Braised Sirloin Steaks

I need a little bit of practice with my new toy, or so it seems; I am so, so not in love with those recent pictures I took with it…

In fact, I came *this* close to trashing the whole lot of them. Had I not been so crazy in love with the dish itself, I think I would’ve refrained from posting this recipe and spared you the sight of these sub-par shots. But the thing is, you see, those Braised Sirloin Steaks were so incredibly good, I could not bring myself to simply let this recipe go into oblivion!

Sure, I guess could’ve redone the whole dish and then do a completely new photo shoot, but this recipe serves quite a few people… I was lucky enough to have guests to share it with that time, but making another batch immediately after would’ve had me eat Braised Sirloin Steaks every day for like 8 days straight… Yikes! I mean, I do like a little bit of variety, sometimes. And since this dish takes quite a while to make, it’s not the kind of recipe that you want to halve, really. Better even to double it up and have plenty of leftovers, especially if you have people that will gladly fight over them with you.

Rest assured though. I can affirm with absolute certainty that I will be making this dish again and that next time, I will attempt to capture a few shots that actually do it justice.

Because this dish, really, is a meat lover’s dream come true. It brings together the best of both worlds: grilling and braising. In other words, you get all the flavor of a beautifully charred steak combined with the tenderness of a slowly braised piece of meat. If like me you’re a huge fan of Blade Roast but sometimes would appreciate a bit of a leaner alternative, this is it right here.

My guests totally agreed that this recipe absolutely needed to be shared with the rest of the world… Hey, who am I to contradict them?

Since this one uses both the outdoor grill and the oven, we’re going to need to preheat both of them: the outdoor grill to really high heat (like 600°F / 315°C) and the oven to 350°F / 175°C

Next, all the spices must be ground together with a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. If you choose to use a coffee grinder, be careful not to get over zealous: you want your spices to remain somewhat coarse, so they can create a beautiful crust.

Place your steaks on a cutting board and sprinkle them generously on both sides with the spice mixture. Massage the spices in nicely with the tip of your fingers.

Note that you will more than likely have a little bit too much of that spice mixture. You’re probably going to end up using about 3/4 of the amount. Don’t you go throw away the leftovers, though; save them to season your next batch of grilled chicken, steaks or even beef patties…

Once your BBQ has reached the desired temperature, place the steaks on the hot grill and cook them for about 10 minutes per side, until they get nicely charred.

Don’t worry about them getting really dark and overcooked… The charring will only add tons of yummy flavor to the meat, and braising the steaks will take care of bringing the tenderness back into them.

While the steaks are grilling, scrape all the spices that didn’t adhere to the meat while seasoning it earlier off the cutting board (hey, don’t let anything go to waste!) and throw them in a Dutch oven.

Add a tablespoon of ghee and melt it over medium-low heat; add the onions and cook them, stirring often, until they become soft and fragrant, which should take about 5 minutes.

Then, stir in 2 cups of water as well as the bay leaves. Kill the heat and set aside.

When the steaks are done charring, place them in the Dutch oven, on top of the onions, then put the lid on and place that in the oven.

Braise your steaks for 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Do, however, check on your meat after an hour or so, just to make sure that there is still enough liquid in the pot. If the level seems kinda low, simply add another cup of water.

And there you have it! All that’s left to do now is serve your meat piping hot, covered in that delicious onion compote that has magically formed at the bottom of the pot…

Oh, and no need for a knife, really. A simple fork will suffice!

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4.27 from 15 votes

Braised Sirloin Steaks

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

These Braised Sirloin Steaks are a meat lover's dream come true: you get all the flavor of a beautifully charred steak combined with the tenderness of a slowly braised piece of meat.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 6 - 8½ to 10 oz top sirloin steaks, trimmed of excess visible fat
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups water, divided

For the spice mix

• 2 tbsp dried onion flakes
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp chili pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Preheat your outdoor grill to really high heat (600°F / 315°C) and your oven to 350°F / 175°C
• Grind all the spices together with a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder. If using a coffee grinder, be careful not to get over zealous. You want your spices to remain somewhat coarse, so they create a beautiful crust.
• Place the steaks on a cutting board; Sprinkle them generously on both sides with the spice mixture and massage it in nicely with the tip of your fingers. You're probably going to end up using about 3/4 of the spices. Save the leftovers to season your next steaks, grilled chicken or beef patties...
• Place the steaks on the hot grill and cook them for about 10 minutes per side, until they get nicely charred.
• While the steaks are grilling, scrape all the spices that didn't stick to the meat off the cutting board and throw them in a Dutch oven. Add a tablespoon of ghee and melt it over medium-low heat; add the onions and cook them, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 cups of water as well as the bay leaves. Kill the heat and set aside.
• When the steaks are done charring, place them in the Dutch oven, on top of the onions, then put the lid on and place in the oven to bake for 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender; Check on your meat after an hour, though, just to make sure that there is still enough liquid in the pot. If the level seems low, add another cup of water.
• Serve piping hot, covered with the delicious onion compote that's now at bottom of pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 65g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 174mg, Sodium: 370mg, Potassium: 1250mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1909IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 131mg, Iron: 6mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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