Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

This is the best red wine mushroom sauce for steak and is the steak dish I cook more than any other. I've used sirloin steak here but frequently cook ribeye steak with red wine mushroom sauce too.

I would recommend sirloin or a rib-eye as these cuts have more fat and marbling. It's this fat that renders down and gives the sauce flavour. However, that's not to say you can't use it with leaner cuts like fillet.

The red wine mushroom cream sauce is rich, so I keep additional sides simple. The sauce itself is laden with mushroom and shallot so treat it as another vegetable side, rather than a sauce.

Recipe ingredients

• Steak - I've used sirloin steak in this recipe as the fat on a sirloin steak adds great flavour to the sauce when rendered down a little.
• Seasoning: I season the steaks on both sides with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Oil: I use sunflower oil to cook the steaks, you can use any oil with a high smoke point.
• Butter: I use butter to cook the mushrooms and shallot as it adds an extra layer of flavour to the dish.
• Mushrooms: I like to use sliced chestnut mushrooms in this recipe as I find they have a better flavour than white mushrooms.
• Shallots: I use shallots in this recipe as they have a mild onion flavour which doesn't overpower the mushrooms.
• Garlic: for the best garlic flavour I always use fresh garlic, or frozen garlic if I've no fresh.
• Thyme: I use fresh thyme to flavour the sauce, strip away the leaves and add to the sauce, discarding any woody stem.
• Red wine: use a good quality red wine, something you would drink yourself. I usually go for a robust red, a rioja, merlot or cabernet sauvignon are good options.
• Cream: I use double cream (heavy cream) as it gives the sauce a velvety texture. You can use single cream (half and half) but it will give you a thinner sauce.

How to make Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

• Season the steaks on both sides with salt and a generous crack of black pepper.
• Heat a large frying pan to searing hot and add the sunflower oil.
• Add the steak to the pan. Do not move the steak around in the pan, leave it to properly sear for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn the steak and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the second side.
• Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside on warm plate to rest the meat.

TOP TIP: Note that cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the steak. See table later in post for internal cooking temperatures for steak.

• Now lower the pan to a medium heat and add the butter, mushrooms and shallots. Cook in the pan, stirring gently for around 4 minutes. 
• Add the garlic and thyme leaves and continue to cook for 1 minute.
• Add the red wine to the pan and turn the heat up.
• Deglaze the pan with the red wine and reduce the wine by ⅔rds. 

• Add any resting juices from the steak back into the pan.
• Stir the cream through the sauce and check the seasoning, adding more salt and black pepper if needed.
• Serve immediately with the rested steaks.

Internal temperatures for cooking steak

Steak vary both in size and thickness, so to cook the perfect steak, I recommending using a meat probe thermometer to check the internal temperature of the cooked steak.

	Temperature °C	Temperature °F
Rare	45-47	113-117
Medium - Rare	50-52	112-126
Medium	55-60	131-140
Well Done	64-70	147-158

Recipe variations

• Steak - I've opted for an aged sirloin steak in this recipe, but it works equally well with rib-eye, rump or fillet steak. Just adjust cooking times depending on the size and thickness of the steak used.
• Other meat - I have also used sauce with other meats, it works particularly well with pork chops or lamb steaks. You could also use this red wine mushrooms sauce for chicken breast or thighs.
• Mushrooms - I like to use brown chestnut mushrooms as they have good flavour, but you can use any variety of mushroom, try oyster, shiitake, portobello, or button mushrooms. You could also use a mixture of mushrooms.
• Shallot - Swap shallots for red onions as they also have a mild onion flavour.
• Wine - I've used red wine to make this sauce, but it also works really well with fortified wines like port or madeira, both of which I've used to make this sauce.
• Fresh herbs - I've used garlic and thyme to flavour the sauce, but you could also add some fresh parsley just before serving.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve steak with a potato side and one or two extra veggie sides. As the red wine mushroom sauce is rich, I tend to go lighter on the sides.

Good potato side options would be my Fried New Potatoes with Garlic & Thyme, Easy Fondant Potatoes, or these Easy Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme Butter. For vegetable sides I'd opt for Roasted Tomatoes in Balsamic or my Oven Roasted Asparagus.

Useful hints and tips

1. Properly season both sides of the steak as it will make a big difference to the flavour of the finished dish.
2. Check the sauce for seasoning before you serve and adjust with salt and black pepper as needed.
3. Cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the steak being cooked.
4. With sirloin steaks you can render the fat, by holding the steak on it's side using a pair of tongs, placing the thick layer of fat directly into the pan. This not only cooks the fat, but helps it render down which will add flavour to the finished sauce.
5. The best way to cook steak exactly how you want it is to use the internal temperature of the steak (see temperature guide earlier in post).
6. I recommend using a meat probe thermometer to check the internal cooking temperature of any meat.
7. Always allow steak to rest for 5 minutes this allow the meat to relax and redistribute the juices resulting in a far tastier, juicier steak.
8. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then why not try these easy steak recipes:

• Steak with Lemongrass Marinade
• Bavette Steak with Salsa Verde
• Steak with a Warm Spice Marinade