At my wits end... need some help from my Fellow 'Hiders. Chicken Fried Steak!

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I think a lot of the cube steak thing is price and convenience. It also is a way to make tough off cuts tender, and it holds seasoning and breading well. There’s not reason to use a more expensive cut just to fry it honestly. If you want a good higher quality steak just grill one.

Why beat your meat when you can have someone pulverize it for you?

I think deer back straps came into existence for chicken frying, it’s the best.
 
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I have found that using Bisquick Baking Mix instead of regular flour, because it browns faster and doesn't overcook the meat. Also White Wings Gravy Mix mix makes excellent gravy and not so greasy. These were tips from a woman that made the best CFS I've ever eaten, she also used thin-ish New York Strip and did not pound it out. A local eatery here uses unpounded Ribeye steak.
The only way gravy tastes greasy is if you make it greasy, package gravy mix is never a better option.

Make your own damn gravy it’s easy as hell.
 
And yes I reported my own post last night.
I have no idea why copy/pasting a simple table of oil smoking temps broke it.
Does everyone else see what I do....the title line of the table and that's it ?

O BTW, the table shows corn oil as smoking temp of ~about~ 425-465 if I remember right....and one guy was saying you needed to get frying oil to 425 or so which is why I tried to post the too hot temps.
 
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I think a lot of the cube steak thing is price and convenience. It also is a way to make tough off cuts tender, and it holds seasoning and breading well. There’s not reason to use a more expensive cut just to fry it honestly. If you want a good higher quality steak just grill one.

Why beat your meat when you can have someone pulverize it for you?
I agree with you here, it's an easy way to make a cheap cut edible. But if you want to kick it up a couple notches, you can do that too. Plus, this way you can use whatever meat you have kicking around, instead of having to specifically buy a cubed steak.
 
I agree with you here, it's an easy way to make a cheap cut edible. But if you want to kick it up a couple notches, you can do that too. Plus, this way you can use whatever meat you have kicking around, instead of having to specifically buy a cubed steak.
The chances of frying it to a nice med rare don’t seem high and like a waste of a good steak. If it’s cooked any more it won’t even taste better, use the cheaper cuts.
 
The chances of frying it to a nice med rare don’t seem high and like a waste of a good steak. If it’s cooked any more it won’t even taste better, use the cheaper cuts.
I'll beg to differ, as good control of thickness of your steak, and the temperature of your oil yield excellent control of final doneness of the steak. Its possible to consistently hit within +/- 5⁰ of target internal temp with my method.
 
I'll beg to differ, as good control of thickness of your steak, and the temperature of your oil yield excellent control of final doneness of the steak. Its possible to consistently hit within +/- 5⁰ of target internal temp with my method.
Still wasting a good steak frying them, might as well cover them in ketchup too.
 
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Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. But for the record, ketchup is a sin. Like, thou shalt not eat ketchup should have been the 11th commandment.
Ketchup is good, just not on steak same with gravy. Steak don’t need shit but seasoning and if your feeling fancy, butter.
 
Skip the Milk/Egg and use yellow mustard and thank me later.
You know, I'm honestly trying to work out the angle here. I've never exposed mustard to high direct heat like that. I can potentially see it if you thinned the mustard with water, or say buttermilk, but I feel like the breading would get either too thick or too friable with French's straight out of the bottle... Am I wrong?
 
You know, I'm honestly trying to work out the angle here. I've never exposed mustard to high direct heat like that. I can potentially see it if you thinned the mustard with water, or say buttermilk, but I feel like the breading would get either too thick or too friable with French's straight out of the bottle... Am I wrong?
For mustard batter, you mix the mustard in the wash.
 
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Heat your oil to about 365. You can stick a wooden match in the oil when you think it’s hot enough. It’ll flare up for just a second. That’s how you know it’s perfect temp!
Know your oil's smoking temp
Not all oil is equal - the below are the smoking points

oil-smoking-temperature-chart.jpg

I cook with olive oil virgin, I deep FRY with Peanut :)
 
Nope just straight mustard guys....now dont get me wrong, you dont put a 1/4" layer on it...just a good rub and the your seasoned flour or whatever breading you use. Use this for beef or deer.....Trust me I thought it would be way to strong when I was told about it also.
 
