# Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy



## Raine (Aug 24, 2004)

Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy

Ingredients:

   * 4 Tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") 
OR 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself (see 
above)
   * 1 Egg
   * ¼ C Milk
   * All-purpose flour
   * Cooking oil or melted Crisco
   * ½ t Salt
   * ¼ t Ground black pepper
   * ¼ t Paprika (optional)

Directions:

Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, 
black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of 
beef cutlets.

Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each 
cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour.   Set cutlets 
aside on a piece of waxed paper.

Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over 
medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep 
in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and 
spits back at you, it's ready.

With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. 
Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that 
results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. 
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done 
through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.

Cream Gravy

After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 
tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in 
the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken 
fried steak recipe  in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, 
to brown the flour.

Gradually stir in ¾ cup milk and ¾ cup water, mixed together, stirring 
constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, 
and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few 
minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add 
more salt and pepper according to your taste


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## Bangbang (Aug 26, 2004)

I like to do it using boneless pork chops.


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## Alix (Aug 26, 2004)

OK, is cream gravy a popular thing? I feel a little queasy just thinking about it. It just doesn't jive with my idea of gravy. Does it taste good?


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## Raine (Aug 26, 2004)

It the South it is very popular.   Yep, good country down home eating!


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## Raine (Aug 26, 2004)

What gravies are popular there?


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## Alix (Aug 26, 2004)

I just make regular gravy from the drippings and use either water to deglaze or wine. I only ever use broth, water or wine in gravy...have never tried any kind of cream. Sounds like it would change the taste measurably.

Also wondering what something called "bacon gravy" is? Do you know Raine?


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## Raine (Aug 26, 2004)

Here it would be pretty much about the same thing.  Just use a different dripping base.  Use over biscuits.

Drippings from country ham mixed with water and cooffe would be what we call red-eye gravy.  Also served at breakfast.


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## Alix (Aug 26, 2004)

Did you say coffee? COFFEE?! Wow. I can see that my education on Southern food is seriously lacking! Do we have a section for this stuff? I would like to learn more about all the different things you do. I have never heard of a LOT of this stuff.


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## Jermosh (Aug 27, 2004)

Red eye gravy is the stuff. Great use of old leftover coffee. Its not a southern only thing though, my grandmother used to make in PA.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 28, 2004)

Cream gravyis often referred to as pan gravy.  It is simply a roux that is made in the same pan that some type of meat has been cooked in.  This allows it to pick up flavor from the browned bits stuck to the pan bottom.  The add liquid loosens those bits and usually dissolves them (deglazes the pan).  The roux is thinned by adding water, milk, or a combination of the two.  This gravy is usually poured over bicuits, meat, potatoes, or all three.

There are many variations, such as sausage gravy, brown gravy from a beef roast, chicken pan gravy, etc.  Sausage gravy is a very popular version.  It is made by the same technique used for this thread's cream gravy.  The difference is that bulk breakfast sausage was cooked in the pan.  That sausage is then broken up and added to the gravy.  It's always served with bicuits.

But back to the topic.  Truffle oil can be had for about $12 per 2 oz bottle.  It adds a wonderful flavor to many foods.  The problem with it is that you really can't cook with it as the flavor is highly vollatile and makes your house smell great.  Unfortunately,  you can't taste it in your food anymore.  It's usually used as a condiment.

I used it with chicken-fried steak and it worked wonderrfully.  Here's how it worked.

I drizzled a couple drops of black truffle oil on each steak and spred them around with a fork.  I then stabbed bunches of whole into the meat (tenderized it), forcing the oil into the inner meat tissue.  Then I dipped in egg-wash, dredged in seasoned flour and pan-fried in hot oil.  The four crust held in the truffle flavor and added a new depth of flavor to this classic meal.  I loved it, as did the rest of my family.  I guess that Truffle Oil Christmas present I received from them benefits everyone in my household.  And that's as it should be.  If you like mushrooms, you have to try this technique.  If you can find, or make your own mushroom infused oil, it would be cheaper.  I have to think that wild mushrooms, with their more potent flavor, would be great for this purpose.  Thing morels.


"There is no success outside the home that justifies failure within the home."

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Barbara L (Aug 28, 2004)

I think if you were to cut me open, you would find gravy flowing in my veins!  LOL  I love gravy!

