- Crispy breaded country fried steaks. It's all about technique. Don't miss these crucial steps to getting that crispy perfection. (pleasant music) So here in the Test Kitchen, we research the little things. Well, because we think
details are super important so you have success in your kitchen. Here's a time-tested recipe
you're gonna have success with, country fried steak with white gravy. It's all in the details, my friends. So let's get it started. To get us going, we'll
get a buttermilk bath ready for our cube steaks. So into a large bowl,
we'll crack two eggs. Key is to do the eggs first, rather than the buttermilk, so that if you get any bits of shell in, you'll be able to see them to get 'em out. In with buttermilk and
some salt and pepper. Whisk that all together for our marinade. The enzymes and slight
acidity will soften the steaks without making them mushy. This is a classic in Southern cooking. Now to our steaks. Cube steaks are usually cut from the round and are put through a cool
machine that cuts slits in a regular pattern to tenderize the cut. This makes an inherently
firmer cut like round cuts, more tender and palatable. We'll put the cube steaks in a Ziploc bag and pour our buttermilk
mix over the steaks. Get them nice and evenly coated. We'll put them in the
refrigerator to soften and slightly brine the steaks. Four hours minimum, overnight preferred. Let's get ready for frying. We'll start with a couple of cups of flour in a shallow baking dish
in season that with salt, pepper and onion powder. Mix this up to get that seasoning
evenly through the flour. We'll pull a couple of tablespoons out to use later for our gravy. More in that in a few minutes. Now let's get our
buttermilk cube steaks out and put in another shallow baking dish. With tongs, we'll pull a steak
out and lay it in the flour. This works out well to do two at a time, grab some of the flour and top the steaks. We'll flip a couple of times, then bring each one back to the buttermilk for a second dip. Back to the flour. Then we'll even press the
flour into this steaks. So with a double dredge, that's what this is called by
the way is a double dredge, we'll get a good amount of
those crispy bits on the sides that we love so much
about country fried steak. Transfer to a sheet tray
fitted with a cooling rack, if you have it and we'll
refrigerate for 30 minutes, we'll fry these in a deep cast iron pan. A big thanks to our friends at Smithy. We just love these pans. Fill only halfway with
oil and get the temp to about 350 to 375. Place the breaded steak in gently and deep fry in batches three
to four minutes on each side. I'm a fan of fish spatulas
and tongs to flip. Be very careful not to splash this oil. I'll even pour a little
bit of that oil on top if I feel like it needs more crispiness. Once it's golden and
crispy on all the edges, we'll transfer to a sheet tray that we've got paper towels on so we can drain any excess oil. We'll keep these warm while we build our gravy in another pan, get a couple tablespoons of that hot oil into another pan that we
put over medium high heat. Add the seasoned flour that we set aside. And whisk to combine,
three to four minutes. Then add milk a little at a time, whisking between each addition of milk to work the lumps out. The idea is to get a nice smooth gravy. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add a little more salt and pepper and get it reduced to
the perfect consistency. Just three or four minutes 'til you have that nice gravy consistency
and we're all set. Get your crew together
and get some plates. Country fried steak down and we'll top it with some of this gravy. (pleasant music continues) The peppery gravy first, the beefy flavor, the crispy outside. Texture perfection. So good, so easy to do. It's all about the technique. Be sure to like and subscribe. We'll see you next time
in the Test Kitchen. (pleasant music continues)