Justin Wilson posted his recipe in #91. Hate yall missed it.
Did it have the secret of cooking good ones North of the 37th parallel? So you're saying it's a southern conspiracy to keep the good stuff from us that are farther north. Great.

Btw one of the best chicken fried steaks that I've had was at Goodson's Cafe in Tomball Texas. 96-15 I was in Texas and was also born in Orange Texas.
 
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Did it have the secret of cooking good ones North of the 37th parallel? So you're saying it's a southern conspiracy to keep the good stuff from us that are farther north. Great.

Btw one of the best chicken fried steaks that I've had was at Goodson's Cafe in Tomball Texas. 96-15 I was in Texas and was also born in Orange Texas.
Chicken fried steak won’t fry north of Georgia.
 
Did it have the secret of cooking good ones North of the 37th parallel? So you're saying it's a southern conspiracy to keep the good stuff from us that are farther north. Great.

Btw one of the best chicken fried steaks that I've had was at Goodson's Cafe in Tomball Texas. 96-15 I was in Texas and was also born in Orange Texas.
Justin Wilson was doing a show on red beans and rice. He said ~ that even Yankees as far north as Shreveport eat red beans and rice.
 
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My grandmother would chicken fry thin cut T-bones. Now my mouth is watering.

I don’t think I’d CF a ribeye, but pork chops, pork loin, venison back straps, venison/pork tenderloin, the above mentioned t-bones, yes are all fair game. Chicken frying is a great way to cook a steak that may be ‘too thin’ for the grill.
 
When I fry chicken or pork chops I only fry until the crust is the way I want it. Then I finish them in the oven on a wire rack. Easier to control the finished temp of the meat and allows the excess oils to drip off. Just my preference.
 
Okay I am sick of y'all and the chicken fried back strap bullshit.
Back strap is cut to the thickness of bacon then marinated in Italian salad dressing for two hours on the counter. Wrap the back strap in a slice of bacon and cook on the grill until the bacon is done.
There's a rosemary balsamic vinegar recipe but y'all don't deserve it.
 
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my son coats his brisket with a lot of mustard before smoking, and it comes out so good!
When I do a roast (like standing rib or tenderloin) I coat it with bacon fat mixed with mustard powder. Needs to be thick so it sticks. It is an awesome way to coat a roast. Olde English thing. If you can get the really hot Irish or Newport-Pagnell Mustard or powder... it's incredible on a roast.

Never thought of it on Brisket. But what a great idea!

Thanks for that! Another good tip for CFS!

Sirhr
 
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Mustard crust is common in french and german cooking. Bread crumbs vs flour and browned in butter or cooked in the oven. Never heard of using it for cubed steak though.
But it could be tasty... in moderation. One of those 'background' tastes.

BTW, probably sacrilige, but I love Chicken fried steak with white gravy and... Heinz 57. Grew up on that stuff. It's a great combo!

I'll just go hide behind this steel plate now. To deflect the arrows and bullets from my esteemed Redneck cousins! We're cut from the same cloth you know. Even if we do disagree about certain seasonings.

Sirhr
 
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Okay I am sick of y'all and the chicken fried back strap bullshit.
Back strap is cut to the thickness of bacon then marinated in Italian salad dressing for two hours on the counter. Wrap the back strap in a slice of bacon and cook on the grill until the bacon is done.
There's a rosemary balsamic vinegar recipe but y'all don't deserve it.
Best backstrap I’ve ever eaten was off a young doe. Left whole muscle, just cut into 1/3 lengthwise (remove silverskin). Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder. Wrap in bacon. Smoke at 250 until internal temp is 135. Use a meat thermometer y’all savages. Remove bacon and wrap backstrap in foil. Insulate and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. Crisp bacon on stove. Cut 1/2” medalions from the rested backstrap immediately before serving. Serve with sides of choice. The venison was cut-with-fork tender.

But they chicken fry up nicely too.
 
But it could be tasty... in moderation. One of those 'background' tastes.

