New Orleans Grillades and Grits (Slow-Simmered Creole Beef Brunch)

Why you’ll love it

• Fork-tender beef: an affordable cut becomes meltingly tender in a slow-simmered gravy.
• Real Creole flavor: a toasty roux, the trinity, tomatoes and spice give the gravy deep New Orleans taste.
• Perfect for company: make the grillades a day ahead and serve a crowd-pleasing brunch with little morning work.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the grillades

• 2 lb (900 g) beef top or bottom round steak, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick
• 2 tsp Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil, divided

For the Creole gravy

• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 2 cups (480 ml) beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the creamy grits

• 4 cups (960 ml) water
• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups (240 g) stone-ground or old-fashioned grits (not instant)
• 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving (optional)

• Fried or poached eggs, Louisiana hot sauce and extra sliced green onions

Step-by-step method

1. Pound and cut the beef. Trim the beef of excess fat. Place it between sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet or heavy skillet to about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Cut it into pieces about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide.

2. Season and dredge. Season the beef on both sides with the Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Put the 1/2 cup (65 g) flour in a shallow dish, dredge each piece and shake off the excess.

3. Brown the beef. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large braiser or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches without crowding, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding the remaining oil as needed. Transfer the browned pieces to a plate.

4. Make the roux. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the pot and, when it melts, whisk in the 3 tablespoons flour. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping up the browned bits, 4 to 5 minutes, until the roux is the color of peanut butter.

5. Cook the trinity. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook, stirring, 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

6. Build the gravy. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, then slowly stir in the beef broth until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, vinegar, bay leaves, thyme and cayenne and bring to a simmer.

7. Simmer the grillades. Return the beef and any juices to the pot, pressing the pieces into the gravy. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the beef is very tender. If the gravy gets too thick, add a splash of broth or water.

8. Cook the grits. About 50 minutes before the grillades are done (or 25 minutes for old-fashioned grits), bring the water, milk and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowly whisk in the grits, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, whisking every 5 minutes, 45 to 50 minutes for stone-ground or 20 to 25 minutes for old-fashioned, until thick and creamy. Stir in the butter and pepper. Add a splash of hot water if they get too thick.

9. Finish and serve. Discard the bay leaves from the grillades. Stir in the green onions and parsley and taste for salt and cayenne. Spoon the grits into wide bowls and top with the grillades and plenty of gravy. Serve with eggs and hot sauce if you like.

How to know it is done

The grillades are done when a fork slides into the thickest piece of beef with almost no resistance and the meat pulls apart easily, and the gravy is thick, glossy and deep red-brown, coating the back of a spoon. The grits are ready when every grain is soft with no gritty bite and they flow slowly off a spoon like thick porridge. If the beef is still chewy, keep simmering it covered 15 minutes more and test again.

Tips for the best result

• Pound the beef thin and evenly so it cooks evenly and turns tender.
• Brown the meat in batches; crowding the pot steams it and you lose the deep flavor.
• Take the roux to a peanut-butter color for a nutty, rich gravy, but stir constantly so it does not burn.
• Simmer low and slow; a hard boil makes round steak tough.
• Use stone-ground grits for the best creamy, corny flavor, and stir them often so they do not stick.

Variations and substitutions

• Veal grillades: use thin veal round cutlets, the old-school New Orleans choice; simmer 45 to 60 minutes.
• Pork grillades: use boneless pork shoulder steaks pounded thin; simmer about 1 hour.
• Cheese grits: stir 1 cup (115 g) shredded sharp cheddar or smoked Gouda into the finished grits.
• Spicier: add a chopped jalapeño with the trinity and finish with Louisiana hot sauce.
• Slow cooker: after step 6, transfer the gravy and beef to a slow cooker and cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours.
• Over rice or mashed potatoes: serve the grillades over white rice or mashed potatoes for dinner.

Make ahead

Grillades improve overnight. Cook them completely, cool, and refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat covered over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth to loosen the gravy, until the meat is hot all the way through. Cook the grits fresh the morning you serve them, or make them up to 1 day ahead and rewarm with extra milk, whisking until creamy.

Storage and reheating

Store the grillades and the grits in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the grillades on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave, covered, until steaming. Grits firm up when chilled; reheat them in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk or water, whisking until smooth. The grillades freeze well for up to 3 months; grits are best not frozen.