On Chicken Fried Steaks: Recipes and Techniques

Out here in Austin Texas we eat a lot of Chicken Fried Steaks. Since the nearest good source is an hour away in Blanco, that means we mainly cook them at the house.
 
What is your tried and true cfs recipe?
 
Wash: Buttermilk, eggs, evaporated milk? Something else?
 
Breading: Saltine crackers, flour, corn meal? Something else?
 
Fat: Peanut oil, lard, butter? Something else?
 
Steak? Round, cubed, ribeye? Something else?
 
Gravy? Perhaps the most critical part. What are you dousing your cfs with once it comes out of the fat?
 
Thanks y'all

Cube steak or a tenderized round, which is actually a cube steak, don't waste $ on good cuts.
Peanut oil is good as is lard
Buttermilk, eggs, double dip the steak, after first wash and dip in seasoned flour, wait 15 minutes re wash and flour
fry, pour off excess oil leave enough to make a roux, deglaze the pan with chicken stock, add the roux, add pepper and whole cream or 1/2 & 1/2, balance with some chicken base, till the gravy is perfect, remember plenty of ground pepper in there...enjoy

 O.K. here's my recipe for C.F.S.
 
  4 cube steaks pounded thin
 
  1 qt. buttermilk
  1 egg, beaten
  sea salt and  black pepper
 
  2-3 cups A.P. flour
 1 tbs. Old Bay Seasoning (tm)
 lots of freshly ground pepper
 1-2 tsp. sea salt (Old Bay has a lot of sodium)
 1 tsp. ground thyme
 1 tsp. cayenne peper
 
 1 lb. breakfast sausage
 1-2 tbs. A.P. flour
 1 cup, plus 1/2 cup whole milk
 sea salt and pepper to taste
 
  First we salt and pepper the steaks then dredge them in the flour. Dunk them in the egg, butter milk mixture and dredge them one more time in the flour. Let these sit while you heat up about 1/4 inch of Crisco to about 350 degrees in a large stainless skillet. Brown both sides of the steaks in batches as not to crowd the pan. Remove to a wire rack in a warm oven. Remove the oil from the pan and brown the sausage on medium high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes til lightly browned. Add 1 cup of the milk and bring to a simmer. If the gravy is too thick, adjust with the remaining milk. Salt and Pepper to taste.
  I like to serve this with home made mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. I also like to sprinkle a little green Tabasco on the steaks.
 
  David O.
 
 

chewingthefat


Cube steak or a tenderized round, which is actually a cube steak, don't waste $ on good cuts.
Peanut oil is good as is lard
Buttermilk, eggs, double dip the steak, after first wash and dip in seasoned flour, wait 15 minutes re wash and flour
fry, pour off excess oil leave enough to make a roux, deglaze the pan with chicken stock, add the roux, add pepper and whole cream or 1/2 & 1/2, balance with some chicken base, till the gravy is perfect, remember plenty of ground pepper in there...enjoy

 
Yeah, what he said!

boyardee65
 
Why do you put sausage in your gravy for chicken fried steak?  It might taste wonderful but I would think it distracting.

I noticed that when these are professionally prepared in restaurant video, they are often fried in a two step process blanching process between two vats of oil. It seems that many of these chicken fried TX and state fair creations use the two step process.

Chewers recipe sounds like what we do most times in Texas. I would eat some good CF ribeye though. But... might be kinda a waste of good ribeye.
 
Maybe David's sausage gravy is for way up north kinda CFS?
 
SC, smart of you to ask for recipes here at Roadfood. I look around at all tha big recipe sites but... when I want to know how to cook something this is where I come. Most stuff is already here. And your right, kinda hard to find good CFS even in Texas.
Joe

Papa
Yep, they are hard to find. I went on a tear a couple years ago trying to find a good one in Austin and the nearest I came was Galloway down on e.12th but he only does them one day a week.
 
Broken Spoke just sort of heaved a slice of light bread on top of my platter which put me in a bad mood for about a week.
 
Threadgills is pitiful. Hoover's is decent but nothing to get excited about.
 
I'll post my recipe up soon. I also like to take cold meatloaf out of the fridge and chicken fry that-it makes a real good sandwich with plenty mayo on griddled Texas Toast.

scrumptiouschef


I also like to take cold meatloaf out of the fridge and chicken fry that-it makes a real good sandwich with plenty mayo on griddled Texas Toast.

Now that's an interesting idea. Except I'm not sure I'd want mayonnaise on it. And I just happen to have some leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator.

 
I have let similar breaded dishes blend together and have no true recipe.  I mix it with my schnitzle and Milanese recipes and there is little difference.
To be honest, since moving here I haven't had a desire to make a cfs as it is a heavy dish. After Threadgill's and Hoover's, I felt I had tried enough.
That said, last night was a breaded pork chop that I tenderized with my meat mallet,  mashed potatoes in a mushroom cream gravy. and fredh spinach.  Close enough....
I use panko bread crumbs for everything.  Does anyone have a battered recipe?
mark
 
mark

I've found the secret to any "Chicken Fried" anything, be it steak, pork, chicken whatever, is to let the meat rest on a rack at least 15-20 minutes after dredging/breading it to allow the moisture and seasonings to be absorbed in the flour or crumbs and dry out a little. You get a better result that way.

Foodbme


I've found the secret to any "Chicken Fried" anything, be it steak, pork, chicken whatever, is to let the meat rest on a rack at least 15-20 minutes after dredging/breading it to allow the moisture and seasonings to be absorbed in the flour or crumbs and dry out a little. You get a better result that way.

  The breading also sticks to the meat better after frying if you wait a few minutes. I am pretty sure that I used this step in the recipe I posted.
 
