Salisbury Pulled Beef with Pommes Puree

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I never thought I’d be writing the post on a balmy November day. But here I am with a low and slow Salisbury Pulled Beef with Pommes Puree. It’s currently spring-like here in Ontario, Canada and I’m suggesting you fire up your oven for three hours. Here’s hoping wherever you’re reading this from is chilly because honestly, there is nothing cozier than lazily cooking something delicious on a frigid day. And if that is your scenario, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to this divine melt-in-your-mouth Salisbury Pulled Beef. And if you’re in my neck of the woods, save this recipe for a rainy cold day. I know they’re coming. So let’s dive right in!

I mentioned it in the opening paragraph but I’m going to reiterate it now: This recipe takes 3 hours. If you don’t have 3 hours, that’s completely understandable but do not attempt this recipe at this time. Cool? Cool. Now, that I ripped that BandAid off, I’m going to follow it up by reassuring you that this recipe doesn’t take 3 hours of active work. In fact, the less active you are, the better. That way you won’t be endlessly peaking into the oven and letting the heat out. But you will have to be present for 3 hours. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love leaving a cooking oven, even a low oven, unattended. So get yourself comfy on the couch, watch some trashy TV, and enjoy the heavenly scents emanating from your kitchen. Who says braising beef can’t be an aromatherapy session?

First things first, you’re going to need a 3-4 pound chuck or blade roast. Make sure it’s bundled together with butcher’s twine to ensure even cooking. Most of these roasts come from the grocery store already tied. If this is the case, you don’t have to do anything more. Season your roast on all sides and let sit until it comes up to room temperature. Once it gets there, heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe Dutch oven. Sear the beef on all sides until deep golden. Transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside. 

This pulled beef recipe lifts its flavor profile from the iconic American diner dish Salisbury Steak. The frozen dinner mainstay typically includes a seared hamburger steak smothered in mushroom and onion gravy. The dish is typically served with a side of mashed potatoes and green peas. With this in mind, we’re going to kick the pulled beef version off by sautéing some onions and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms and onions are golden, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate. The slotted spoon will ensure all that mushroomy, oniony goodness stays in the pot. 

Why did we remove the veg? Well, if we braised the mushrooms and onions alongside the beef, they would practically disintegrate by the time the meat was done. This way we get the flavor of the mushrooms and onions into the dish early without compromising the texture of the veg. Don’t worry the mushrooms and onions will come back into play. Nothing will go to waste.

Once we’ve given the mushrooms and onions the heave-ho, it’s time to build the braising liquid. We’ve built a lovely foundation of beef, mushroom, and onion juices, now we’re going to add to it. Stir in tomato paste. This is more for sweetness than tomato-y flavor, this is by no means a tomato-forward dish. Then we’re going to add some Worcestershire sauce, a key Salisbury Steak ingredient, and Dijon mustard. Now for the secret ingredient – dried porcini mushrooms blitzed into a powder. This doubles down on the mushroom flavor and ups the umami. It’s admittedly a pricy ingredient but it is well worth the splurge. But if you’d rather not, you don’t have to. 

Now, let’s put the “liquid” in our braising liquid. Pour in a couple of cups of beef stock and the better part of a can of beer. I used an American brown ale but an amber ale would work as well. Really, you can use any beer you want but just make sure your choice isn’t too hoppy. Hops can really alter the flavor of this dish. Stir in a little honey for balance and add a bundle of thyme and some bay leaves. Lower the beef into the pot and cover. Braise the beef at 300°F for 3 hours, turning the beef every hour. 

Now, that the beef is on its merry way, we can focus on the potatoes. I paired my beef with Pommes Puree, the rich French version of mashed potatoes. But before you follow me down this path and believe me, I want you to, I should probably tell you these potatoes contain an entire stick of butter. I follow that up by saying, you’re not going to sit down and eat an entire vat of potatoes by your lonesome, you’ll want to but you won’t. So you’re not going to eat an entire stick of butter, you’re going share a stick of butter with friends. Doesn’t that make you feel better?

Pommes puree is a little more involved than regular mashed potatoes. It starts with peeling and dicing your potatoes. Try to cut them into uniform cubes so they cook at the same rate. Pile the potatoes into a steaming basket and steam until very tender. I prefer steaming over boiling because I find boiling results in water-logged potatoes. Pass the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. This will make our potatoes ultra-smooth without overworking them. When you puree or overwork potatoes they produce a lot of starch, which leads to gluey potatoes. We want fluffy potatoes. 

While your potatoes are cooking and becoming their best selves, pour milk and cream into a small pot. Add a sprig of sage, thyme, whole cloves, peppercorns, and some nutmeg. Simmer on the lowest possible heat. Make sure the mixture never comes to a boil. When your potatoes are riced and in a bowl, pour the cream through a fine mesh strainer over the potatoes. Add the butter, cut into cubes, and whisk until the butter melts. Taste and season with salt accordingly. Okay, back to the beef.

Take the beef out of the oven and lift it out of its braising liquid. Place the beef in a small casserole dish, and using two forks, shred the meat. It should fall apart easily. Keep the beef warm while you build a roux in a large skillet. Whisk the strained braising liquid into the roux to form a gravy. Stir in the mushrooms and onions (remember them?) and continue to cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Take the gravy off of the heat.

Now, it’s finally time to plate up. Start with a hefty spoonful of the Pommes Puree. Top the potatoes with the Salisbury Pulled Beef and drown it in the mushrooms and onion gravy. Finish the plate with a side of peas for, um, balance? And serve immediately!

Enjoy!