If its open steam can release which dries out the meat. If you have a slow cooker, you don't even need to slave over the stove all day to make your tender cube steak. I hope you found something to share with your family. This is the only recipe that delivered butter soft ( and tasty ) cube steaks . Cover the frying pan and cook the steaks for three to four minutes or until they reach approximately 130 degrees F. Cooking the deer meat to higher temperatures will dry the meat out and make it tough. Wrap the beef in waxed paper or a plastic bag. Allow the oil to heat up for a few moments then add the meat. After that, you need to get your large skillet ready by heating a tablespoon of olive oil. Ingredients you need: Vegetable oil: For frying. One way to make tougher meats tender starts with your knife and fork (or on your cutting board). Minute steaks are usually rib eye meat, set up for cheesesteak. Photo by: BURCU ATALAY TANKUT/Getty Images. Next, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Dredge cube steaks in flour mixture, gently shaking off excess. 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. It just takes a few hours of marinating to get it ready for the grill. Using the same pan, add ranch mix, beef broth, and onions. Whisk together 2 eggs and the can of evaporated milk in a bowl. Im glad you enjoyed them! Thank you, Amy, for showing me how I can make my own cube steaks at a discounted price. Cover and place dutch oven in a 250F oven. How to Cook T-Bone Steak Correctly: The Simple & Tasty Way. A great way to tenderize a tough cube steak is with an acidic marinade. Leave me a comment and let me know you were here! The dish is served with fresh thyme. Remove to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet, and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm while you finish the rest. The enzyme most commonly used is papain, which comes from papayas or bromelain, which comes from pineapples. This results in a more tender and juicy steak. Well, it happens to be made from cube steak. Properly Preparing Tender Cube Steaks. I agree! STEP 2: Sprinkle meat with a little bit of all-purpose flour and a dash of salt and pepper. As pH levels rise toward the outside of the meat, proteins on the inside loosen their bonds. Use plenty of oil when cooking the cubes of steak. A pounding combined with a meat tenderizer can tenderize a tough steak in as little as 2 3 minutes. (For even more flavor, add crushed garlic to the salt.) While this cut of meat comes packaged already tenderized, tenderizing it more helps bring out more flavor and softness in a meal. Keep in mind that each of these meat tenderizing methods are done before you start braising or slow cooking the meat. We raise our own beef and our cube steaks are always fantastic! Its also too fine which makes it hard to wash off later. Marinades and slow braising work especially well on cube steak because it has holes in it from the mechanical tenderizer. Turn the meat over every 2 to 4 hours to keep it drenched in marinade. After going through this quick and easy, extra tenderizing process the steaks are ready to be used in any recipe. If you dont have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin. Always slice meat against the grain. But it doesnt add any flavor like a marinade, salt or enzymes do. What is mutton and how is it different from lamb? However, it's high in calories, fat and saturated fat. Cooking them with gravy helps tenderize them and add flavor. The trick to making perfect cube steak is cooking it low and slow so that it has time to break down. Preheat oven to 325 F. Preheat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the cube steaks in the milk and turn them to coat them in the mixture. Steaks are actually muscles cut from a cow. Check Price on Amazon. of oil in the pan or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high. I cant wait for you to try this tenderizing method. Cutting meat "across the grain" simply means cutting crosswise through the long muscle fibers in the meat. Instructions. In this Oven Steak recipe, strip steaks are sprinkled with salt and pepper on both sides 30 minutes prior to cooking. Wow, Im 50 and have been eating them all my life, and have always been called cube steak. These holes allow marinades and other liquids to penetrate deeper into the meat which helps soften it. . Tenderizing is the process of making meat more tender by breaking down the connective tissue. And since dry meat is tougher, preserving the juices will produce a more tender steak. Read more: How to Cook a Tender Steak on the Stove. A Web Experience brought to you by LEAFtv, Natural Health: How to Tenderize Beef with Baking Soda, Easy Steak Marinades: How do You Fix Cube Steak. In a skillet, melt the butter and saut the onions for 1-2 minutes. Make a marinade with acidic componentssuch as citrus juice, buttermilk, yogurt, wine, vinegar or sodato help break down tough connective tissue and muscle fibers. Add butter to a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Lightly shake off excess flour and place beef in the hot oil. Cube steak is mechanically tenderized by the butcher before you buy it which leaves behind lots of small holes. And we always request them to make plenty of cubed steaks! The grocery store calls them cube steak. My very favorite way is in the slow cooker. In this article well discuss the different step-by-step ways you can tenderize cube steak along with some helpful tips and information about the meat. Then heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. 3. This cube steak recipe is always a hit with my family so well keep making it and calling it whatever we want! 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. Estimating 1 teaspoon per pound of meat, cover the meat in baking soda, working into the meat with your hands. A metal bowl can react with the enzymes giving your steak a strange metallic flavor. Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association, How to Cook Rib Eye Steaks on the Stove Top, Nutritional Information for New York Strip, Filet Mignon and Rib-Eye, 10 Steak Recipes That Any Carnivore Will Love, USDA: "Food Availability and Consumption", Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association: "Retail Meat Case: America's Favorite Beef Cuts", USDA FoodData Central: "Beef, Round, Bottom Round, Steak, Separable Lean and Fat, Trimmed to 0" Fat, Choice, Cooked, Braised", American Heart Association: "Saturated Fat", World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute of Cancer Research: "Limit Red and Processed Meat", Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association: "Cubed Steak", Cattlemen's Beef Board and National Cattlemen's Beef Association: "Country-Fried Steaks With Tomato Basil", FoodSafety.gov: "Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Charts", USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: "Veal From Farm to Table". Make sure not to overcook the steak since it will become tough. Cube steak is typically thin, lean and tough meat thats been tenderized by the butcher. Dont go over 24 hours or it can become mushy. But pounding is a quick and easy way to tenderize a steak. The fastest way to tenderize cube steak is with a spiked mallet. If you want to cook a cube steak, you may have to first tenderize it. Season each side of the steak before placing it on the rack. I agree 100%! 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Put 2 or 3 tbsp. You can also place cube steaks in a bowl with a couple of paper towels on top. Pork Butt vs. Pork Shoulder: Whats the Difference? Add your cube steaks to the skillet, but no more than two at a time. Sprinkle the steak with tenderizer and allow the enzymes to break down those tough meat fibers. Add all your spices after the meat is removed from the baking soda and rinsed. STEP 2: Sprinkle meat with a little bit of all-purpose flour and a dash of salt and pepper. Pounding also has the advantage of flattening the meat, which allows it to cook more quickly and more evenly. You should always sear a cube steak before braising or cooking a stew. Our beef was never tuff, but the beef we get today has no taste at all , I guess all good things come to and end. Either way, theyre delicious! Sear until the beef becomes brown on all sides. Dont assume you can use them interchangeably. Pound the steak on both sides hard enough to create dimples in the meat. 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. Especially if you slow braise or turn it into a stew. Once this is complete, you will notice small indentations on the meat, which gives the cube steak its recognizable look.If beef is not your thing, you may be able to find variations made from elk, deer, or pork instead. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Sear cube steak in small batches on all sides. Cook, stirring constantly until bubbling and beginning to turn a golden color, another . 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. If you cook them right they are delicious though! Velveting Beef - Tenderizing a Cheap Cut of Beef for Stir Frying with Baking Soda. Ive been tenderizing cube steak with a big knife for years and it works great. A basic marinade like this one has . Liberally salt the steaks up to an hour before cooking, then proceed according to your recipe. I agree with you, they are a low-budget cut of meat. I havent bought them from the store for a long time though! Use aNonstick pan to cook the steak in batches. Next, rub some meat tenderizer on the meat. You can tenderize meat in several different ways, including pounding, marinating and slow cooking, among others (more details on these processes in a moment). . Enjoy. Cuts of meat that come from the shoulder or leg of the cow tend to be the toughest because they are worked the most, but they also tend to be more flavorful. Most of the time these steaks are made with beef but can be made from pork, deer, or elk too. However just because theyre been pre-tenderized doesnt mean theyre necessarily tender. STEP 4: Flip the meat over and repeat steps 1-3 on the other side. Can use zip bag to marinate. Stew with carrots, onions, mushrooms, bacon, garlic and bouquet garni. How To Tenderize Cube Steak For Frying? Step 1: Choose a thin, boneless cut of a steak. In addition to tenderizing the meat, salting also gives it great flavor. If you plan on braising or cooking cube meat as a stew, always braise it first. Try wine, beer, broth or water. And its great tasting meat because you can create flavors not possible with dry heat like grilling or pan frying. A simple and delicious meal made in less than 30 minutes! First, coat the meat in a mixture of salt and pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and flour. Pound the beef evenly on both sides. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spread the steak bites out in . Best cube steak recipe Ive come across . I am from Indiana and we always called them minute steaks. Now it is time to turn your attention to making the gravy. 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. Heat a small amount of oil in the pan on medium heat and add the steak bites. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I grew up in CT and we always called them cubed steaks. Place your steak in a food-safe container and add your favorite marinade over it. First, season the steak with salt, pepper, and any other spices you like. There should always be liquid in the pot when braising. Pound both sides of the meat until dimples appear. You only need a small amount of baking soda, as little as a 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g). Want to know how to cook cube steak? Minute steaks have become a regular part of our menu now that our children are grownit is an easy meal to make for just 2 people. The key to this type of cooking is low heat for a long period of time. 2. 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. Thats because we love all kinds, even unique cuts.If you think of yourself as a meatatarian," then you need to give cube steak a try despite what you may have heard.Cube steak is a beautiful cut of meat because it is relatively inexpensive while still providing an exquisite taste. Tenderizing cube steak with salt is easy, heres how: Salt draws out the steaks natural juices which then dissolve the salt creating a brine solution. In a shallow bowl, pour buttermilk. So most cubed steak recipes use certain techniques that help to lock in the moisture and keep them juicy and tender. Cover your steak in a plastic bag or plastic wrap, and pound it thoroughly, until the entire steak is covered with marks from the mallet. One of the best ways to tenderize cube steak is the cooking process called braising. 1. 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And tough meat thats been tenderized by the butcher before you start braising or cooking a stew Simple... Helps bring out more flavor, add ranch mix, beef broth, and flour like a marinade salt. Comes from pineapples you like two at a time your hands methods are done before start! My family so well keep making it and calling it whatever we want these steaks usually.