Country-Fried Steak
By Cecelia JenkinsPublished on April 21, 2020
Time
1¾ hours, plus 1 hour marinating
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Steak
4 (4- to 6-ounce) cube steaks, trimmed¼ cup water 1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided¾ cup buttermilk 1 large egg 35 square saltines ½ cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon granulated garlic ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 ½ cups peanut or vegetable oil for fryingGravy
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups whole milk ¼ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepperBefore You Begin
There are about 35 crackers in one sleeve of saltines. Use more or less cayenne to suit your taste.
Instructions
- Using meat pounder, pound each steak to even ¼-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Whisk water, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in medium bowl until baking soda and salt are dissolved. Add steaks and toss until coated and no liquid pools at bottom of bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place ½ cup flour in shallow dish. Whisk buttermilk and egg together in second shallow dish. Place saltines in large zipper-lock bag, seal bag, and crush to fine crumbs with rolling pin. Whisk saltine crumbs, cornstarch, pepper, baking powder, oregano, granulated garlic, cayenne, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ cup flour together in third shallow dish.
- Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Working with 1 steak at a time, dredge steaks in flour, shaking off excess; dip in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then coat with saltine mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer steaks to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat to 375 degrees (to take temperature, tilt skillet so oil pools to 1 side). Carefully place 2 steaks side by side in skillet (they may overlap slightly; this is OK).
- Cook until evenly well browned on bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip steaks and continue to cook until evenly well browned on second side, 3 to 5 minutes longer, gently pressing on steaks with spatula as needed for even browning.
- Transfer steaks to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack to drain for about 15 seconds per side, then move to unlined side of rack and transfer sheet to oven. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining steaks.
- Carefully pour hot oil from skillet into heatproof container. Add 2 tablespoons hot oil back to skillet and place skillet over medium heat (discard remaining oil). Whisk in flour and cook until mixture is peanut butter–colored, about 3 minutes, whisking often. Gradually whisk in milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Serve with steaks with gravy.
for the steak
for the gravy
Time
1¾ hours, plus 1 hour marinatingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Steak
4 (4- to 6-ounce) cube steaks, trimmed
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
35 square saltines
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Gravy
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Steak
4 (4- to 6-ounce) cube steaks, trimmed
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
35 square saltines
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Gravy
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Steak
4 (4- to 6-ounce) cube steaks, trimmed
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg
35 square saltines
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Gravy
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to stick to the frugal roots of this classic cowboy dish while making sure to develop a foolproof recipe for tender steaks with a crunchy coating. To that end, we started with cube steaks, the traditional inexpensive, thin cut of beef, but since they're notoriously chewy even after being mechanically tenderized, we let the steaks sit briefly in a solution of baking soda, salt, and water to tenderize them fully. Next, instead of the typical simple dredge in seasoned flour before frying, we sought a more substantial coating that better adhered to the meat. We patted the steaks dry to rid them of excess moisture and turned to the standard breading procedure to do the trick: a dredge in seasoned flour, a dip into beaten egg, and then a second dredge. Crushed saltines in the second dredge created a more craggy, substantial coating. Frying the steaks in just 1½ cups of oil was enough to create a robust fried exterior without the hassle (and extra oil) required for deep frying. Adding a few tablespoons of the frying oil (laced with the dredging spices) back to the skillet provided a savory base for a quick, rich milk gravy.
Before You Begin
There are about 35 crackers in one sleeve of saltines. Use more or less cayenne to suit your taste.
Instructions
- Using meat pounder, pound each steak to even ¼-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Whisk water, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in medium bowl until baking soda and salt are dissolved. Add steaks and toss until coated and no liquid pools at bottom of bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place ½ cup flour in shallow dish. Whisk buttermilk and egg together in second shallow dish. Place saltines in large zipper-lock bag, seal bag, and crush to fine crumbs with rolling pin. Whisk saltine crumbs, cornstarch, pepper, baking powder, oregano, granulated garlic, cayenne, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ cup flour together in third shallow dish.
- Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Working with 1 steak at a time, dredge steaks in flour, shaking off excess; dip in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off; then coat with saltine mixture, pressing firmly to adhere. Transfer steaks to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat to 375 degrees (to take temperature, tilt skillet so oil pools to 1 side). Carefully place 2 steaks side by side in skillet (they may overlap slightly; this is OK).
- Cook until evenly well browned on bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, carefully flip steaks and continue to cook until evenly well browned on second side, 3 to 5 minutes longer, gently pressing on steaks with spatula as needed for even browning.
- Transfer steaks to paper towel–lined side of prepared rack to drain for about 15 seconds per side, then move to unlined side of rack and transfer sheet to oven. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining steaks.
- Carefully pour hot oil from skillet into heatproof container. Add 2 tablespoons hot oil back to skillet and place skillet over medium heat (discard remaining oil). Whisk in flour and cook until mixture is peanut butter–colored, about 3 minutes, whisking often. Gradually whisk in milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Serve with steaks with gravy.
for the steak
for the gravy
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