Root Beer Beef Bites with Honey Dijon Aioli

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Root Beer Beef Bites are just so yummy. They are the perfect appetizer for basically any occasion, or even just a random Saturday… whenever you make these doesn't matter. What matters is that you NEED to try them, soon.

Do you love appetizer recipes? Try my jalapeno poppers, or my coconut shrimp today!

Root Beer Beef Bites with Honey Dijon Aioli and a side of sweet potato fries

We went on a vacation years ago and I ordered a version of these. We were sitting in a beautiful restaurant that overlooked the Rocky Mountains. When I opened the menu these jumped right off the page, and it was love at first taste.

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With a subtle sweetness and luscious texture the sticky root beer sauce paired with a perfectly cooked medium rare steak and served with honey Dijon aioli sauce, all compliment each other perfectly.

This recipe is surprisingly, incredibly easy. The honey Dijon aioli takes like 2 minutes to whip up and the root beer sauce is ready in less than 30 minutes!

A few things you will need to make this recipe

FAQ's

Can I cook a steak indoors?

Great question! This is actually pretty easy and I explain it fully down below.

What cut of steak is the best to use for this recipe?

Almost any cut of steak will work! I used Sirloin steak for this recipe, but Top Round, Chuck, or New York Strip steaks will all work, too.

What goes well with Root Beer Beef Bites?

Sweet potato fries are the BEST alongside this delicious appetizer!

Ingredients you’ll need

Steak (Sirloin, Top Round, Chuck, or New York Strip)
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Root Beer
Brown Sugar
Honey
Worcestershire Sauce
Garlic Powder
Water
Cornstarch
Mayonnaise
Grainy Dijon Mustard

Making the Aioli

In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, grainy Dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, and salt.

a grid showing the making of the honey dijon aioli dipping sauce

Mix well to combine and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Making the Root Beer Glaze

In a small saucepan combine the root beer, brown sugar, honey, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and salt.

all of the ingredients needed to make the root beer sauce

In a separate small bowl stir together the water and cornstarch, then add the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan as well.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.

Stirring regularly let the sauce boil until it has thickened considerably. This will take about 18-25 minutes.

After the sauce has thickened remove it from the heat and set aside.

THE FOOLPROOF WAY TO COOK A STEAK INDOORS

Steak, indoors? It just doesn't sound right does it? Well I am here to report that it can be done!

The steak turns out delicious every time, as long as you have a cast iron pan, or a pan that can handle extremely high heat and that is oven safe.

This is my all time favorite Lodge Cast Iron Pan. I have had it forever and use it all the time.

I used the 10” size in this recipe, but I recommend getting both the 10” size and the 12” size.

Cooking the Steak

First, start off by seasoning the steak liberally with salt and pepper and preheating the oven to 350ºF

a grid showing adding salt and pepper to the raw steak before cooking

Grab your trusty cast iron skillet and place it over high heat. Then, let the cast iron skillet get extremely hot. To tell if your skillet is hot enough, splash a little water on the pan it should sizzle and evaporate almost immediately.

When your cast iron pan is hot, drizzle 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the pan.

Place the seasoned steak in the pan and set a timer for 2 minutes.

When 2 minutes is up, flip the steak over and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

Then, transfer the pan into the oven and let the steak cook for another 4 minutes.

At this point, the steak will be cooked to a beautiful medium rare.

the steak, grilled to perfection in a cast iron pan

Transfer the steak from the cast iron skillet to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.

After the steak has rested, slice it into 1”-2” cubes.

Assembly

In a small cast iron skillet (I used a 10” skillet), add the prepared root beer glaze and reheat for 5 minutes, until it is hot. When it is heated thoroughly, remove it from the heat.

Add the steak cubes into the skillet and toss well to combine with the glaze.

tossing the steak in the root beer sauce

Serve with Honey Dijon Aioli on the side for dipping and some sweet potato fries (optional).

dipping a root beer beef bite into the honey dijon dipping sauce

Storage

This recipe is better enjoyed fresh at the time of preparation. Although, if you do have leftovers they can be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 2 days.

To reheat, place the leftovers in an oven safe container and heat at 300°F until they are heated thoroughly.

The aioli sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container and used within 4-5 days.

We hope you tried and enjoyed this recipe for root beer beef bites. Don’t forget to check out our appetizer recipes for a TON of other great recipes, too!

More appetizers from our archives (that are just as delicious)!

We put a lot of work into our recipes, so we would love to know if you tried this recipe and how it turned out for you!

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