Cube steaks can also be made with beef from the chuck, or shoulder, portion of the cow. One of the most popular ways to cook cube steak right is in the skillet over medium-high heat. This increases the price of the meat. Muscles at the top of the animal, around the backbone and ribs, dont get much exercise so the meat is soft and tender with more marbling. Set them on a plate and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks. One of the fastest ways to tenderize a tough cube steak is with a Baking Soda bath. Follow up with a marinade, enzymes, salt baking soda. Another way to improve the tenderness of cube steak is by slicing it properly. How To Tenderize Cube Steak For Frying? Step 9. A metal bowl can react with the enzymes giving your steak a strange metallic flavor. Cube steak is mechanically tenderized by the butcher before you buy it, but its still a tough cut of beef that should be tenderized before you cook. Certain fruits, including kiwi, papaya, pineapple and Asian pears, contain enzymes that are effective in tenderizing tough meat. By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen. Place the meat in as soon as the oil gets hot. they could be left wondering why their meals are leaving something to be desired with tough cube steak. I have never heard them called minute steak. Now it is time to turn your attention to making the gravy. STEP 1: Place the meat on a chopping board and cut it into pieces. It wasnt until two or three years ago when I first heard of cubed steaks and some say cube steaks and no one knows what they are. Made from various tough cuts of beef, cube steak is processed in a way that helps create a more tender piece of meat. Then melt some butter in the skillet using . 8 Ways to Take Your Steak Game to the Next Level, Sign up for the Food Network Shopping Newsletter Privacy Policy, The Key Food Moments You May Have Missed in The Last of Us, Peeps-Flavored Pepsi Makes Its Adorable Return, McDonalds Announces Its Next Celebrity Collab: Cardi B & Offsets Meal for Two, KitchenAids 2023 Color of the Year Is Hibiscus, Subway Will Now Be Slicing Meat Fresh at Each of Its Locations, 6 Best Whiskeys, According to a Spirits Expert, These Cord Organizers Save Your Kitchen From Clutter, 6 Best Food Dehydrators, Tested by Food Network Kitchen, 5 Best Cookie Sheets and Sheet Pans, Tested by Food Network Kitchen, 6 Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens, Tested by Food Network Kitchen, Enter Daily for Your Chance to Win $10,000. This makes the meat easier to break up and chew. You made my day! However pounding is a fast and simple way to tenderize a steak. You could make Chicken fried steak out of them. The best way to tenderize cube steak before you start cooking is with a meat tenderizing mallet. I grew up in CT and we always called them cubed steaks. Tenderizing is the process of making meat more tender by breaking down the connective tissue. Salt: Salting your steak is a simple tenderization method that breaks down the protein cells in the meat. Coat the steaks in your flour/cracker mixture and fry them as your recipe directs. Be careful to not cut it all the way through. Meat tenderizers contain enzymes which soften the meat while it cooks. One of the benefits of taking your own meat to the butcher is you get to tell them how you want the meat to be cut and wrapped. Little Dairy on the Prairie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. All you need to do to get great results is to follow this simple recipe: Another popular way to prepare cube steak and make it tender is to follow a chicken fried steak recipe.To do this, you must bread and fry it. I think its the best way to make cube steak! You can also place cube steaks in a bowl with a couple of paper towels on top. Slow braising cube steak can produce beef so tender it literally falls apart. Feel free to experiment with seasonings. Then, coat it lightly with a flour mixture or bread crumbs. Meat tenderizing powder works fast. Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat. Next, add about a 1/2 Cup of vegetable oil to a pan and turn on high heat. When you tenderize steak with salt it will turn a little brown in color. Instructions. Cube steak is mechanically tenderized by the butcher which leaves behind lots of small holes. Next, cut the meat against the grain into small cubes. Place about two cups of flour in a pie plate and add some Tony's seasoning or just salt and pepper. Lay on a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Always sear (brown) the meat quickly before starting to braise. I also use cube steak in my Slow Cooker Beef Stew! Prepare a baking sheet for the uncooked breaded steak, and a wire rack lined baking sheet for the cooked steak. (Add a splash more olive oil if needed and adjust heat up or down slightly as needed as the steaks cook.) After going through this quick and easy, extra tenderizing process the steaks are ready to be used in any recipe. Turning over a few times. Place the cube steaks in the milk and turn them to coat them in the mixture. Your email address will not be published. Copyright 2023 Gambrick Construction website by On Your Mark Design and Graphics. Bottom line is it doesnt matter who heard of them or who hasnt. This turns the meat brown and adds more flavor. It is not the same for cube steak. Now, I have heard and have cooked cubed steaks. HOW TO COOK TENDER FRIED CUBED STEAK INSTAGRAM @ SCOTTFAMILYTVCHECK OUT OTHER FRIED FOOD VIDEOShttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUKUS9FiAcapEBCrF2wlv42. Of course, if you have a meat mallet it will work great for tenderizing cubed steaks. Theyre generally made from tougher cuts of meat that need tenderizing. If you really dont want to cube it yourself, get an eye round roast or Londons or rumps when theyre on sale and ask them to slice and cube it for you. Our website is supported by our users. Most of the time these steaks are made with beef but can be made from pork, deer, or elk too. Add in your seasonings, veggies, onions, spices, potatoes, etc. Since cube steak was already mechanically tenderized by the butcher, you don;t have to pound the entire steak. Maybe you could add a little water to the bottom of the pot? Once you have done that, your steak is good to go. . These holes allow marinades and other liquids to penetrate deeper into the meat which helps soften it. The blunt force of a mallet helps break the bonds which hold muscle fibers together. Scoring meat involves cutting shallow slits into its surface. First, sear your steak in a skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat for one to two minutes per side. Hit the steak repeatedly with a meat mallet. Instructions. Perhaps youre curious about budget-friendly cuts of steak but have no idea how to cook them. Close up. Although ribeye is the most popular cut of beef, according to the Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association, cube steak makes the top-10 list of favorite beef cuts, coming in at number 10. Reserved oil from frying cubes steaks; Flour: To absorb the hot oil. Add liquid as needed. Hopefully, that helps! Because these areas of the cow get exercised regularly, the meat is lean with very little marbling and a bit tough. (Use an iron skillet if you have one.) This can be done in as little as a minute. Simply add some fruit to your marinadeabout 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of marinadeand be sure not to let the meat marinade for more than 12 hours (the enzymes are so effective they can make meat mushy). Thanks for stopping by! I totally agree with you! The fastest way to tenderize cube steak is with a spiked mallet. Start by tenderizing your cube steaks until you get them to about 1/2 thick. When youre done marinading, you can either pat dry the meat with a paper towel or sear it wet. Rub seasoning mix on each side of the steak, then rub with flour. Marinate the cube steak in baking soda. After that, you need to get your large skillet ready by heating a tablespoon of olive oil. Check Price on Amazon. If you do not have buttermilk, use milk and a splash of lemon juice. This makes it even more tender. Once finished, set your cube steaks on a side plate. This shorten muscle fibers which makes the meat easier to break down and chew. Lightly pound the cut of steak until it is your desired thickness. Alternatively, you can reheat steak bites in the oven. Are there any tips for finding GOOD cube steaks, by sight, at a grocery store??? Pro tip: Cuts that run along the back tend to be the most tender and expensive. By: Amy on March 20, 2020 |Updated: March 5, 2021. Let the cube steak rest according to the directions listed on your container of tenderizer. And we always request them to make plenty of cubed steaks! STEP 2: Sprinkle a little amount of all-purpose flour over the meat and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you leave my house hungryits your own fault! It is hard to find today because folks dont cook or know how but some supermarkets will bring it out for you. Here, we break down the process of tenderizing, the cuts of steak that benefit most and all the different ways to tenderize steak, including how to wield a meat mallet. