Cowboy Beef Skillet

Cowboy Beef Skillet- London Broil Pot Roast

This Cowboy Beef Skillet is a country classic that’s made in a single cast iron skillet.  Cowboys have known for generations that cast iron can’t be beat for searing meat before it slowly braises until it's tender. 

Here I’ve used a lean cut of beef with a few basic veggies to bring this country classic to your kitchen even if you live in a big city.  It's hard to beat the simplicity of this meat and potatoes meal.  

I kept the recipe very basic but there was enough room in the pan to add a few more veggies if you want.  I can’t help but think mushrooms and peas would have been an awesome addition to this one.

Cowboy Beef Skillet

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 2 hours 15 min

Ingredients list

•          2 ½ lb top round London broil, sliced in half 
•          4 medium potatoes, cut into large pieces
•          2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
•          1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
•          3 cloves of garlic, halved
•          3 tbsp olive oil 
•          2 ½ cups of water
•          salt and pepper to taste

Video Tutorial:

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 175 °C) and place a dry 12 inch cast iron skillet over a medium high heat.  
2. In a medium bowl sprinkle all of the veggies with salt and pepper then toss them with a tablespoon of olive oil to get them well coated and set this aside.
3. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper and rub it down with a tablespoon of olive oil.
4. Once the pan is hot add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and place the meat presentation side down into the pan to sear.  After five minutes on the first side turn the meat over and let it brown for five minutes on the second side.
5. Turn off the heat and add the water to the pan then add all of the chopped veggies and season the entire pan with additional salt and pepper to help season the water.
6. Cover the pan with a loose tent of heavy duty foil.  I like to cut a piece slightly larger than the pan itself then tuck the edges into to pan so nothing drips externally into the oven and the juices drip back into the pan.
7. Bake it for an hour then check to make sure the pan doesn’t need additional water.  At this point you could also baste the roast.
8. Cover again with the foil tent and bake it for an additional hour.
9. Remove the pan from the oven then remove the meat from the pan and place it on a dish to rest for 10 minutes.
10. Slice the meat into ¼ or ½ inch slices then return it to the skillet with the veggies to soak up the juice and it’s ready to serve

Notes:  I sliced the London broil in half so that it would cook more quickly and for easier maneuverability in the pan.  If you’d prefer to leave it whole, add an additional half hour of baking time to achieve the same level of tenderness.