CopycatSpices
Copycat Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak
Sizzle up Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak at home with a caramelized onion and mushroom bourbon sauce over a perfectly seared steak.
copycat · applebees · casual-dining · beef
🕑Prep10 min
🍳Cook20 min
⏱Total30 min
🍽Serves4
⭐DifficultyMedium
Ingredients
- 4 New York strip steaks (8 oz each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced into rings
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cajun seasoning for the steaks
Instructions
- 1.Season the steaks. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- 2.Sear the steaks. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Sear the steaks for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or to your desired doneness. Remove and let rest on a cutting board.
- 3.Caramelize the onions and mushrooms. In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and golden. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- 4.Make the bourbon sauce. Remove the skillet from heat (important for safety). Add the bourbon, then return to heat. Add the soy sauce and brown sugar. Let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes until it reduces and becomes syrupy.
- 5.Serve. Place each steak on a plate, spoon the bourbon mushroom and onion sauce over the top, and serve immediately alongside your choice of sides.
Applebee’s Bourbon Street Steak is one of those dishes that sounds fancy but is really just a well-seared steak with an incredible bourbon-glazed onion and mushroom topping. The sweet, savory, slightly boozy sauce with caramelized onions and earthy mushrooms transforms a simple steak into something special. This copycat recipe delivers the same sizzling-skillet experience at home.
Why This Recipe Works
The bourbon adds a complex sweetness and warmth that regular sugar or other alcohols cannot replicate. Most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving behind deep caramel and vanilla notes. Cooking the onions and mushrooms in the same pan as the steak means they absorb all those beefy, browned flavors. The soy sauce adds umami depth that rounds out the entire sauce.
Pro Tips
- Use a real bourbon (even a cheap one works fine) — bourbon substitutes will not provide the same flavor.
- Always remove the pan from heat before adding bourbon to avoid a dangerous flare-up.
- For the best sear, make sure the pan is screaming hot and the steak is completely dry. Moisture is the enemy of a good crust.
- Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting to keep the juices inside.
