Serious Eats: Recipes
Cook the Book: Country Fried Steak
Country fried steak (or chicken fried steak, or CFS for short), for you non-Southerners, is beef that has been pounded, battered, fried, and then smothered in gravy. If you want to taste the real deal, you best head to the Texas "Chicken-Fried Steak Belt," as defined by Robb Walsh in his definitive chicken-fried steak piece. The recipe that follows was adapted from Threadgill's in Austin, Texas.
Country Fried Steak
- makes 8 servings -
Ingredients
Country Fried Steak
2 large eggs
2 cups whole milk, room temperature 3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups canola oil, for frying
8 6-ounce tenderized beef cutlets (also known as cube steak), room temperature
Skillet Gravy
Oil left from the skillet
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk., room temperature
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Procedure
1. To prepare the steak, whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder in another bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until an instant read thermometer registers 350° F. Dip a cutlet into the egg wash, then in the seasoned flour. Return to the egg wash for a quick dip, then immediately to heated oil in the skillet. (Be careful, the oil will pop, spit, and hiss.) Repeat without crowding the skillet. Cook until brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Using an offset spatula, turn and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Reserve leftover oil from the skillet for the gravy.
3. To make the gravy, remove the skillet from the heat and pour off the cooking oil, leaving the brown bits and cracklings, until 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil remain in the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the oil, stirring as you go until you have a golden roux. Cook until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add milk and stir until smooth. Add the Tabasco and pepper. Season to taste with salt. (Gravy making is not an exact science. It's supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add more liquid until you're satisfied.) Serve immediately with Country Fried Steak.