The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat

While growing up, at least once a month, we had chicken fried steak for dinner. I loved it with white gravy, on either biscuits or toast. I looked forward to peeling the coating off the meat, eating it plain, then cutting up the meat like it was a  separate dish.
I was that kid.
This recipe is the best I've found for Chicken Fried Steak. The buttermilk and hot sauce give it that extra bit of deliciousness to put it into the "Comfort Foods That Rock" category. Actually don't have that category on ABK, but if I did, this recipe would be there. 
It is a perfect recipe for this weather- one of those stayinsideandhibernate days. January in northern Utah seems to be filled with those days…
I figure you can either complain or embrace it.
Or go to Mexico.
Comfort food=embrace.
Have a great day.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat
adapted from Allrecipes.com
print recipe

for steaks:
4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks*
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon Tabasco

1/4 cup vegetable shortening for frying

for gravy:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 cups milk, approximately
salt and pepper to taste

rice, biscuits or toast for serving

Pound the steaks to about 1/3-inch thick with mallet if needed.
Get out two shallow bowls.

Place 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
In another bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt.  Stir in the buttermilk, egg and Tabasco Sauce.
Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour.
Heat the shortening in a  cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towels.  Drain any leftover oil from the skillet, reserving any of the solid remnants from the meat and coating on the meat. Do not clean skillet or wipe out.

To make gravy:
Return the skillet to medium heat. Melt butter in skillet. Whisk 1/2 cup flour into the melted butter. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk,  a little at a time using a whisk (I use between 3-4 cups, start with 1, then slowly add milk), raise the heat to medium. Bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes.  Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the meat on top of  biscuits , toast or rice and top with gravy.

Tips:
-* Cube steaks are found in the meat section of your grocery store. They are usually tougher cuts of beef that have been forced through a tenderizer that leaves square marks on the meat (that's why the name "cube steak").  The meat is usually processed to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
-The steaks may be fried in any type of heavy pan. If you fry two at a time, and need a bit more oil for the second batch, simply add a little more oil to the pan and let it heat up before frying. The original recipe calls for THREE cups of oil, which I found to be a ridiculously huge amount, so I cut way back. Feel free to add more oil if needed.
-My mom used to make this with milk and eggs instead of buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, substitute 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. I'd omit the baking soda and powder as well. I believe those react with the buttermilk to cause a bit of a rise in the batter/coating on the meat, but may not have a the same effect if using milk. The buttermilk really makes this dish, I recommend using it instead of milk if possible.

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