BTW, probably sacrilige, but I love Chicken fried steak with white gravy and... Heinz 57. Grew up on that stuff. It's a great combo!

I'll just go hide behind this steel plate now. To deflect the arrows and bullets from my esteemed Redneck cousins! We're cut from the same cloth you know. Even if we do disagree about certain seasonings.

Sirhr
Heinz 57? I bet you put ketchup on ribeyes… 🤣

True story. When I was a kid we had access to a 1400 acre ranch in the Texas hill country for deer hunting. The kind of place you could drive around all day and not see the same part 2x. You could also drive the ranch roads and stack deer in the bed of a pickup 4 or 5 high. (Yes, hunting from a vehicle on private land is legal in TX) Anyway, my dad bought nice thiccc T-bone steaks to grill one evening. After enduring the injustice of serving a steak at the requested well done, we all sat in mute horror as the ranch owner covered said steak in ketchup. But, that place was a hunter’s paradise so we didn’t say fuck all about it.
 
Heinz 57? I bet you put ketchup on ribeyes… 🤣

True story. When I was a kid we had access to a 1400 acre ranch in the Texas hill country for deer hunting. The kind of place you could drive around all day and not see the same part 2x. You could also drive the ranch roads and stack deer in the bed of a pickup 4 or 5 high. (Yes, hunting from a vehicle on private land is legal in TX) Anyway, my dad bought nice thiccc T-bone steaks to grill one evening. After enduring the injustice of serving a steak at the requested well done, we all sat in mute horror as the ranch owner covered said steak in ketchup. But, that place was a hunter’s paradise so we didn’t say fuck all about it.
Nope... I am very selective about what goes on real steak. But CFS is sort of... breading and steak.

Funny story, though. Like yours!

Back in 1990's I organized a cigar dinner for a bunch of folks who needed some 'Sprucing up.' To fit in with executives and gummint officials and the like. It was put on by a super high-class restaurant. We had a private room. 7 Course meal with a cigar and a liquor/wine/adult beverage with every course. One of the best meals I ever had. Chef was a friend of mine and pulled out all the stops. The main course was ribeye... amazing pieces of meat!

So it's going great. We're having cigars... amazing aperatif's and wine's. Incredible pre-courses. The conversation is good and loud. Everyone is having a good time... and we are giving some good lessons on eating/decorum during the whole thing. Part of the point of the evening. Which napkin to use and not drinking the finger bowls.

About 1.5 hours in (long dinner) it's main course time. The steaks come out. They are incredible. There are some garnishes (horseradish, house-made steak-sauce, English Hot Mustard, etc...). But mostly the blackened steaks are just perfect they way they are. Right about the time the last steak is served, there is one of these coincidental 'pauses' in conversation. The room goes quiet. Right at that instant a man who shall be known only as "Tim" Blurts out: "Excuse me, can I have some Ketchup?"

It was like all the air was sucked out of the room. There was about this 10 second dead silence. The waiters froze. The chef Froze. I froze. Not a sound in the room.

"Tim" looked like he had been hit in the head with a bat. And said... "Never mind."

We went back to making merry.

To this day... when anyone is getting together with "Tim"... he asks if he wants some Ketchup. He gets Ketchup at Christmas. Guys from our old team send him Ketchup T-Shirts. Ketchup napkins. Ketchup aprons. Ketchup.

So I get it! But there is also a place and a time for Heinz 57. And a chicken fried steak is one of them.

Just 'sayin!

Oh and I am going to send this thread to Tim. He is still around. And has a Ketchup neurosis. I think that is because people started putting ketchup packs in his desk, his boots, his glove box... his mail box...

Ah, Tim is going to enjoy this thread. It will send him to Therapy tomorrow. It's not PTSD. It's Heinz.

Sirhr
 
there is also a place and a time for Heinz 57. And a chicken fried steak is one of them.

Just 'sayin!


Sirhr
Snipped for the important stuff.
This is why you use cube steak. You don't pound a NY strip or a ribeye with a mallet unless you bought it from some guy with a freezer in the back of his truck in a parking lot.
I like to put Tabasco and gravy on CFS.