Food Network Favorites: Bubba's Country-Fried Steak & Gravy
Not just any Bubba, but Paula Deen's younger brother, whom she taught to make this steak. Like all of Deen's cuisine, it's a calorie-laden dish. The flavor is merely okay; I didn't think it was worth making again, to be honest.
Tenderized round steaks are dredged in seasoned flour then browned in a whole lot of oil. The oil is mixed with flour to make a pan gravy, and the browned meat simmers in the gravy until tender. I found the gravy to be really, really oily, and the flavor is pretty overwhelmingly peppery, without much else to it. Maybe it tastes better if you use the optional monosodium glutamate, but I don't use MSG in my cooking, so I don't know. If you decide to try this recipe, be sure to use cube steak, which has been through the butcher's cubing machine and looks like this.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: about 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 4-oz. tenderized beef round steaks, aka cube steaks
1 1/4 tsp Paula's House Seasoning (you can eyeball it: about 3/4 tsp salt and rounded 1/8 tsp each of garlic powder and black pepper)
1 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups hot water
1/2 tsp monosodium glutamate, optional
1 bunch green onions or 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a wide dish. Sprinkle 1 side of the meat with the House Seasoning and the other side with the seasoned salt and then dredge the meat in the flour mixture.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the steaks in batches, adding more oil as needed, until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Make the gravy by adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the pan drippings, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper and the salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the flour is medium brown and the mixture is bubbly. Slowly add the water and MSG if using, stirring constantly. Return the steaks to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and place the onions on top of the steaks. Cover the pan and let simmer for 30 minutes, then serve.