Beef Tips and Gravy

One of my favorite foods growing up was beef tips and gravy. (I'm sure you've noticed a lot of my favorites are southern comfort foods.) It's a dish my  mom always made really well, and I'm a sucker for white gravy. It's just so good! .. With the weather becoming chilly, it's the perfect time for all of those comfort foods to grace the table.  Thus, we have beef tips and gravy.

This dish is pretty simple to make, though the gravy may seem daunting.

Beef Tips and Gravy

• 2 lbs stew meat
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Chachere's (or season-all or whatever's your poison)
• 3 or so tbsp of cooking oil
• water
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; you want enough oil to generously cover the bottom of your pan, but you don't want it so deep that you're frying your meat. 

While the oil heats up, combine the flour and Chachere's on a large plate. Dredge each piece of meat through the flour, making sure each is well coated. 

Once the oil is sizzling hot (you can tell it's right by dropping a few droplets of water in the pan; if they dance and sizzle, you're set), add the meat, making sure it's in a single layer. You may need to do two batches, which is okay.  Let the meat brown for 2 minutes on each side, achieving a nice deep brown coloring.

Once all of the meat is browned, add enough water to come most of the way up the meat, but not covering it. Cover with a lid and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

As you stir the meat, the flour and water will mix to become the basis of the gravy.  After the hour of cooking is up, slowly add the 1/2 cup of milk, stirring constantly, until you get the desired thickness (which is a personal preference).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.