Recipes Damage In The Kitchen: Salisbury Steak

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Salisbury Steak

alisbury steak

Long before there was Atkins there was Dr. J. H. Salisbury (1823–1905) It is Dr. Salisbury we have to thank for Salisbury steak. "An early proponent of a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss; the term "Salisbury steak" has been in use in the United States since 1897. Salisbury steak is a dish made from a blend of minced beef and other ingredients, which is shaped to resemble a steak, and is usually served with gravy or brown sauce."

From: "What Must I Do To Get Well And How Can I Keep So?" by Elma Fraser Stuart: Dr. Salisbury's Beef-cake. Copied from his Recipe, dated first 1863.

"Food Meats.—Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp should be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage. Previous to chopping, the fat, bone, tendons, and fascia should all be cut away, and the clean muscle cut up in pieces an inch or two square. Steaks through the centre of the round [middle-cut] are the richest and best for this purpose. Beef should be used from well-fatted animals that are from 4 to 6 years old. The pulp should not be pressed too firmly together before broiling, or it will taste livery. Simply press it sufficiently, so that it will hold together. Make the cakes from half an inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately over a fire free from blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste with butter, pepper, salt, and mustard. If desired, celery may be moderately used as a relish."

Salisbury Beef-cake (Date, Dec 1897). Recipe given to a patient of Dr.Salisbury

"Take a cut off the round and carefully remove all fat and gristle. Pass through machine 3 times. After this, it must not be touched except with two forks to make it into a cake. Form the meat lightly into a cake about an inch and a half thick, taking care not to pack it too tightly. Broil, seeing that your gridiron is thoroughly hot before putting the cake on. Keep the cake at first close to the fire, which must be clear and hot, until a skin is formed to keep the juice in. Then move it a little further off from the fire. Turn the cake with a cake-turner as often as you see a drop of juice coming out of the cake. The cake must be done thoroughly, right through, and not be in the least bit pink, but thoroughly brown right through. If a cake can be cooked under the fire (as in a gas stove), it is far better and more digestible. A 7 oz. cake over the fire takes from 16 to 21 minutes; under the fire rather more."

From Recipes Online: wikidot

Salisbury Steak

For the steaks: 2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup onion
1/2 tsp pepper
For the sauce: 32 oz water with 1 beef bullion cube
4 tbsp cornstarch

Preparing the steaks: Mix all together and make into 4 patties. Brown in frying pan. Remove temporarily from frying pan & put on a plate.

Preparing the sauce: Mix together in same frying pan as steaks had been. After mixing the sauce put meat back in the pan. Cook together for 5 minutes.

Editor's Note: my tweak for this recipe would be to increase the number of eggs from 2 to 4, add 1 cup crimini mushrooms for flavor, and eliminate the cornstarch for the sauce as it seems to contradict Dr.Salisbury's intent to have a dish with fewer carbohydrates. i would increase the amount of Worcestershire sauce to 1/2 cup. Also the recipe as it appears at wikidot uses an onion soup mix packet. my preference would be for freshly chopped onion. Also i recommend covering the skillet during the cooking process. This will help the beef to remain juicy. The original method of cooking the dish was to broil it which of course will help in tenderizing the beef.