Chef John's Salisbury Steak

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

½ cup plain bread crumbs

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons salted butter

12 large white button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup diced onion

salt to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups high-quality, low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Prepare the steaks: Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, pepper, and cayenne together in a mixing bowl with a fork or your hands until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When almost ready to cook the steaks, make the gravy: Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and salt; sauté until nicely browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes.

Stir in broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy thickens slightly and reduces, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

Transfer gravy to a liquid measure. Scrape the pan clean with a spatula.

Finish the steaks: Remove meat from the refrigerator and divide into four equal portions. Moisten hands and form each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick oval patty. Lightly season both sides of patties with salt.

Melt butter in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in gravy and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until gravy is piping hot and steaks are no longer pink in the center, about 5 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Nutrition

• Calories: 494 kcal
• Total Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 14 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 156 mg
• Sodium: 730 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 26 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 33 g