Featherblade steak is perfect for the cooler months when comfort food is a must.
Rather than a stew, try a slow cooked steak that's tender and bursting with flavour in a rich red wine gravy.
Perfect for a dinner for two, or equally delicious for fuss free entertaining.
Enjoy.
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make.
- Make in advance for easy entertaining.
- The steak holds its shape with slow cooking for great presentation.
- Perfect comfort food.
🤔FAQs
This steak is actually a braising steak, rather than a frying steak. The meat comes from the shoulder blade and has tissue running through it which resembles a feather.
This connective tissue softens when braising but still holds the meat together in one piece, whereas many other cuts can fall apart with long cooking.
It becomes very tender with a strong beef taste and is best cooked in steak form, although it can be cut into chunks for a stew or other dish.
In the US it is known as flat iron steak and it is also sometimes referred to as blade or butler's steak.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Steak - 2 featherblade steaks from a butcher or online butcher as you are unlikely to find this cut in a supermarket.
- Carrot - medium sized carrot.
- Onion - brown cooking onion.
- Celery - 1 stick.
- Stock - good beef stock.
- Wine - red wine that you would drink with the meal.
- Seasoning - freshly ground black pepper and flaked sea salt to season the meat.
- Oil - vegetable or olive oil for frying.
- Thyme - half a teaspoon of dried thyme or good teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves.
- Bay leaf - dried bay leaf.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
🍽 Equipment
- 2 litre lidded casserole dish - I prefer to use a cast iron pan as there is less evaporation.
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- tongs
- frying pan / skillet
- potato masher
🔪 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160 C / 310 F / 140 FAN / Gas 2.5.
Peel the vegetables and cut into small pieces of less than a centimetre.
💭 Top Tip
- If you ever wondered if searing beef makes it more tender, the answer is much deeper. It's not about locking juices in or making it tender as the cooking process will take care of that. The main purpose of searing protein, such as beef, over a high heat with only a little oil, is to produce the Maillard effect. This is the chemical reaction that occurs between the proteins, or amino acids in meat and fish and the natural sugars. This is what gives the meat, colour, flavour and makes it irresistable.
Put the oil in the frying pan over a medium to high heat.
Season the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides just before adding them to the pan.
Sear for 2 minutes to get a good crust.
Turn the meat over with the tongs and sear for a further 2 minutes.
Transfer the steaks to the casserole dish.
Add the vegetables to the pan over a medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Now, transfer to the casserole dish.
Add the wine to the pan for a minute and stir to make sure that all the crusty bits are loosened by deglazing the pan.
Stir in the stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Pour the liquid over the meat and add the lid.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Place in the oven and check the meat after 1.5 hours. Depending on the size and thickness it may need up to 3 hours to be tender.
Remove the meat from the dish and place on a plate covered with foil.
Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface and remove the bay leaf.
Use the potato masher to mash the vegetables into the gravy. If you prefer you could use a liquidiser or stick blender.
Check the seasoning and the thickness of the gravy. For thicker gravy, reduce the liquid over a medium heat or mix a teaspoon of cornflour with water and stir over a low heat.
Serve the featherblade steak with the rich gravy poured over the top.
🥗 Serve with
Try some of these side dishes.
- Honey Roast Chantenay Carrots
- Leeks in White Sauce
- Honey Roast Carrots and Parsnips
- Fried Cabbage with Bacon
- Cavolo Nero Kale
- Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Roast Savoy Cabbage
- Whole Baked Cauliflower Cheese
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
- Roasted Long Stem Broccoli
- Roasted Swede Chips
🥙 Substitutions
- Red wine - use the same amount ofwine and replace with stock.
📖 Variations
- Vegetables - celeriac gives great flavour in place or celery but feel free to use fennel or parsnips too.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and keep for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - pack into containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 in a covered dish until piping hot.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the day before and reheat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 in a covered dish until piping hot.
More beef recipes
- Mustard Glazed Cowboy Steak
- Spider Steak with Tarragon Butter
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef Hash
- Slow Cooker Beef Cheeks
- Slow Cooker Brisket
- Flanken Short Ribs
- Corned Beef Fritters
- Roast Rib of Beef
- Picanha Beef
- Chateaubriand
- Beef Olives
- Savoury Mince
- Jacob's Ladder Beef
- Flanken Short Ribs
📋 Recipe
Braised Featherblade Steak
Equipment
- 2 litre lidded casserole dish I prefer to use a cast iron pan as there is less evaporation.
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Tongs
- Frying pan / skillet
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 500 g featherblade steak 2 steaks
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 stick celery
- 300 ml beef stock
- 150 ml red wine
- seasoning salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 C / 310 F / 140 FAN / Gas 2.5.
- Peel the vegetables and cut into small pieces of less than a centimetre.
- Put the oil in the frying pan over a medium to high heat.
- Season the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides just before adding them to the pan.
- Sear for 2 minutes to get a good crust.
- Turn the meat over with the tongs and sear for a further 2 minutes.
- Transfer the steaks to the casserole dish.
- Add the vegetables to the pan over a medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Transfer the vegetables to the casserole dish.
- Add the wine to the pan for a minute and stir to make sure that all the crusty bits are loosened by deglazing the pan.
- Stir in the stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Pour the liquid over the meat and add the lid.
- Place in the oven and check the meat after 1.5 hours. Depending on the size and thickness it may need up to 3 hours to be tender.
- Remove the meat from the dish and place on a plate covered with foil.
- Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface and remove the bay leaf.
- Use the potato masher to mash the vegetables into the gravy. If you prefer you could use a liquidiser or stick blender.
- Check the seasoning and the thickness of the gravy. For thicker gravy, reduce the liquid over a medium heat or mix a teaspoon of cornflour with water and stir over a low heat.
- Serve the featherblade steak with the rich gravy poured over the top.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
Beef, Lamb and Venison
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- Slow Cooked Lamb Neck Fillets2 Hours 45 Minutes
- Panackelty1 Hours 15 Minutes
🍲Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Dina and Bruce
We are making this for dinner tonight! Love all the flavors in this dish! Serving with potatoes!!
Tayler
I've been craving comfort food, and this braised steak looks incredible! I can't wait to make it for dinner tonight!
Ned
Wow, I'd never had this before so I figured I'd give it a try. SO. DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for another amazing meal!
Sisley
The red wine gravy was delicious with the beef. I can't wait to have it again.
Tavo
Your braised steak recipe absolutely nailed it! The flavors were rich and the texture was spot-on, making it a standout dish in my kitchen. I appreciated the clear instructions and practical tips, which made the cooking process a breeze. This recipe has definitely earned a spot in my regular rotation. Thanks for sharing such a delightful dish!