CFS - Researching for Good Eats

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I won't disagree about country/chicken fried steak, but the Salisbury steak I grew up with (in Maryland) definitely was made with steak (not ground beef; apologies to Dr. Salisbury if necessary))--usually pounded round steak--and had a tomato-based gravy/sauce. I think my mom put things like a can of tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, some chopped onion, green pepper and mushrooms for cooking and she would thicken it at the end with flour.

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Originally posted by CarmiAdams

Hello All! I work for a show on the Food Network called Good Eats. We are putting together a show on cube steak/country fried steak/salisbury steak. I am trying to find out if each item means a different thing in different parts of the country. Also, does anyone know what Halford sauce is? Feedback much appreciated! Thanks

Carmi Adams
Research Assistant
Be Square Productions

quote:

Originally posted by CarmiAdams

Hello All! I work for a show on the Food Network called Good Eats. We are putting together a show on cube steak/country fried steak/salisbury steak. I am trying to find out if each item means a different thing in different parts of the country. Also, does anyone know what Halford sauce is? Feedback much appreciated! Thanks

Carmi Adams
Research Assistant
Be Square Productions

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Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

One cannot use anything other than ground beef if one wishes to make Salisbury steak. If anything else is used in place of ground beef it is not Salisbury steak, it is something entirely different.

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Chicken-fried steak's origins qua chicken-fried steak are somewhat murky. The first published recipe for "chicken-fried steak" appeared around 1950, though the dish turned up in Texas restaurants much earlier. Though Texans weren't the first to come up with the idea of pounding meat flat, breading/battering, and frying it, the direction we've taken the technique results in a dish that's meaningfully different from its Old World predecessors. Even the least discriminating diner can tell a chicken-fried steak from Wiener schnitzel or costoletta alla Milanese.

The first thing that sets the chicken-fried steak apart from similar dishes is the choice of meat. Instead of veal or pork, chicken-fried steak traditionally relies on beef (often from the round).

Second, chicken-fried steak is typically dredged in flour and battered (or sometimes breaded with cracker crumbs), rather than being coated with breadcrumbs (with or without a hard grated cheese).

Third, chicken-fried steak is usually fried, rather than lightly sautéed. Pan-frying--an entirely appropriate and, some would argue, preferable cooking method for chicken-fried steak--falls in a gray area between deep-frying and the gentle sautéing employed on some of CFS's elder cousins. But since deep-frying of CFS is far more common than pan-frying in Texas restaurants, that widens the distinction.

Fourth, chicken-fried steak is typically accompanied by cream gravy. Recipes for cream gravy vary, though all are basically pepped up béchamel. You won't see anything like that on a Wiener schnitzel.

And, fifth, chicken-fried steak shares a plate with regional side dishes that further set it apart. Mashed potatoes are almost always on board. Fried okra, black-eyed peas, green beans, Texas toast, biscuits, corn (on or off the cob), greens (e.g., mustard or collard), and summer squash (or squash casserole) also make frequent appearances. (And let's not forget grits, when CFS shows up for breakfast.)

The deviations from tradition may seem slight, but they accumulate. And, at its finest, the bold beef flavor, the tender texture, the crisp coating, the gravy's salty sweetness (accented with peppery bite)...it's a unique form of poetry to the palate.

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Originally posted by V960

I'm sorry folks but do you feel the troll yet? One post, never returned...duh?