Chcken Friiiiied Steak

What is more Texan - more deep down-home cooking - than chicken fried steak? It never occurred to me to try and make my own, but then I saw an episode of Good Eats and I changed my mind.

We bought 2 butt roasts at Costco for about $13 and I had a horrible experience with the first one, not realizing how tough a piece of meat it is. Thankfully before I butchered the second I saw Alton Brown's episode called "Cubing Around".

The meat was so flavorful. I was frankly pretty amazed by the outcome, especially because at many points in the preparation I had considerable skepticism. The breading tends to want to slide off, either before or during the frying, but it all worked out in the end. Our roast made nice little tidy pieces about 3 inches in diameter. A couple of these, veggies, and a baked tater and I felt like I was at a fancy rest-ahh-rant - like Luby's!

Chicken Fried Steak

2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 whole eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.

Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven. Repeat until all of the meat is browned.

Add the remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

A note - I didn't feel like buying a "needling device". I understand the purpose - make the meat more tender. So I poked the meat on both sides, first one direction, then the other, with a fork. I could definitely tell a difference in the slices where I was a little more diligent in my poking - much more tender meat.

5 Things to Eat Before You Die

I stole this meme from somebody else - I didn't get tagged or anything, I just wanted to write it all down so I wouldn't forget.

1. Caprese salad made with a tomato fresh off the vine and still warm from the sun, fresh-picked basil, and extremely fresh Buffalo mozzarella with a sprinkling of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
2. A warm cappuccino with the perfect amount of crema on top, and a biscotti to match
3. Strawberries picked fresh - I remember the tiny ones we harvested in March that grew along our driveway when I was little
4. Sun-warmed blackberries - again, in our backyard when I was a child (and jelly made from said blackberries)
5. Avocado roll - with a piece of pickled ginger on top (I know, it is SO not done in the correct sushi eating technique)
5a. Dr Pepper float made with Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream (so I cheated)

The runner-ups would be my favorite Cabernet with anything...the homemade ice cream and grilled burgers we had at every birthday celebration at my grandmother's growing up...the first time I ever made fresh fettuccine with a liquor tomato sauce...fresh hot pastries in Paris...a big fat dill pickle...my mother's sage stuffing (wow I forgot about that one)...fried cheese curds from the Minnesota State Fair...the extremely sharp cheddar cheese tasted at the Cabot Creamery in Vermont...the hot milky tea I shared in college at Friday night tea parties...