Cajun Smothered Seven (7) Steak

Cajun Smothered Seven (7) Steak 2 pounds of 7-steak, or other braising steaks (see note) 1 tablespoon of canola oil or bacon drippings 1 cup of chopped onion 1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper 1 whole green onion, sliced 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic 1 cup of beef stock or broth 2 (6 ounce) cans of mushroom steak sauce (like Giorgio's Dawn Fresh) - see substitute below Palmful of dried parsley 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama) Couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce Couple dashes of hot sauce Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste Slurry of cornstarch and water, optional Cut the meat into smaller serving sizes if desired and let it come to room temperature, at least 15 minutes. In a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed deep pot, heat the oil over medium high heat and brown the meat on both sides, just until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. In the drippings (add more oil if needed), saute the onion, bell pepper and green onion and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute; add the parsley. Stir in the beef broth, mushroom sauce, parsley, Cajun seasoning, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Add steak to the pot, turning to coat, cover and simmer (do not boil!) for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is fall off the fork tender. Serve with juices as is, or use a slurry of one tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve. Remove meat and set aside, stir in the slurry, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Return steaks to gravy to coat or simply spoon over individual servings. Serve with homemade mashed potatoes or rice. Substitute: If you can't find the mushroom steak sauce, substitute a can of cream of mushroom soup with a splash of Kitchen Bouquet and/or a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon beef in a pinch. Notes: Braising steaks are best for this dish. Braising is not recommended for top round (which is often just marked as "round,"), so if you use round steak, but sure to use an eye or bottom round steak for this dish. Other good braising steaks include chuck eye, chuck arm, mock tender, chuck tender steak and flat iron. Substitute about 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped parsley for the dried parsley if you prefer. Add potatoes and carrots, peeled and cut into chunks, the last 20 minutes of cooking. For the Crockpot: Prep everything as above. Transfer browned steaks to the crockpot and pour the sauteed veggies and sauce mixture on top. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat and pour off sauce into a saucepan to thicken gravy with slurry, if desired.