Ironically when I rarely do eat out, if I see Chicken fried steak/Country fried Steak I always order it because that is how I decide if I'll ever go back. It's so simple and good so if they can't get it right I rather not try anything else.
@@captainmeck2752 also you actually can “jazz up” the gravy with garlic or onion powder to add some additional flavor ,but I’m glad you went traditional and just did salt and pepper for your first go at it
CFS is a German/Austrian dish. German and Austrians in the 1800's in Texas missed their weiner schnitzel from the old country and veal was hard to get in TX. They took local beef, sliced it thin, pounded it flat, breaded and spiced, fried. It is like Old World cream schntizel but the cream sauce has pepper not mushrooms and onions.
Yeah, it's ... basically ... "Schnitzel." Which we pretty much just turned into the Meme Racoon, grabbed it, and ran off with it, shouting "This is mine now!" ;)
I do season my dredge and I use that dredge to make my roux for my gravy (onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, a little cayenne, salt and a good deal of black pepper). Minute steak was popular in the US when I was a child and I still can find it in some markets. We used to fry it up quickly to make a steak and grilled cheese sandwich.
This milk gravy is also known as Sawmill Gravy in the South. Next assignment is Redeye gravy made from black coffee poured over fried ham slice drippings.
@@captainmeck2752third gravy to try: onion gravy. You cook onions in the oil till soft, add your flour and cook till its golden brown and nutty. Add chicken stock, parsley and a lot of pepper. Onion gravy is my favorite of all the gravies you use on chicken fried steak. It’s spectacular on mashed potatoes too, which you serve often with chicken fried steak.
@@CelticSpiritsCoven It is a southern thing and only served with ham because it is made with ham drippings. Not thickened at all just salty savory hot dipping liquid.
I grew up in the south and the sawmill gravy that I've had all had cornmeal in it. The texture is why it is called "sawmill" gravy. The old story goes that the first person who made it was accused of putting sawdust in the gravy. I prefer milk gravy over sawmill.
The weird one (that makes perfect sense to me) is chicken fried chicken. It's where you prepare a boneless chicken breast filet like that. If you just say "fried chicken" instead of "chicken fried chicken" you would expect fried bone-in pieces of chicken.
Yeah, it's a "meta" round-robin. Fried chicken = whole piece of cut up chicken parts (leg, breast, wing, etc.), breaded and fried. Chicken-fried steak = tenderized beef steak, breaded like fried chicken then deep fried or pan fried like "fried chicken" Chicken-fried chicken = "chicken steak" [medium / thin cut chicken breast], breaded and deep/pan fried like "chicken-fried steak," which is itself breaded & fried like "fried chicken." :P ;)
@@MGmirkin To be fair the breading used on chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken does tend to have a different texture than standard fired chicken.
Meck, you are KILLING IT with your gravy making skills! That was a gorgeous cream sauce. For when you try biscuits again there are 3 more gravies, one common and two not so common: redeye, tomato, and chocolate (it's sweet, not savory). Stannon
@@captainmeck2752 pardner... you made this southern (Texan) grandpa VERY happy. you produced a fine specimen of chow. any southerner would be honored to get ears-deep in a plate of that. well done!! it pairs well with mashed potatoes (and gravy), corn, green beans, cole slaw, thick cut fries/chips or fried potatoes, cornbread, fat slabs of raw tomato, a nice green salad, a dinner roll. you can mix/match the sides to create something that makes you happy.
Cubed steak is tenderized with a jacquard machine rather than with a mallet; otherwise it's a schnitzel. A little Lawry's seasoned salt in the gravy throws it over the top. Love your videos!
A couple tips to make it even better is to mix buttermilk in with the eggs and dip flour-egg-flour-egg-flour let it sit on a rack for a minute to hydrate the flour and that keeps the crust from separating. Also onion powder, garlic powder, and a little cayenne added to both the eggs and flour with salt and pepper seasons everything perfectly.
