Country Fried & Smothered Steak
Different from a Chicken Fried Steak, Country Fried Steak is sautéed and served with a rich, brown mushroom gravy; if simmered in the gravy, then it becomes "smothered."
The world of things called "steak" can be confusing. The Kitchen Tapestry recipes for Swiss Steak and Salisbury Steak share with the reader why people often get those two confused.
This dish is something of an amalgamation of those two recipes. It uses a scored, tenderized piece of top round or sirloin, sold often as "cube steak" or "minute steak" (like Swiss Steak), but the beef is sautéed then left to finish cooking simmered in a rich, brown onion and mushroom gravy (like Salisbury Steak).
But to make things even more confusing, many people think this is a Chicken Fried Steak, the “Unofficial State Dish of Texas.”
While Chicken Fried Steak will use a tenderized piece of sirloin or top round (with the latter being the original recipe favorite), the beef is batter dipped, just like chicken is batter dipped, then cooked in a deep-fat fryer, also just like chicken; hence the name. It further is served with a separately made white cream gravy, rich and peppery, and never brown.
Country Steak, on the other hands, is dredged in flour, pan fried and then served with brown pan gravy. If the steak is allowed to simmer in the gravy for awhile, a true Southern way to prepare this dish, then it is referred to as "smothered."
The only real similarity between the Chicken Fried Steak and Country Fried Steak is in the style of beef cuts they use - tough, muscular meat that must be tenderized with a meat mallet or put through a butcher's tenderizer.
Country Fried & Smothered Steak
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sirloin or top round "cube steaks" or "minute steaks" cut into 4 oz portions
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp seasoned salt (like, Lawry's)
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed
- 3-4 tbsp butter
- 1 pkg dry onion soup mix (like, Lipton)
- 2 cups beef stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce (like, Kikkoman Less Soy)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp English mustard powder (like, Coleman's)
- 1 tbsp beef base (like, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base)
- 1 4.5 oz can mushrooms, drained (like, Green Giant)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour dissolved in 4 tbsp warm tap water (a slurry)
Instructions
- Cut the steaks in half so you have about 12 pieces.
- Season the flour with the seasoned salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then dredge each piece of beef pressing the meat down into the flour to thoroughly coat each slice.
- Have a platter nearby. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and working in batches, sauté each piece of steak for 3-4 minutes per side until browned.
- Remove each piece of beef to the platter as you add another batch. Add more oil as you go along if needed.
- When the steaks have all been browned, add the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt.
- Add the onion soup mix and powdered mustard to the butter and mix to combine.
- Add the beef stock to the pan, strapping up any crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Blend in the onion soup and mustard mixture with a whisk.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder, and stir well.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer and add the beef base, stirring until it has dissolved into the sauce. Test for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Add a bit of slurry to the sauce, stir and return to a simmer until the sauce has reached a thickness to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add the mushrooms to the sauce and return all the beef slices back into the pan, including any juices that may have accumulated in the platter.
- Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on the skillet and allow the meat to slowly simmer for an hour.
