Name: Skillet BBQ Steak Tips
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds steak tips , cut into 2-inch chunks (see note); 2 tablespoons paprika; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion , quartered and sliced thin; 1/4 cup barbecue sauce; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 3 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Why This Recipe Works

We found steak tips sold as whole steaks, cubes, or strips. For our Skillet BBQ Steak Tips recipe, we preferred to buy strips and cut them ourselves. Making sure the pan was very hot before adding the steak tips was essential. Cooking the steaks in a pan that wasn’t properly preheated led to meat that overcooked before developing a good crust. Patting the steak tips dry before adding them to the heated skillet also ensured a proper sear.

For the sauce, we doctored up store-bought barbecue sauce with cider vinegar, a little ketchup, and sugar.

Before You Begin

Store-bought BBQ sauce can be sticky-sweet. Here we doctor the sauce with ketchup, vinegar, and sugar for a rounded savor.

Instructions

Pat steak tips dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon paprika, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steak tips until browned all over and cooked to desired doneness, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.

Add remaining oil, onion, and remaining paprika to empty skillet and cook until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and sugar and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add steak tips and any accumulated juices to pan and toss to coat. Serve.