I'm from Louisiana and moved with my family to Texas when I was 10 in 1998. Chicken fried steak was a permanent fixture on the lunch menu at my school in Texas. I had never even heard of chicken fried steak before, being from Louisiana. And it's just 1 state over. My point being, chicken fried steak, while an American dish, is more accurately a Texas dish, as much of the country didn't grow up with it. Although maybe that's changed some in the years since I was a kid. Maybe more people have since tried it around the country. I don't know.
Well done. The only three things that you could have added were to season the flour, allow the floured steak to sit for 15 minutes (hydrates the flour and helps it to stick), and to "cube" the steak. This does not mean chopping it into pieces. Cubing is a process where one uses a cubing device to help tenderize the meat. The cubing device consists of a bunch of little vertical knives offset by 90 degrees to each other. You jam it into the steak, move it bit, jam it in again, repeat over the entire steak. This cuts the muscle fibers into short lengths (like slicing across the grain) but leaves the steak intact for cooking and results in a more tender mouth feel. It is a better version of tenderizing than the mallet. When we refer to cube steak in the U.S. we are generally speaking of a minute steak that the butcher has run through a cubing machine for us.
You seem to have a good understanding of southern gravy. The gravy flavor is all about the pepper. You cant have to much pepper as the milk cancels it out. When making that exact gravy for my 96 year old grandmother, I use 3 to 1 flour to pepper. 3 teaspoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 50ml of oil an 150ml of milk. She eats that on eggs every morning. This is also just the start of American gravy. This one started somewhere in Appalachia they say. They also say sausage gravy comes from there too, but there was not much pork in the mountains back in the day, an it was a pricey import for poor mountain people to be buying. I believe Appalachians made it with pepper an lard as is still common here, though Crisco has replaced lard for the most part. Adding sausage I think came later as it moved in to the wealthier flat land. Sand Mountain which ii a plateau mostly in Alabama seems to have invented chocolate gravy which does not taste how you would think, but is a birthday morning staple over biscuits in the area. Think bitter-ish cocoa over biscuits. Its clearly a newer tradition. Maybe great depression timeframe. Then there is redeye gravy made with coffee. They say thats from Kentucky, but the same issue with pork. Parts of the state did have a lot of it though. Then we have tomato gravy. "mater gravy." Also blamed on Appalachia. See a trend here? This may be accurate though. They did, an we still do grow a lot of tomatoes. Every other porch is usually covered with them mid summer.
Anglophile here and that announcer voice was brilliant. Americans (and even young Brits) will not get the 1950's announce voice parody, but I loved it. BTW why is Yorkshire pudding not a pudding? It's in the name... "pudding"? Just kidding to make a point, but if we required food name to be logical then thousands of food names would have to change, as well as nearly every cocktail name. I hoped that you enjoyed the "beef-steak cooked in the manner in which chicken is fried".
Chicken fried steak is comfort food. This is a great dish on a raw day when its cold and rainy. Season the batter the way you like. Use the bits in the pan to season your gravy, along with salt and pepper and whatever strikes your taste buds. Good job Meck!
Chicken fried steak is sometimes part of breakfast as well. Imagine the steak along with biscuits, sharing the same wonderful white gravy. American restaurants would typically accompany that with fried or scrambled eggs. Breakfast or dinner (just as you described it), it's great!
I view it more as a breakfast. CFS with hash browns, runny eggs, and Tobasco. After a plate, you're ready for work. Or, if you crave something greasy to cure a hangover, then it's back to bed for a nap.
@@captainmeck2752 With eggs, toast, bacon, etc., it was the sort of breakfast common with farmers, loggers, construction workers, etc., that are facing a long day of hard work. A huge breakfast like that wouldn't be good for the average person, but it is nice, maybe a few times a year, for a special time, like for my family, we'd usually stop at some little diner and eat that sort of big breakfast, on the way up into the mountains to go camping.