 Barbara


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## GaArt (Oct 2, 2004)

Barbara L said:
			
		

> I think if you were to cut me open, you would find gravy flowing in my veins!  LOL  I love gravy!
> 
> Barbara


Yep ... me too.


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Oct 2, 2004)

A simple pleasure. Simple is usually good...... when youre single and/or busy.


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## SierraCook (Oct 2, 2004)

I agree, gravy is one of my favorite things. At Thanksgiving, it is not the turkey that I wait for, it is the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.


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## GaArt (Oct 3, 2004)

Couple of secrets to really good cream gravy.
I'm a Texas so I know bout it. 

1  plenty of grease, but not so it's swimming in it.

2.  I sprinkle the black pepper and salt in the oil for a minute ... until I start to smell the pepper toasting. Then add the flour

3.   I mix a little water in with the milk 

4.  Cook it. You may have to add some more liquid, but cook it. That keeps the flour from tasting raw.


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## donnaohooh (Oct 3, 2004)

Great tip about the pepper in the oil.  I do that with my herbs but never thought to do it with pepper.  Donna


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## Michael in FtW (Oct 6, 2004)

BangBang - that would be a chicken fried pork chop - not chicken fried steak.

Yes Alix - cream gravy is a Southern staple. Goodweed forgot to mention pouring it over just plain old bread, or rice. And, it's the foundation for SOS, uh, creamed chipped beef on toast.

Truffle oil in chicken fried steak or brown gravy? I would have 5 generations of ancestors spinning in their graves!

GaArt - I thought my grandma was the only one that put the pepper in the oil before she added the flour. She did like you said, add the pepper and salt to the oil, the when fragrent she added the flour and cooked it to the "just a touch" beyond blond stage before she added milk and then added water as she cooked it out.


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## GaArt (Oct 6, 2004)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> BangBang - that would be a chicken fried pork chop - not chicken fried steak.
> 
> Yes Alix - cream gravy is a Southern staple. Goodweed forgot to mention pouring it over just plain old bread, or rice. And, it's the foundation for SOS, uh, creamed chipped beef on toast.
> 
> ...



Was she a Texan too???


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## chesterchippy (Oct 8, 2004)

Thanks for the thread! I was just coming to this board to ask about chicken-fried steak since my husband told me he had his "first" on his business trip to Indianna and I thought I'd make it at home for him (more healthy, of course). Goodweed (hi, how ya' doing?) I have truffle oil in the pantry and I'll add it to the recipe.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 8, 2004)

Chesterchippy;  Good to see ya.  REmember to add the truffle oil to the gravy just before serving.  And also, a little goes a long way  .

And as for making it more healthy, you could pour off as much grease as possible and substitue with Sunflower oil, or another nuetral flavored cooking oil, and might even be able to get away with using whole grain flour.  I stess the word "might".

But it's worth a try.  How else would we ever know if we didn't experiment?

And here's a really different one for ya.  Try making a roux from the oil left after frying a batch of chorizo (you'll probably have to add more cooking oil to the pan to mae this work).  Add some red, pinto, or kidney beans, and maybe some dried and crushed chiles, after thinning to your desired consistancy, then serving over top of rice.  Sounds yummy to me.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed fo the North


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## SierraCook (Jul 17, 2005)

Rereading this thread made my mouth water.  Bring on the cube steaks and gravy!!


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## Shunka (Jul 17, 2005)

I make this at least 2 times a month. Growing up, we had it at least once a week.


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## Robo410 (Jul 17, 2005)

cream gravy, pan gravy, milk gravy, all pretty much the same --GOOD EATS!  ANd yews it works with ckicken fried steak, and pork chops (luv them that way) meat balls, sausage, chipped beef, spiced up hamburger, you name it.  Quite often a simple and economical way to stretch a meal.  Over toast, over waffles, over a baked potato, rice, whatever.  

and there are a host of chicken recipes too...creamed chicken, chicken alla king, chicken croquets with gravy...etc.


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## Dove (Jul 18, 2005)

I hear that Sierra!!
Dove


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## SierraCook (Jul 19, 2005)

Dove said:
			
		

> I hear that Sierra!!
> Dove


 
And the mashed potatoes, Dove.  Let's not forget about them.  Yum, I am hungry now.


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