I was doing so good at this eating healthy thing. Then my brother-in-law brought some fresh green beans over. Of course, I had to make a pot of them. This requires me to use 2 slices of bacon and a good chunk of onion. MMM! Love me some country food. But since you can’t just eat green beans alone, I needed to fix something equally as tasty.
Enter from stage left- Country Fried Steak with Gravy. This is one of my favorite meals. It is especially awesome that the cut of meat is super cheap when compared to all other steaks.
There are so many ways people prepare this meal – soak the meat in buttermilk, pound thin, use egg, don’t use egg, use saltines (which I have done before and it works pretty good), batter one, batter twice. How is one to choose? I do this method because my mother makes it this way. Which makes it the best way.
Country Fried Steak with Gravy
- 1 lb round or cube steak (only difference is that the cube steak is more tenderized)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk (keep it at hand as you might need more)
Use a meat mallet to tenderize the meat, if you think it needs more. I always tenderize more because the butcher never seems to get it just the way I like it. In a cast iron skillet, add the vegetable oil and turn on to medium heat. Combine the flour and spices. Dredge the steak through the flour mixture on both sides, making sure it is well covered. When the oil in the skillet is very hot (read: sizzles vigorously as soon as you add the meat), add in the steak. Fry until each side is golden brown and a crunchy crust has formed.
When you have fried all the steak, pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the oil left in the pan. Reserve the brown bits and crunchies; these add so much flavor to the gravy. Add the remaining flour from battering the steak to the oil. Allow to cook until the flour is golden brown (DO NOT BURN!!!). While the flour is browning, scrape the stuck bits off the bottle of the pan. When done browning, whisk in the milk until smooth. If the gravy is too thick, add milk. If too thin, allow to cook down a bit. This is not an exact science. Just keep a close eye on it. When you have reached the desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste.
AnnaShortcakes 