One of my family-favorite Filipino recipes is Beef Salpicao. It’s so easy and super fast! Steak is seasoned and covered with an insanely lip-smacking butter sauce, topped with crispy garlic. It’s saucy, the perfect ulam (dish served with rice), and you’ll need to make more of this beef salpicao recipe than you think… because everyone wants more.
I love all the top beef Filipino recipes and Beef Salpicao should not be missed.
When my husband and kids can eat this and keep asking for more, it’s no wonder why this dinner under twenty minutes should be in every recipe repertoire.
When I’m serving both family and friends, this recipe wins. It truly is a game changer in the face of parenting, work, house, and whatever else may be in our day that sometimes, a quick, one-pot dinner is really important.
What is Beef Salpicao?
Savoriness from soy sauce, oyster sauce (I use a gluten-free with no msg brand and it’s delicious), and crispy garlic makes a satisfying backdrop for a rich and buttery coating around thin sliced steak that can be spooned on rice.
Somewhere in the midst of Spanish influence becoming part of Philippine culture and food, salpicao became a variation that can be appreciated for its simplicity and intertwining of everyday Euro and Asian ingredients.
Tips on How to Cook Beef Salpicao
The steak is thin sliced, seared, and covered in delicious and buttery goodness that makes this beef salpicao recipe irresistibly good.
Add in Asian pantry staples, and you can almost “salpicao” anything from pork, seafood, to plant-based proteins. Just don’t forget the butter.
This variation loves the thin slices to get the maximum sauce coverage.
Also, it’s aesthetically more pleasing to look at than traditional beef cubes. What can I say, I like to eat beautiful looking food.
Worcestershire sauce is a common marinating ingredient for a beef salpicao recipe, but you can skip marinating!
Just buy a decent cut of steak and don’t overcook it.
Follow my recipe and you’ll be good to go. A dash or two of Worcestershire in the recipe does the trick.
Why is Beef Salpicao Good?
This is one of those dishes that everyone can agree on, yep, even the kids. It’s been a go-to recipe for me that I can recommend if you are wanting to get your little ones to try more flavorful foods with garlic.
Not to mention, the protein is high in this dish, ideal for keto, paleo, and gluten-free recipe lifestyles. As mentioned, I use gluten free soy and oyster sauce in this and it’s equally tongue-hugging all around. I have links below for the sauce brands that I love for more wholesome masterpieces.
With the sauce being the highlight that wraps up this dish (it’s the most important element), steamed rice is the perfect compliment to complete this one-pot meal that is one of the easiest meals…with a lot of taste that people might think you really busted out an effort to make this.
Add Ins and Variations
You could also add in a few more ingredients to switch up this “eat every week” kind of recipe.
- you could add Portobello or Shitake mushrooms
- you could add baby spinach
- add brocolli florets
- add baby potatoes
- sub tofu or jackfruit instead of steak
- try with fish instead of meat
- garnish with chilies
- sauté with sliced Thai chilis for a very spicy version
- add a tablespoon of heavy cream in the sauce
Beef Salpicao is versatile in its basic recipe, offering many ways to create this dish. No matter what you do, just be saucey about it.
What is the choice cut of meat for Beef Salpicao?
Let’s make this meat dish..tender.
- sirloin if you want leaner
- filet for the best tender cut
- rib eye for that richer flavor from the fat
So for this recipe I chose sirloin because it is a good grade of steak, leaner, tender when not overcooked, and cooks very fast.
Tips on How to Prepare the Steak
The whole idea of this beef Filipino recipe is to make an amazing, fast dinner.
So choose a steak that you do not need to braise for tenderness. That makes this variation of beef salpicao easy for weeknight meals and elevates the whole flavor.
It becomes more like good steak with sauce, rather than a stew. You don’t need to spend that much time on this kind of recipe.
If you choose chuck or other cuts with lots of tissues then the steak will not be ideal for fast cooking. You will just need to extend the cook time to low and slow.
- Cut the steak in long, thin strips. It allows lots of surface area for sauce to coat each piece of steak.
- Cut it in cubes if you want more meatiness and less buttery sauce…which could be a leaner choice.
- Sear the steak and remove from the pan and set aside while completing the sauce. Do NOT overcook the steak.
If it’s a filet you choose, do thick cuts so the center remains medium to medium-well and very tender, or cook to your temperature preference.
