should resist the urge the trim off any top layers of fat because when seared over high heat, those layers melt away and soak into the meat providing it with awesome flavor and tenderness. As long as you cook the meat long enough and on a high enough heat, the fat will render out beautifully and taste great! However, feel free to substitute flank steak, cubed stew meat, or ground beef for “poor mans stroganoff.” It’s pretty versatile when it comes to the cut of meat. Enjoy!

You’ll need:

1 lb of skirt steak

Olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsps. garlic powder or minced garlic

1 1/2 tsps. salt

Dash of crushed red pepper

Dash of cracked black pepper

1 red onion

1 oz pack of mushrooms

1-2 cups beef broth

1 10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

1/4 C of heavy whipping cream

1/4 C of sour cream

1/2-1 C Italian blend shredded cheese

If you get your skirt steak from Barrier Farms, it is mostly likely folded in half, which is nice because that means you can start cutting from the ends and slice it twice as fast. You want to cut it into 1/2” strips, and this is easier to do if the meat is only half way thawed. Once your meat is all sliced up, drizzle a little olive oil over it. This step is optional, but I like doing it so my spices stick to the meat better. however, since the meat is pretty fatty, the oil is just extra fat once you start searing it. Combine all your spices and coat the steak in it.

Next up, chop your onion and slice up the mushrooms. I don’t slice the mushrooms too thin because they cook away to literally nothing. Put a large sauce pan on medium to high heat and let it get hot before adding in your steak, onion, and mushrooms. Sear for about 10 minutes or until the onions have become pretty translucent and soft. At this time, there will probably be a lot of cooking liquid from the fat of the steak. You can choose to drain off or keep it for flavor… it’s up to you! I like to keep it and use less beef broth because of the flavor and healthy fats that are in pasture raised meats, but its ok to drain it off.

Add the beef broth and lower the heat to medium lo, and let it simmer for another 10-12 minutes. I add in about 1 1/2 cups and save the rest untill later to help get my desired thickness. After it’s simmered for 10-12 minutes, add in the sour cream, heavy cream, and 1 cup of cheese. Bring the heat back up to medium and let it cook for another 10 minutes to thicken up. At this time you should taste it to see if it has your desired level of seasonings and cheesiness. If you’re a cheese lover like me, you’ll probably want to add in more…just saying! If its the consistency you like and the cheese level is perfect , you’re all done! Add in cooked egg noodles, and let them sit for just a couple minutes so they can soak up all the saucy goodness and then top with parmesan cheese and parsley.