  David O.

chewingthefat


Cube steak or a tenderized round, which is actually a cube steak, don't waste $ on good cuts.

As a resident by birth of Cattle Country, I totally disagree with this idea. 
     The way you can tell you're back in 
beef 
country is when the Chicken Fried Steak is a REAL steak.
No glorified tenderized hamburgers.

boyardee65

Foodbme


I've found the secret to any "Chicken Fried" anything, be it steak, pork, chicken whatever, is to let the meat rest on a rack at least 15-20 minutes after dredging/breading it to allow the moisture and seasonings to be absorbed in the flour or crumbs and dry out a little. You get a better result that way.

  The breading also sticks to the meat better after frying if you wait a few minutes. I am pretty sure that I used this step in the recipe I posted.

David O.

Yep, you did. Just thought I'd emphasize the importance of doing that step. Did you get my PM's?

Foodbme

boyardee65

Foodbme


I've found the secret to any "Chicken Fried" anything, be it steak, pork, chicken whatever, is to let the meat rest on a rack at least 15-20 minutes after dredging/breading it to allow the moisture and seasonings to be absorbed in the flour or crumbs and dry out a little. You get a better result that way.

  The breading also sticks to the meat better after frying if you wait a few minutes. I am pretty sure that I used this step in the recipe I posted.

David O.

Yep, you did. Just thought I'd emphasize the importance of doing that step. Did you get my PM's?

 
  I did get the P.M.s I don't have a car right now so working in Phx. presents a challenge for me. Thanks.

bill voss

chewingthefat


Cube steak or a tenderized round, which is actually a cube steak, don't waste $ on good cuts.

As a resident by birth of Cattle Country, I totally disagree with this idea. 
    The way you can tell you're back in 
beef 
country is when the Chicken Fried Steak is a REAL steak.
No glorified tenderized hamburgers.

Well then what cut do you recommend?

PapaJoe8

.

Maybe David's sausage gravy is for way up north kinda CFS?

I actually got this recipe from my Grandma who lived most of her life in Dodge City, also cattle country. I use the same gravy for B&G.
 
David O.

Chef B, I love sausage gravy for B&G. That recipe sounds good.
Joe

imho, sausage gravy is for biscuits or hashbrowns.  I've had sausage gravy on CFS before, and it just isn't good to me.
 
I'm hoping for a good, tried and true battered recipe myself.
 
Someone here has to have one!

PapaJoe8


Chef B, I love sausage gravy for B&G. That recipe sounds good.
Joe

Joe, Chef, what cut would you use for the CFS?

drummagick


imho, sausage gravy is for biscuits or hashbrowns.  I've had sausage gravy on CFS before, and it just isn't good to me.

I'm hoping for a good, tried and true battered recipe myself.

Someone here has to have one!

There have been many on here on other threads. Use the search function.

Before cube steak, way long time ago, used round steak that was brined in salt water to make tender or took to with mallet to tenderize.  You can use a good sirloin steak to make a great CFS also.
 
Wash, just buttermilk and egg.
 
Dip, flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and a little ground red chile, gives it pizzaz.
 
Dip in flour, then buttermilk/egg mixture, and then back into flour.  I like a good crunch so I dip it back into buttermilk/egg mixture and then back into flour again.  Remove excess flour and set aside and dip other cube steaks.  Let them all rest 15 minutes before frying. 
 
Got to use grandpa's old cast iron skillet to cook real Texas Chicken Fried Steak!  A heated cast iron skillet can withstand the temperature drop that occurs when adding the steaks.  If the oil cools too much, it seaps into the crust and makes for a greasy CFS.  This is why you want the steaks at room temperature before dipping.  You want to cook one side, flip, and then cook the other side and remove from skillet.  I like to see the blood pooling on top before flipping, gives great flavor to the crust.
 
For real Texas Chicken Fried Steak, we always make cream gravy.  And as the name implies, we use cream.  A tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of flour.  I don't use my leftover flour, as I put in all the spices and they do not come together to make a good cream gravy.  Just use salt and plenty of black pepper.  I just eyeball the amount of cream to use.  If it is too thick, I do add milk to get the right consistency. 
 
I like my family and friends to get a good look at the CFS, so I put the cream gravy on the plate and put the CFS on top.  I prefer pan fried potatoes with onions or even good ol' french fries, but the family likes mash potatoes.  I also like black-eye peas and fried okra/squash with the CFS. 
 
And my wife's good ol' pecan pie for desert.
 
Enjoy!

NM, some good tips on how to do this right. And you explained why. Yours sounds great!
Joe

chewingthefat

PapaJoe8


Chef B, I love sausage gravy for B&G. That recipe sounds good.
Joe

Joe, Chef, what cut would you use for the CFS?

  I use any cut that I can slice thinly and pound with a spiked mallet. I like sirloin, eye of round, and flat iron cut thinly on the bias. The flatiron steak is actually a cut from the shoulder (chuck.) I think that in France it is called a coulott. This cut is very beefy and works well if you like smaller steaks.
 
David O.

NMBullRdr's recipe is very similar to how I prefer my CFS. I can't imagine using sausage gravy on CFS. I use bacon grease and flour for my gravy. I've always used milk but will give the cream a try. Sausage gravy is okay for B&G but I prefer bacon grease there as well.

BR


NMBullRdr's recipe is very similar to how I prefer my CFS. I can't imagine using sausage gravy on CFS. I use bacon grease and flour for my gravy. I've always used milk but will give the cream a try. Sausage gravy is okay for B&G but I prefer bacon grease there as well.

Good Sausage Gravy is good on anything---Cereal, Pop Tarts, Green Beans, Potato Chips, ---Just Anything!