We have simple pan-fried, cube steaks in brown gravy, cube steaks Italiano and Chicken Fried Cube Steaks, perfect easy meals with a lesser cut of beef and deliciously prepared below.
This meat comes from the hind end or shoulder of the cow.
Butchers can make it from just about any part of the cow, but these two portions are the most popular because they are tougher.
The butcher will tenderize the meat, or you can pound them yourself if you have a mallet to tenderize that's where you find those indentations from.
If beef is not your thing, you may also use boneless pork steaks, elk, and deer, as substitutions.
Economical Lesser Cuts of Meat
Growing up in the 1960s mom knew how to stretch a budget raising 3 kids with hearty appetites.
Being a mom was a butcher in trade herself, she would bring up lesser cuts of meat and pound them with a meat pounder until they were thin and those indentations made them fork tender.
Below of three recipes she would make we absolutely love, don't be afraid to adapt them by adding more vegetables to the pan, each one can be an all-in-one pan on the stovetop, baked, or made in a slow cooker (except for the Chicken Fried Cube Steaks you can bake them).
All Recipes with Measurements are in the recipe card below)
Chicken Fried Steak
Cube Steak and Gravy
Cube Steak Italiano
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Cube Steaks and More Recipe
There is nothing complicated to pan-frying cube steaks with just salt, pepper, and smothering the tops when completed with melted cheeses of any kind, sauteed onions, peppers whatever your family likes, just get creative and use what you have in your pantry.
Keep in mind LOW AND SLOW is the trick to getting these tougher, less expensive meat to get fork tenderized.
Hope you try one of these three cube steak recipes, they're easy and perfect for those on a strict budget!
Cube Steak Recipes
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Here are 3 easy ways to prepare and cook cube steaks. We have delicious economical recipes to make a delicious dinner with less expensive meat.
Ingredients
- How To Make 3 different kinds of Cube Steaks (recipes below)
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Cube Steaks with Gravy
- Cube Steak Italiano
Instructions
- Chicken Fried Steak
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
- 6 (4-ounces each) cube steaks
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk mixed with eggs
- Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
- Mix the flour with seasonings.
- Dredge the cube steaks in the flour mixture then the egg then back in the flour mixture. Fry them in heated oil.
- Cube Steak and Gravy:
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 - 16-ounce jar of beef gravy
- Optional 1/3 cup marsala wine or red wine into the gravy, 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 1 sliced green pepper, 1 small sliced onion, or 4 cloves of minced garlic
- Fry cubes steaks for 1 minute on both sides, add a jar of beef gravy (around 16 ounces) to the frypan along with half a jar filled with beer or wine and simmer on low heat for around 40 minutes
- Note (or fry only for 1 minute and dump the gravy into a crockpot/slow cooker using bottled beef gravy, and slow cook it for around six to eight hours)
- Either method you will end up with perfectly tender cube steak. Perfect with mashed potatoes or over egg noodles.
- Cube Steak Italiano:
- 4 cubes steaks
- 1- 28 ounce can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 3 thinly sliced and cleaned bell peppers or hot peppers
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, parsley, oregano salt pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup white or dry red wine
- olive oil for frying
- Optional: 8 ounces of sliced cleaned mushrooms, 1 sliced long hots pepper, 1 small onion
- Heat the oil, fry them on low heat do not crowd the cube steaks. Add the sauce, peppers garlic, and simmer for around 45 minutes on low.
- Also can be done in a slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours on low heat.
- Great served with Italian hard crusty bread.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
118.93Fat (grams)
8.08Sat. Fat (grams)
3.58Carbs (grams)
0Fiber (grams)
0Net carbs
0Sugar (grams)
0Protein (grams)
11.52Sodium (milligrams)
29.83Cholesterol (grams)
35.01
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Cabbage Steak Skillet
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2022.