Beef Tips and Tots

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(24)
20 Reviews
6 Photos

I'm going to show you this very old-school method of making beef tips, which, once made, can be used to top lots of things—but my favorite thing to top with tips is probably Tater Tots®. And if you're looking for new ways to prepare lean, inexpensive, tough cuts of beef, this is one of my all-time favorite methods. You can give this an upgrade by topping with diced red onion, grated Cheddar cheese, and freshly sliced green onions, or you can serve the beef tips over hot mashed potatoes instead of tots, if you like.

By
John Mitzewich
Chef John
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques.
Allrecipes' editorial guidelines
Updated on September 14, 2023
6
6
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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
2 hrs 15 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
4 servings
Jump to Nutrition Facts

Unless you live in the Northeast, beef "tips" are not something you see on menus very often. That's a shame, since they areone of the great, meaty comfort foods of all time. Having said that, we've all had beef tips before, except it was probably called "stew." I don't want to get bogged down in semantics, but to me the main differences between the two terms are where the meat comes from and how it's cut.

Based on my experience, "tips" are smaller trimmings cut from pieces of meat that weren't big enough to make larger chunks of "stew meat." Nowadays, beef tips can come from any cut, but for obvious financial reasons, your average truck stop is using something cheap, lean, and tough (so that's what I went with here). There's something very satisfying about making these types of cuts succulent and delicious. The keys are incorporating enough fat into the final product and cooking it long enough.

You'll have to judge the cooking time for yourself, but don't stop until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Once the beef gets to that point, the fat from the meat (and whatever we've added to the pan) will have emulsified into an amazing sauce, and no one will know how unremarkable the original cut really was. Speaking of amazing sauce, I love this over the potato tots, but you can't go wrong with a big pile of mashed potatoes. No matter how you enjoy this, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds beef round steak

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 2 ¼ cups low-sodium beef broth

  • 1 (28 ounce) package frozen bite-size potato nuggets (such as Tater Tots®)

Directions

  1. Slice beef into 3/4-inch strips; then slice these pieces, at an angle, into smaller "tips." Season beef with salt and pepper.

  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Transfer in beef, arranging in a single layer. Let the meat sear until browned, 3 to 5 minutes, before turning over and browning the other side.

  3. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste, garlic, and butter. Stir everything until the butter melts, and then stir in the flour. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

  4. Stir in broth. Raise heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low, cover, and cook until beef is starting to get tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

  6. Uncover, turn heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, and the meat is tender, about 30 minutes.

  7. While meat simmers, bake potato nuggets in the preheated oven until crispy and heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

  8. Taste beef tips and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately over hot potato nuggets.

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Chef's Notes:

This will work with any similar cut of beef. If you don't have tomato paste, you can use tomato sauce or ketchup.

Less butter can be used if the beef rendered out fat.

You can use water mixed with high-quality beef base instead of beef broth, according to directions.

Prepare tots as directed on individual package instructions.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

750 Calories
45g Fat
54g Carbs
43g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 750
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 45g 57%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 121mg 40%
Sodium 985mg 43%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 43g 85%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 997mg 21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

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