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing and cooking as usual. Brown steaks maybe 5 min. Along with flank steak, hanger has big flavor at a lower price point than a high-end cut. What is mutton and how is it different from lamb? Right! Lets start with the basics. And given that dry meat is harder, protecting the juices will produce a more tender steak. Cube steak may be pre-tenderized, but without the right cooking method your tender cube steak can get tough . Even liquids like buttermilk and yogurt will help tenderize meat because of their acidic qualities. Pound the steak - This is a simple way of breaking down muscle fibers and softening the meat. Simmer over a low heat while you fry the steaks. Once the oil is hot, add the cubes and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. The tenderizer leaves marks on both sides of the steak which makes them easy to spot. Slow cooking in the oven generally works best, but a stovetop can also work as long as you keep the heat low and steady. Place the cube steaks in the milk and turn them to coat them in the mixture. In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour and seasonings. Pounding steak with a spiked mallet not only tenderizes the beef but also creates small dimples on the surface. Check Price on Amazon. Marinades and slow braising work especially well on cube steak because it has holes in it from the mechanical tenderizer. In this Oven Steak recipe, strip steaks are sprinkled with salt and pepper on both sides 30 minutes prior to cooking. Especially if you slow braise or turn it into a stew. Cook the cube steak in oil for only about a minute or two on each side.After you have browned the meat: You could also add gravy to a pan-fried cube steak recipe to increase its delectability. Cook cube steaks for 4-5 minutes on each side on medium-high heat until cooked through. Be careful not to overheat your cube steak. Tougher cuts of steak with a lot of connective tissue benefit from tenderizing to help break down the fibers and make the meat easier to cook, cut and eat. Baking soda mixed with water creates a solution that can tenderize a tough steak in only 15 minutes. When you publish a cookbook, or raise cattle on a farm, how about then you return to give your opinion? For a simple cube steak recipe, season your meat with salt and pepper. Allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes, and wash the baking soda off before you cook the meat. STEP 1: Lay meat on a cutting board. This may be difficult to see, as most cube steaks are tenderized in this fashion at the supermarket before they are packaged for sale. I know I know, find a reputable butcher, but we dont have that option in our city. Flip the steaks over to the other side and pour the reserved marinade over the steaks. Sometimes I just need to cook some beef and steak is one of my favorites! If there's not enough water, the meat will become dry. Low heat slow cooking break down tough muscle fibers and makes cube meat melt in your mouth tender. A simple and delicious meal made in less than 30 minutes! After Cube Steak is tenderized, cut into cubes and seasoned, it should be seared. These holes allow salt to penetrate deeper into the meat which helps soften it even more. When you slow cook steak, the collagen surrounding tough muscle fibers melts which breaks apart and loosens the muscle. 6. . What cut of meat is cube steak made of? STEP 3: Pound each piece of steak with a large knife. These holes allow enzymes to penetrate deeper into the meat which helps soften it even more. Make a marinade with acidic componentssuch as citrus juice, buttermilk, yogurt, wine, vinegar or sodato help break down tough connective tissue and muscle fibers. Once you have done that, your steak is good to go. Cover the meat about halfway with water and bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. This shortens tough muscle fibers which makes the meat easier to break down and chew. Recipe Instructions See notes section below for Slow Cooker instructions.Seasoning Prep: Combine the meat seasoning mix and set aside.Gravy Prep: Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a medium bowl and whisk until Heat a small amount of oil in the pan on medium heat and add the steak bites. How to Cook Cube Steak. What is Cube Steak? You can also grill them. Put 2 or 3 tbsp. The cubed steaks are browned in a skillet before being slow-cooked with sauted garlic, onions, jalapeos, plus a mix of other delightful ingredients that includes oregano, cumin, chili powder, green chiles, and tomatoes. Read more: 10 Steak Recipes That Any Carnivore Will Love. Cube steak is sometimes called cubed steak, or swiss steak. You only need a small amount of baking soda, as little as a 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g). 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