Traditional Braised Pepper Steak

Why This Traditional Braised Pepper Steak Works

During the long, low cooking time, the thin strips of sirloin slowly soften in the liquid. The soy sauce, Worcestershire, and beef broth soak into the meat, so it doesn’t dry out, even after hours in the slow cooker. Instead of getting tough, the steak relaxes and becomes very tender.

As the peppers and onions sit on top and cook, they slowly wilt and give off their juices into the pot. The diced tomatoes mix with those juices and the cooking liquid from the steak, so everything ends up in one big, steady simmer. Over time, the vegetables lose their crunch but keep their shape, so there are still clear pieces of pepper and onion in the finished dish.

Near the end, the cornstarch and water slurry goes in. Once it heats up, the cornstarch swells and turns the thin cooking liquid into a smooth, glossy sauce that clings to the steak and peppers instead of running all over the plate.

Mistakes To Avoid

Cutting the steak into thick chunks instead of thin strips makes it hard for the meat to soften in the slow cooker. The outside will feel cooked but the centers stay chewy, so the “braised” steak ends up tough instead of tender.

Letting the slow cooker run much longer than 7 hours on low can break down the peppers and onions too much. The vegetables lose their shape, turn mushy, and the sauce becomes more like a soft stew with no bite from the peppers.

Adding the cornstarch slurry at the beginning instead of near the end causes the sauce to thicken too early. As it keeps cooking, the thickened liquid can turn gluey and slightly pasty, and the meat and vegetables sit in a heavy, sticky sauce.

Skipping the cornstarch slurry altogether leaves the cooking liquid very thin. The sauce runs all over the plate, doesn’t cling to the steak or peppers, and the dish eats more like meat in broth than a braised pepper steak.