Chicken Fried Steak

For you non-Texans Chicken Fried Steak isn't chicken. It technically should be Steak fried like chicken. It actually derives from German settlers in Texas. They had trouble finding Veil for Schnitzel so they used cube steak instead.

And it's one of my favorite foods from Texas, that you never find once you travel North. So it's something I wanted to learn to make. I got this recipe out of Grady Spears - A Cowboy in the Kitchen. One of my favorite books.

Flour Spice
1 1/2 C Flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
4 TB paprika

Batter
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Shiner Bock Beer
2 Cups Peanut Oil
4 Tenderized round steaks (about 1/2 lb. each)

Make sure your steaks are tenderized and pounded flat. I've used a tenderizer and cast iron to beat the steaks down until they're very thin.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a bowl big enough for the steaks. In another bowl whisk the eggs. Add the buttermilk and beer.

HERE'S THE KEY. Dredge your steaks in the flour mixture and then let them sit for at least ten mins. Doing this removes the moisture and makes sure your batter will stick to the steaks.

In a heavy skillet heat your Peanut Oil (you can substitute veg oil here, Peanut Oil is good b/c it has a high smoking point). It needs to be 350 degrees. Honestly, I just look for shimmering on the top of the oil and drip a little water or batter to see if it sizzles. Then adjust the heat from there. Usually I have to lower the heat after one or two steaks.

Take your steaks, knock off any excess flour. Then re-dredge them in the flour mixture trying to coat them evenly. Shake off the excess again. Dip the meat into the batter. Let the excess drip off and finally put it back in the flour mixture one last time. Evenly coating the batter so it is dry on the outside.

Drop your steaks in carefully into the oil. Cook it about 5 minutes on one side. Turn it over, careful not to break your batter. And cook it another 5 minutes or so. You want a nice golden brown color. Drain the cooked steak on a paper towel. And you can hold it in the oven at 250 degrees to keep it warm while the others cook.

You can use the pan to make cream gravy as well. Drain your oil until there's a 3-4 tablespoons left in your skillet. Take 3-4 tablespoons of the flour you used to dredge your steaks. And whisk it together. Once its mixed slowly add milk or cream. Until you get a cream color. Keep stirring at low heat, being sure to get the bottom of the pan mixed into the gravy. Season with salt and a lot of pepper. And stir for 5-10 minutes until it's thick.