Crock-Pot® steak is a name given to a wide variety of beef steak-based meals that are prepared in a Crock-Pot®. Made with different types of beef steak, the Crock-Pot® steak is primarily prepared using cubed or round steak. The typical Crock-Pot® steak meal contains meat, vegetables and some type of liquid or gravy. Often used to take advantage of the slow cooker's ability to tenderize a tougher cut of steak, the typical slow-cooked steak meal is designed to simmer for most of the day before serving.
Some of the most affordable cuts of meat also happen to be some of the toughest and most difficult to prepare. Round steak is one such cut, as the lack of marbling and tightly intertwined tissue can be a challenge for even the best of chefs. By using the problematic cut of beef in a Crock-Pot® steak dish, the cook is able to use the slow cooking, low heat of the Crock-Pot® along with the moisture of gravy to tenderize the connective tissue of the steak. This results in an easy-to-eat, Crock-Pot® steak meal that is also often easy on the budget.
Many of the Crock-Pot® steak dishes are designed to be used in conjunction with fresh or canned vegetables to create a one-dish meal that is both economical and nutritious. One of the many Crock-Pot® steak recipes, such as Crock-Pot® deer-steak, uses venison in place of beef steak to create an exotic meal using fare provided by a successful hunter. For the non-hunter, the venison can also be purchased from a specialty market. Other recipes include such international dishes as Swiss, Hungarian and Mexican steak dinners, which are all made with help from the slow cooker.
The unique cook-and-serve design of the typical slow cooker makes the creation of a steak-based recipe not only good for a family dinner, but equally suitable for potluck dinner dishes. The slow cooker is well-suited for make-it-and-take-it cooking where the meal can be prepared ahead of time and warmed up after reaching the dinner destination. Family gatherings, church suppers and office parties can all take advantage of the Crock-Pot's® ability to travel and re-heat food so well. While most slow cookers have multiple heat settings, the best results typically occur when using the lowest heat setting and a longer cooking time when making any Crock-Pot® steak dinner.