Who's got something to say about chicken-fried steak?
as in - what exactly the hell is one trying to accomplish when "chicken-frying" a perfectly good piece of steak? or is it a matter of trying to deftly camouflage a somewhat-less-than-virtuous hunk of beef?
Ordinarily I'd be acting out on my lentil loaf obsession, but I had a request from Antiprince, so I thought I'd ask y'all.
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16 comments:
You nailed the answer- it's typically an- um- less than prime cut of steak that you chicken-fry. My grandmother had this hammer with wicked pyramidal facets on the faces that she used to beat absolute s#@t out of cheap round or flank steak before battering and frying.
chicken fried steak must be accompanied by cream (or milk) gravy and mashed potatoes. Vegetables are kinda anticlimactic given all the fat and cholesterol from the meat n taters.
Since I am the (not self-proclaimed) Goddess of Gravy I'd be happy to share how to make perfect (lumpless) cream (or milk) gravy. If anyone's interested.
give it up.
what do you do with the piece of meat? is there some sort of dredging involved? hot oil for deep frying?
I think we tried this once before and it came out just this side of edible. I don't remember what I did, thought.
ok, take the meat- I buy cubed steak since I don't have a meat mallet (oo...). Make a mix of 1 egg and a splash of milk, beat all that together real well. Salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you'd like)the meat, and dip it in the egg. Then toss it around in flour and put it on a plate. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet until it's frying hot (how do you tell? Stick the handle end of a wooden spoon in the oil and if bubbles come out of the handle with vigor, it's hot enough) Toss the meat in the flour again, then put it in the hot oil. When its light brown on the bottom, turn it over. When its all brown, put it on a paper towel todrain a couple of minutes, then serve with gravy. The gravy is critical. You never see chicken fried steak without it in diners or fine eating establishments.
Havng the oil hot enough is critical, but not too hot, because it will scorch. If it's not hot enough your meat will be very greasy and heavy- yuck.
You know, I'd never fried until SD taught me how.
huh. I see where I went wrong, I think. the oil was nowhere near hot enough.
why do you have to toss it around in the flour twice I wonder...
so about this gravy of which you speak...
White gravy. Now that has to be pure southern. Is the same stuff we saw people pouring on their breakfast grits? Really threw us when we saw it at a breakfast buffet on our way to Alabama.
*shudder*
Tossing it in the flour twice (the second time, after letting it sit for a bit)gives it a nice crust.
Now, gravy.
2 tablespoon butter (not margarine, it scorches)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
heat this up in a skillet so the butter's melted, and add
1/4 cup flour
stir with a whisk constantly, until the flour just starts to brown (this is roux, the foundation of everything)
Then slowly stir in 2 cups of milk, start with 1 cup, and when it starts to thicken, add the other cup of milk. Salt and pepper to taste. It's also good with your favorite herbs.
You can make it richer by replacing 1/2 cup of milk with cream, or less rich by replacing 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of chicken broth.
The key to good gravy, is to keep the stove lowish temp, to stir constantly, and to make that roux. The toastier you make it, the better the flavor of the gravy. When you're cooking cajun, roux is made 'the color of an old penny'. The color of light toast is good for all-purpose use. You can use it as a base for all manner of cream sauces and soups.You can use it as base for cream of whatever soup, make the gravy a bit thicker by using a little less milk, and add mushrooms or celery.
Awe Elizabeth, done right it's pure heaven. On a buffet, it's a travesty.
Oh- about the gravy.
Southern cooks drain all but about 1/4 cup of the frying oil out of the skillet that the steaks were fried in. Leave all the little crusty bits in the skillet. Use that instead of the oil/butter as the base for the gravy. Scrape up the bits as you mix in the flour. Then finish with the milk, etc. It sounds nasty but it's really quite good.
When I was living in NH, I taught the chef at a local B&B how to properly make biscuits and gravy. He always knew when I was in the restaurant, because I was the only one who ordered it. Don't even get me started about trying to explain country ham and red eye gravy to Yankees. They thought I had lost my mind! Whenever I hosted dinner parties up there (which I love to do) I always made traditional Southern fare. Often I would serve plated and slightly heated Moon Pies with a cold RC for dessert. It was so funny, those who had never had a Moon Pie always assumed I had gone out of my way and whipped up a real delicacy... they were so dissappointed when I showed them the celophane wrapper that I had pulled it out of. =) I just had to tell them though, I felt like that woman in the TV commercial that goes on and on about the toil involved in making Rice Krispy treats! =)
LOVE the cooking blog, btw... wish I had thought of it.
mmmm country ham and red eye gravy Awwwwww Bliss! And biscuits! Awe! *slobber*
chicken-fried steak was a hit!
it would have been better if I had used an egg - which I am out of. I had to use just cream. but it did not seem to affect the tastiness of the recipe.
and I got gravy-shy at the last minute. Antiprince did not seem to mind, but I think I would have liked to try it.
the thing about B&G is, (i have eaten on a few occasions), it -tastes- really good but it often -looks- kind of, welllll...
Yea, Belle, i know. If you think about it tho, chili looks pretty iffy too.
AP- Thou must maketh the gravy. If you don't want the expense of ruining a couple batches as you learn, start by making it with straight vegetable oil, to get the roux technique down, and broth, to get the no-lumps thing. Season to taste wti h whatever- garlic, herbs, s&p. Once you can make that with ease, then use the butter and milk/cream.
BTW- if you make it with half and half or cream- it's a terrific base for chowders.
i have the same problem with chili, except actually i don't even like eating it that much. esp. the kind with beans.
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