Ingredients
2 lb. cube steak (about 4 pieces)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/2" rings
3 tbsp. butter
1 (1-oz.) packet onion soup mix
1 1/2 c. water
Preparation
Step 1Season steaks with salt and pepper. Mix flour and garlic powder in a large shallow plate and dredge steaks. Reserve remaining dredge mixture.Step 2In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Fry steaks in batches until deeply golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a plate. Step 3Reduce heat to medium and add onion to pan. Cook, scraping down the bottom of pan, until onions are softened and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Step 4Melt butter into onions, then sprinkle in onion soup mix and 1 tablespoon of reserved dredge mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until bubbling and beginning to turn a golden color, another 10 minutes.Step 5Gradually add water, a 1/4 cup at a time. Let simmer lightly until gravy is thickened. Transfer steaks to pan with gravy and turn to coat.Step 6Serve steaks smothered with gravy.
What should I serve cube steaks with? Gravy smothered cube steaks are screaming for classic sides such as mashed potatoes to soak up the gravy, and a fresh counterpart (think crisp, green vegetables such as green beans or sugar snap peas). Here are more ideas for sides that make steak dinner even tastier. What should I look for when buying cube steak? Check out the meat counter for already prepared cube steak. This cut should stand out – the meat mallet makes tiny indentations in the steak as it thins and tenderizes it to a thickness of about a chicken cutlet. While the package will indicate the cut as cube steak, it typically comes from top round or top sirloin. Alternatively, you can buy thin slices of these cuts and pound it with a meat mallet yourself – but it’s much easier to have the butcher do it for you! What variations can I make on this recipe? We love our souped up (literally) onion soup mix gravy, but any gravy that you enjoy works well here, such as a standard brown or a creamy Southern white. Cook mushrooms in the skillet first and add them to the gravy. Mix the flour with a bit of spice – a pinch of cayenne, a dash of paprika, cumin or coriander nicely complement the meat. How do you keep cube steaks tender? Three keys to tender cube steaks in this recipe. First, tenderizing the meat with the meat mallet. Second, breading the steaks in flour before searing them. And finally, simmering them in the gravy. To keep them tender, either cube steaks should be cooked fast like we do here, or simmered for a while like we do in our Best Crock Pot Cube Steak recipe. What else can I make with cube steaks? Swap cube steaks into these classic recipes: Chicken Fried Steak, Steak Pizzaiola, Steak Milanesa, or our Best Crock Pot Cube Steak. And let us know what other recipes you like using cube steak in! Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
