The concept of breading and pan-frying meat, as with country-fried steak, is thought to have been brought to the Southern United States by German immigrants in the mid-1800s. It is believed that the recipe was adapted from wiener schnitzel—breaded and fried veal cutlets—as a way of making use of tougher cuts of meat. Country-fried steak is typically served in a brown gravy whereas its close relative chicken-fried steak has a white peppered gravy.
Recipe Servings: 4
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks (4 oz each)
- 2¾ tsp salt, divided
- 2¼ tsp ground black pepper, divided
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers (approximately 38-40), finely crushed
- 1¾ cups flour, divided
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground red pepper
- 8¾ cups whole milk, divided
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups oil
Directions
- Season both sides of the steaks with a ¼ teaspoon of both salt and black pepper.
- Whisk together the crushed saltine crackers, 1 cup flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl.
- Stir in an additional ½ teaspoon of both salt and black pepper as well as the ground red pepper.
- Whisk together 4¾ cups milk and eggs in a separate bowl until completely incorporated.
- Dredge a steak in the flour mixture, then dip it in the milk mixture, and coat it in the flour mixture again. Repeat this until all the steaks are breaded.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or heavy pan to 360°F.
- Place steaks in hot oil, frying for about 10 minutes until steaks are golden-brown. Cook steaks in batches if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan.
- Transfer steaks to a wire rack set over paper towel to drain.
- Whisk together ¾ cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 4 cups of milk in a large bowl.
- Pour mixture into a skillet with 1 tablespoon of the frying oil and whisk over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
- Pour gravy over country-fried steaks and serve immediately.
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