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The hours-long marinade and low-and-slow cook time make this Cajun smothered steak and gravy the perfect Sunday dinner, y'all. Chuck roast steaks, sliced into strips, then submerged into a tenderizing broth and tucked into the fridge. Dusted with flour, then browned in a skillet. Removed momentarily to let the pan juices flavor the Cajun trinity veggies and garlic. Then, returned to the cast iron skillet for another hour or so, until each piece literally melts into the thick, rich and oh sooo flavorful gravy. Yep and yay...
There's No Dinner Like a South Louisiana Sunday Dinner
All throughout my childhood, my Mom made her best dishes for us after church on Sunday. She would cook them the day before, or very early in the morning. I would see her chopping the veggies and browning the meats. And cooking down big pots of deliciousness whose smells would permeate every square inch of our home.
Since we also had an attic fan, there were times when those Sunday dinner prep smells would linger into my bedroom. And go right up into my nose, literally waking me straight up out of a dead sleep. Yep. It was an unforgettably amazing way to start the day. And the best push on the planet to get me up and out of bed. Ready to go to church and hear the Word. Then, return home and eat my Cajun Momma's food, the best food that I've ever eaten in my entire life.
I usually go to great lengths to make Sunday dinners special for Mark and me. But, lately it's been so hot that we've been eating really light every day, even on Sundays. Well, I peeked into our freezer the other day to get my weekend meal inspiration going. And, I gazed upon a packet of chuck roast that I'd been saving for such a time as this.
And, I immediately thought that I should cut it into steaks, and smother it down with my beloved Cajun trinity. So, I got really busy really fast developing this Cajun smothered steak and gravy. And, it turned out to be exactly what I wanted it to be, y'all!
This Cajun smothered steak literally falls apart into the herb and veggie-studded gravy. And each piece of meat is so, so tender that you can cut it with a spoon. Perfect with mashed potatoes and maple glazed carrots, this smothered steak screams Sunday special dinner time!
How to Make Cajun Smothered Steak
Start by marinating chuck steak strips in the fridge for a few hours:
Then, heat oil or butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Press the drained, marinated steak strips into the cassava flour. Shake off excess, and brown in batches:
When strips are browned, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate:
Then, add more oil or butter to the pan. And use a spatula to pull up the super tasty brown bits on the bottom:
Add the Cajun trinity of chopped onion, green bell pepper and celery to the skillet:
When the trinity browns, add garlic. Cook for one additional minute:
Then add the remaining ingredients, and the browned chuck steak strips to the pan:
And keep cooking down over low heat for an hour or so, adding more gluten free broth to the pan, as needed:
And that's it y'all!
This Cajun smothered steak recipe might seem a little intimidating at first. But, once you make it once, you'll see how super easy it really is!
Marinating the steak strips in chicken broth, then cooking them down with beef broth adds a deep flavor dimension that you just can't get enough of! The low-and-slow cooking method yields a nostalgic, old school taste that just gets better and better with each bite.
This dish definitely brought me back to my childhood happy place. And I honestly can't wait to go there again! Yep! I'll be cooking this one quite regularly now. I love the melt-in-your-mouth meat. I adore the thick, garlicky Cajun trinity-studded gravy. And, I cherish the slow-cooked taste that you can only get when you take your time cooking on your stovetop with the right cast iron skillet.
Share this gluten free Cajun smothered steak and gravy with those whose love for you goes back as far as time could tell. And see y'all on the yum side...
Cajun Smothered Steak & Gravy
Ingredients
For the Chuck Steak Marinade
- 1 cup gluten free chicken broth
- ⅛ cup gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 ½ pounds boneless chuck steak
For the Gluten Free Cajun Smothered Steak and Gravy
- butter or oil, as needed
- 1 to ½ cups cassava flour or gluten free rice flour blend
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ⅓ cup chopped celery
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ½ to 3 cups gluten free beef broth, divided
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the fat from the chuck steaks, then cut into strips.
- Pour the GF chicken broth, Worcesthershire sauce, hot sauce and chopped parsley leaves into a large bowl with a fitted lid.
- Whisk until well-incorporated.
- Submerge the chuck steak strips into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but up to overnight.
- Remove the steaks and discard marinade.
- Heat a well-greased 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons of butter or oil.
- Press each marinated chuck steak strip into the cassava or rice flour blend.
- Shake off the excess, and fry in batches until browned but not cooked through.
- Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Remove any tough floury pieces from the bottom of the skillet. Add more oil, if needed.
- Add the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery to the skillet.
- Cook down, stirring often, for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the trinity is browned.
- Add the minced garlic cloves, and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Pour about 1 ½ cups of GF beef broth into the skillet.
- Stir until the broth is well-incorporated into the Cajun trinity and garlic bits, and loosen any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Stir the hot sauce, parsley flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste into the skillet.
- Submerge the browned chuck steak strips into the gravy, stirring around them to ensure that the mixture is evenly distributed around the skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occassionally, for about 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until the steak is fall apart tender. Add about ½ cup of the remaining gluten free beef broth every 15 to 20 minutes or so throughout the cooking process.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.
See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
