Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak is one of those dishes that exists in two completely different realities. In one reality, it is a gray oval sitting in a puddle of brown liquid inside a plastic tray that just beeped at you. In the other, it is a properly made beef patty swimming in a rich mushroom and onion gravy that will make you genuinely angry at how good it is. The gap between those two versions is enormous, and that gap is basically the whole story

Dr. James Henry Salisbury

What most people do not know is that Salisbury steak has one of the strangest origin stories in American food history. It was invented by a 19th century doctor who thought beef was the cure for everything, field tested during the Civil War, renamed out of anti-German sentiment during World War I, and eventually handed off to the frozen food industry, which promptly ran it into the ground. It went from battlefield medicine to TV dinner in about 80 years, which is honestly kind of impressive.

This is an attempt to do it justice. On this page you will find the full history of Salisbury steak, a recipe that treats it like the serious dinner it actually is, and an honest comparison of the TV dinner, restaurant, and homemade versions. Spoiler: two of those are good. One of them is not.

If you grew up thinking Salisbury steak was just sad frozen meat, this is for you.

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Salisbury Steak

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 20 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

"Steaks"

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp MSG
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste

Gravy

• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Cook diced onion with a pinch of salt until soft. Add garlic, thyme, onion powder, tomato paste, soy sauce, and MSG. Cook until fragrant and the tomato paste darkens. Spread on a plate and cool completely.
2. Combine beef, panko, egg, Worcestershire, Dijon, black pepper, salt, and the cooled onion mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Form 4 to 5 oval patties, 3/4 inch thick, dimple the centers.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Sear patties about 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. They won't be cooked through. Remove to a plate.
4. Same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and diced onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms are deeply browned and onions are jammy.
5. Add beef stock, scrape up fond, bring to a simmer. Whisk cornstarch and cold water into a slurry, stir into the stock. It will thicken and go glossy within a minute.
6. Nestle patties into the gravy, spoon mushrooms over top. Cover, medium-low heat, simmer until cooked. Adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley. Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

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