Red wine beef strips are a quick and easy meal option to enjoy any day of the week. This beef dish does not require much time or skills, really, making for a perfect mid-week dinner. Thinly sliced beef strips are quickly fried in butter and then served with a red wine reduction and some freshly cracked black pepper for extra flavour.
Enjoy freshly-made, or save for later: these red wine beef strips are a great make-ahead meal as they microwave excellently. Just add them to a lunchbox, pair them with a veggie of your choice, and take them to work the following day. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
No need to find cooking steak daunting with this easy red wine beef recipe! Thinly sliced steak cooks in one minute (per side), no need for meat thermometers. Read on for some useful tips to perfectly nail this simple meat dish.
Ingredients and equipment
- Thinly sliced beef (minute beef)
- Red wine
- Flour
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper.
For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
This recipe does not require a lot of equipment. A good knife (make sure it's sharp) and cutting board for slicing up the beef, a plate to dredge the meat in flour, and a skillet - best if non-stick!
How to make red wine beef strips
1. Slice the beef into strips that are about 2 cm wide. Dredge in flour working in batches.
2. Set a non-stick pan on medium heat and melt 20 g of butter, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add half of the beef strips, sprinkle with salt, and cook on medium-low heat for one minute, then flip and cook the other side for another minute.
4. Set cooked beef aside and add another 20 g of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook the other half of the beef for 2 minutes, then set aside.
5. Increase to medium heat and pour in the wine to deglaze, stirring to lift all the meat proteins. Cook for 5 minutes, to let the wine evaporate the alcohol, then stir in the butter.
6. Remove from the heat, put back in the meat and stir to coat the beef strips in the sauce. Top with freshly cracked black pepper.
Red wine beef recipe tips
To make this recipe I use a cut of beef that I find here in Sweden that goes by the local name of lövbiff. An online search pointed me to the explanation that this is thinly sliced sirloin, and the thinness is real: it's never more than a half centimetre, often just a couple mm. I have also learned that in the English-speaking world this might be known as minute steak. This, because this very thin steak only requires one minute (per side) to cook. So if you have access to minute steak, this will work great. Otherwise ask your butcher to slice you some sirloin very thin.
In order to prevent overcrowding the pan, I recommend to work in batches and only fitting as many beef strips as the bottom of your pan can fit without overlapping. This ensures all the beef is touching the hot surface of the pan and cooking evenly. Furthermore, it makes for easier flipping, as you can just slide a spatula under several strips and flip them all at the same time.
If you are looking for a red wine that works great in the recipe and as possible pairing to this dish, go for a dry medium-bodied red with a nice tannic structure and a fresh acidity. This is not the kind of beef dish that requires huge structure or massive oak presence (if any, at all). A budget option that will do its job neatly is a Valpolicella wine from northern Italy. Choose a Ripasso if you want more depth in your glass, or just go for a Classico, as I did with this batch.
For guaranteed tenderness do not overcook the meat. Just one minute per side will be more than enough, especially since we're not grilling but conveying heat through cooking fat. Don't worry if the meat is still somewhat pink, it will have cooked through. Another tip to ensure your beef strips do not end up chewy is to slice them perpendicularly to the muscle fibers, so pay attention to that when slicing.
More goodness!
If you enjoyed this recipe and feel inspired to make more, here's a little selection I have made for you. Got red wine leftovers? Make a red wine risotto! Or, another recipe where a splash of wine is always good: a Bolognese meat sauce for your next pasta dish. I have also two more meaty recipes: chicken involtini with prosciutto, or a hearty meat soup. Just click the pictures below to access more recipes!
If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you're planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.
Red wine beef strips
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 400 g thinly sliced beef steak (minute beef)
- 160 ml red wine
- 40 g flour
- 50 g butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the beef into strips that are about 2 cm wide. Dredge in flour working in batches.
- Set a non-stick pan on medium heat and melt 20 g of butter, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add half of the beef strips, sprinkle with salt, and cook on medium-low heat for one minute, then flip and cook the other side for another minute. Set cooked beef aside.
- Add another 20 g of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook the other half of the beef for 2 minutes, then set aside.
- Increase to medium heat and pour in the wine to deglaze, stirring to lift all the meat proteins. Cook for 5 minutes, to let the wine evaporate the alcohol, then stir in the butter. Remove from the heat, put back in the meat and stir to coat the beef strips in the sauce. Top with freshly cracked black pepper.
