- Crispy breaded country fried steaks.
It's all about technique.
Don't miss these crucial steps
to getting that crispy perfection.
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So here in the Test Kitchen,
we research the little things.
Well, because we think details are super important
so you have success in your kitchen.
Here's a time-tested recipe you're gonna have success with,
country fried steak with white gravy.
It's all in the details, my friends.
So let's get it started.
To get us going, we'll get a buttermilk bath
ready for our cube steaks.
So into a large bowl, we'll crack two eggs.
Key is to do the eggs first,
rather than the buttermilk,
so that if you get any bits of shell in,
you'll be able to see them to get 'em out.
In with buttermilk and some salt and pepper.
Whisk that all together for our marinade.
The enzymes and slight acidity will soften the steaks
without making them mushy.
This is a classic in Southern cooking.
Now to our steaks.
Cube steaks are usually cut from the round
and are put through a cool machine that cuts slits
in a regular pattern to tenderize the cut.
This makes an inherently firmer cut like round cuts,
more tender and palatable.
We'll put the cube steaks in a Ziploc bag
and pour our buttermilk mix over the steaks.
Get them nice and evenly coated.
We'll put them in the refrigerator to soften
and slightly brine the steaks.
Four hours minimum, overnight preferred.
Let's get ready for frying.
We'll start with a couple of cups of flour
in a shallow baking dish in season that with salt,
pepper and onion powder.
Mix this up to get that seasoning evenly through the flour.
We'll pull a couple of tablespoons out
to use later for our gravy.
More in that in a few minutes.
Now let's get our buttermilk cube steaks out
and put in another shallow baking dish.
With tongs, we'll pull a steak out and lay it in the flour.
This works out well to do two at a time,
grab some of the flour and top the steaks.
We'll flip a couple of times,
then bring each one back to the buttermilk
for a second dip.
Back to the flour.
Then we'll even press the flour into this steaks.
So with a double dredge,
that's what this is called by the way is a double dredge,
we'll get a good amount of those crispy bits on the sides
that we love so much about country fried steak.
Transfer to a sheet tray fitted with a cooling rack,
if you have it and we'll refrigerate for 30 minutes,
we'll fry these in a deep cast iron pan.
A big thanks to our friends at Smithy.
We just love these pans.
Fill only halfway with oil and get the temp
to about 350 to 375.
Place the breaded steak in gently
and deep fry in batches three to four minutes on each side.
I'm a fan of fish spatulas and tongs to flip.
Be very careful not to splash this oil.
I'll even pour a little bit of that oil on top
if I feel like it needs more crispiness.
Once it's golden and crispy on all the edges,
we'll transfer to a sheet tray
that we've got paper towels on
so we can drain any excess oil.
We'll keep these warm
while we build our gravy in another pan,
get a couple tablespoons of that hot oil
into another pan that we put over medium high heat.
Add the seasoned flour that we set aside.
And whisk to combine, three to four minutes.
Then add milk a little at a time,
whisking between each addition of milk
to work the lumps out.
The idea is to get a nice smooth gravy.
Reduce the heat to a simmer.
Add a little more salt and pepper
and get it reduced to the perfect consistency.
Just three or four minutes 'til you have
that nice gravy consistency and we're all set.
Get your crew together and get some plates.
Country fried steak down and we'll top it
with some of this gravy.
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The peppery gravy first, the beefy flavor,
the crispy outside.
Texture perfection.
So good, so easy to do.
It's all about the technique.
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We'll see you next time in the Test Kitchen.
(pleasant music continues)