I’m not a fan of over well done steak, and yes, you can do well done on this, but the key is hitting the steak over high heat in the pan so it sears, and then taking it out as soon as it is losing any pink. It will be soft, juicy, and still cooked all the way through as the cook continues while it is resting.
You can quickly get a sear with the steak, imparting all that juicy flavor and then remove the steak, set it aside, and finish up the sauce for a final pourover.
To get that good sear, use high heat, high heat tolerating oil like avocado oil, and a cast iron pan can do the trick nicely.
Beef Salpicao Recipe Cook Time
This is a real speed meal. This beef salpicao goes by fast, so prep all ingredients right away and be ready to start and finish in ten minutes. I say less than twenty because I love a few extra minutes for the sauce to reduce and get more creamy.
Ingredients and How to Cook Beef Salpicao
Top sirloin, filet, or Rib Eye – Cut thin strips, or cubes if you prefer more medium/pink in the doneness and less sauce. When placing it in the hot pan, lay it in, don’t move it, and let it get a little sear and then remove the meat and set it aside while making the sauce.
Butter – Grass-fed unsalted butter works nicely for this recipe. Do not use margarine.
Garlic – A lot of minced garlic puts the “sal” in salpicao. Make the minced garlic crispy from frying it first, and then remove it from the heat. Use it as a topping to add to the visual, contrast texture, and bold flavor.
Worcestershire Sauce – just a dash or two (optional)
Soy Sauce – low sodium soy sauce and even gluten-free soy sauce work well for this recipe.
Oyster Sauce – I use this oyster flavored sauce I got at the natural Asian grocery store and it works amazingly for Asian recipes. It’s gluten-free and has no msg. I have also used vegan oyster flavored sauce and it also works perfectly well.
Brown Sugar – Do not substitute with white sugar.
Avocado Oil – A must have. Avocado oil is high heat tolerant and more heart healthy.
Salt and Pepper – Coarse salt is really nice on steak and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Scallion garnish – adds acidity and balance
Try More of the Best Recipes with a Side of Rice:
FAQ’S
Can I make this plant-based? Absolutely. You can use tofu and mushrooms. I use vegan butter and wow, a one-pot meal in less than twenty minutes. If you eat meat though, this is a must try of the beef Filipino recipes.
Is this gluten-free? Yes it can be, just use the gluten-free sauces I recommended.
Do I need to marinate the meat? Not necessary. Use the good steak cuts recommended for tender beef that can be eaten immediately. If you are braising to tenderize the steak, then yes, marinate in soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar for at least four hours.
Can you freeze beef salpicao? Yes. Use an airtight container. You’ll have to fry garlic for topping when ready to eat again.
No Marinating, Best Beef SALPICAO
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1½ lbs sirloin steak or quality tender steak cut
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce Optional
- 3 tbsp butter unsalted
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- scallions garnish
Instructions
Prep and Make the Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar. Mix up and set aside. You can add two dashes of Worcestershire sauce if you want (optional).
- Cut the steak to your liking. Pat the steak dry.Thin strips takes less time to cook and allows more sauce to coat the beef. If you are using filet, cubes are best. Use the salt and pepper to season the steak very well to your taste.
Make the Beef Salpicao
- Heat your cast iron or Dutch oven. Medium-High heat. Then, add oil in pan.
- When ready, drop in the minced garlic. Do not move the garlic so it starts to sear and crisp up for about a minute. Sauté until fragrant and remove immediately before it gets completely brown. You should remove the garlic and place it on a paper towel and set it aside so it becomes crisped.
- Leave the oil and add a little more oil as needed. Turn up the heat.
- Lay in the steak. Lay the steak pieces as individually as possible. Let the steak sit and begin to sear and brown. Give the steak some space to allow searing.
- Remove the steak as soon as it is losing it's pink color and set aside. Do not overcook or let it cook throughly.
- Pour in the sauce mixture. Let the sauce simmer for a minute.
- Add the butter and melt it into the sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce for a minute.
- Remove from the heat and let the sauce sit another minute.
- Pour the creamy sauce all over the steak and incorporate together with about a quarter of the garlic.
- Top the steak with all of the remaining crisped garlic. Add some scallions for garnish as well.Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- serve with steamed rice
- serve with pasta
- add mushrooms or potatoes
- garnish with Thai chilis and scallions in addition to the garlic
- serve with a side of baby bok choy
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