CFS is easy comfort food

culture@dailylobo.com
@UncaMo

Chicken Fried Steak is a truly Southern dish, but it’s loved all across America. Closely related to Austrian Wienerschnitzel (breaded veal cutlet) and Italian or South American Milanesa (breaded veal or pork) and even Scottish collops, this dish is considered one of Texas’ offerings to American cuisine.

Lamesa, Texas claims to be the birthplace of Chicken Fried Steak and holds an annual festival each April.

There are a number of restaurants in town that make the CFS, pronounced SEE-fiss in kitchen slang, from scratch. The quality varies, but Murphy’s Mule Barn is considered by many to be the best.

Making this dish at home is cheap and easy. Served with mashed potatoes and cream gravy and a green vegetable, it’s a filling meal that, while not exactly diet food, is perfect for dinner if the weather is nasty or when it’s simply time for some serious comfort food.

Mo’s Chicken Fried Steak

2 to 2-1/2 pounds thin-cut, inexpensive beef (chuck or round works well, as does 7-bone) Get more if the beef needs a lot of trimming, less if it is lean.

4 eggs, beaten in a large, shallow bowl

8 cups all-purpose flour, half in a gallon resealable plastic bag, the other half in a large, shallow bowl.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enough vegetable oil (or lard if you want to be traditional) to fill a large cast-iron pan half an inch deep.

Items you will need:

At least 2 pairs of metal tongs

Large cast-iron skillet or heavy frying pan

Meat tenderizer/mallet or another heavy pan to flatten and tenderize the beef

Platter lined with paper towels or a wire rack for the cooked CFS

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Baking sheet

Preheat oven to 250°F. To prepare the beef, trim excess fat and gristle and discard. This may leave you with lots of small pieces. That’s fine: the smaller pieces cook more evenly and make for easier portioning.

With a meat tenderizer, pound the beef pieces until flat and tender. If you do not have a tenderizer or meat hammer, jab the beef all over with a fork, then flatten by beating with a heavy skillet or pan. Placing plastic film over the steak will prevent a mess.

Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper on both sides and let rest while the fat heats up. Place the steak, a few pieces at a time, in the bag of flour, seal and shake well to coat. When the fat reaches 350°F, or starts to shimmer, turn the heat down to medium-high and, with tongs, take the steak pieces out of the flour and drop into the egg.

Make sure to coat the steak evenly with egg, then use tongs to pull the steak out and allow the excess egg to drip back into the egg bowl. Drop the steak into the final flour bowl and toss to coat. If you toss it in the bowl, you won’t get your hands covered in breading.

Shake off excess flour and carefully place the steak in the hot oil. Cook for five to six minutes, or until the steak is golden brown. Flip and finish the other side. Place on a sheet pan in the oven to rest while continuing with the rest of the pieces. Be sure to allow the oil temperature to return to 350°F before adding more steak. Check that the temperature inside the steak is 165°F. If not, finish heating the steak in the oven until done.

Serve with cream gravy and Southern sides such as biscuits, mashed potatoes, collard greens, etc.

Variations:

For a thicker breading, repeat the egg and final flour step once before frying.

You can substitute unsalted cracker crumbs or bread crumbs for all or part of the final flour.

For a very crispy coating, substitute panko bread crumbs for the final flour. The texture will be more like Wienerschnitzel or Asian breaded cutlets.

Of course, what’s a CFS without cream gravy? Velvety cream gravy is the perfect topper for a savory cutlet.

There are as many recipes for cream gravy as there are cooks. Here are a few different methods to make a lovely smooth sauce for your Chicken Fried Steak.

Method 1: Skillet Gravy

After cooking the CFS using the recipe above, pour off all but a quarter cup of the fat.

Add about a quarter cup all-purpose flour and blend in with a whisk, being sure to scrape the pan for all the good stuff stuck at the bottom.

The fat-and-flour paste is essentially a roux, the classic French thickener for sauces.

Slowly pour in two cups of milk, whisking furiously to prevent lumps and to blend the roux with the milk.

When smooth, allow the gravy to simmer over low to medium heat and thicken. Season with generous amounts of salt and pepper and a pinch of dry thyme.

Method 2: Roux-thickened Cream Gravy

This recipe is convenient because it will thicken while the CFS is frying and will be ready as soon as the CFS is done. However, the roux needs to be made in advance.

To make the roux, melt a quarter pound of butter in a pan over low heat. Slowly whisk in a quarter pound of all-purpose flour. Let the roux thicken, then place in a small metal bowl and place in the freezer.

Heat two cups of milk in a sauce pan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer.

Take the frozen roux out of the freezer and chop it very finely. Slowly add the minced roux and stir the sauce with a whisk to ensure the roux melts and does not form lumps. About half of the roux should be enough. Save the rest in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer. Season as above.

Method 3: Roux-based Cream Gravy

This is essentially an unseasoned Béchamel sauce that is then seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme.

Make a roux, exactly as in the recipe above, but instead of freezing it, add the two cups of milk immediately. Whisk the roux as you add the milk slowly. This method is trickier, as it is more likely to form lumps. If lumps form, the sauce can be saved by using an immersion (stick) blender to remove the lumps.

Alternatively, the gravy can be made smooth by pulsing it a few times in a blender. Be sure to let the gravy cool before placing in a blender, then reheat to serve. Again, season as above with salt, pepper and a pinch of thyme.

Method 4: Slurry-based Cream Gravy

This is probably the easiest, but this gravy tends to taste starchy, and does not have as nice a texture as the rest.
Heat two cups of milk in a saucepan. Take two tablespoons of corn starch and add about two tablespoons of cold water to make the slurry. You might need slightly more or less, depending on the humidity and age of the cornstarch.

When the milk comes just to a simmer, whisk the slurry into the milk. Allow the gravy to come to a simmer, which will activate the thickening process. Do not overheat the gravy or keep hot too long, or the starch will lose its thickening capability. Season as above.

Variation: If using methods one through three, you can add a half cup of prepared red or green chile sauce to the gravy. This will add some heat and a nice color to the gravy.

Chile, especially green chile, is too acidic for cornstarch-thickened sauces.