Oh I love your "black & white" research short. Fabulous!! As usual, well done!!! You're killing these recipes! We actually have already cubed steak. Also when you remake it, don't forget the biscuits :).
Wow, I love chicken fried steak. You absolutely knocked it out of the park. First time seeing your channel, I'm now a subscriber. As we say in the southern United States, "y'all come back now."
I finally have internet after tornadoes and severe storms took out my wifi and phone service here in Kentucky. We're safe and warm. You did an exceptional job. I'm glad you really liked it! I can't wait for what you cook up next. Perhaps a Rueben sandwich? Maybe chicken fajitas (I make these all the time for my family and they're pretty easy to make of you want hints, I'm not sure if you have access to flour tortillas, though you can make them if you have time). I'll be tuned in whatever you decide, barring more storms taking down my internet. Enjoy your time away. ❤ Cheers
I like that you make it all from scratch. That's cool, and it's what sets your channel apart from most of the rest 😊 Don't get me wrong, I know some recipes would be too challenging to make at home or you might not feel like cooking. So taste testing at a food joint there in Britain would be just fine too and interesting! 🙂
UK please remember that the US has other graves also. The 3 as mentioned to go with biscuits etc. But we also have your brown gravy, chicken, pork, turkey, mushroom and others.
Brilliant upload. The newsreel history lesson was cheeky...lol. As you've probably gathered from the comments, this dish can be adjusted to your personal tastes. Enjoy your week and look forward to what is next. Cheers!
Hello from Oklahoma! You did a great job on that steak, it looks great! Chicken fried steak also makes a great sandwich on a nice soft bun with lettuce/tomato/mayo.
My first Meck video (McVideo?😅). Chicken Fried Steak is my favorite. Used to live in Houston, TX. If you go to Goodson's Café in Tomball, TX, the large CFS is bigger than your dinner plate. The sides come on smaller plates. The gravy should be peppery, but of course you can pepper it to taste.
Clever video! Humorous, informative, entertaining...and the food looked great. It's been years since I had it, but I approve and subscribe! Good job, Captain.
My Mom was from Oklahoma (chicken fried steak country!). She did season her steak with garlic powder along with salt and pepper. Also she would crush saltine crackers up and mix them in with the flour for dredging. The dish goes great with mashed potatoes with the gravy poured over them as well.
As others have mentioned. Chicken Fried Steak is not just a dinner meal or a Sunday supper dish. It also goes well at breakfast time. I goes great with biscuits and some fried eggs and hash browns. There are some places that I will go and grab it for breakfast and request the sausage gravy on the Chicken Fried Steak. I also like to add some Tabasco or other hot sauce like Cholula. I do this with my Biscuits and gravy, eggs, chicken fried steak, hash browns. Just add an extra kick to it. Cream gravy and hot sauce are a great pairing in my book. An excellent job on that Chicken Fried Steak!!
I got this tip from one of my various cooking shows - place plastic wrap over the meat before pounding it for easier clean up. here in upper east Tennessee a minute steak is basically a hamburger patty run thru a cuber and will only take a minute to fry.
@@captainmeck2752 a lot of country fried or chicken fried steak that is served in restaurants is mechanically tenderized. Basically put through spiked rollers. Because of that, it is not recommended to eat it rare or medium rare because of all the different steaks going through the mechanical tenderizer from different animals can introduce a Chance of cross-contamination. Kind of like eating rare ground (mince) beef burgers is not recommended.
I don't know what path led me here to your video, dude, but I am rejoicing at this entire thing from start to end. First of all, thank you SO SO MUCH for actually using the grease drippings from the meat to make your gravy. Flavor can be strong or subtle but so often I come across other videos of folks in the UK using packaged powder gravy mix and if that is cheaper/easier than hey, I can't fault them for that. But you are the first I've seen to do it the 'proper' way and watching your face with that first bite tells me all I need to hear about the result. Bravo and cheers on enjoying a nice chunk of meat, dude! And if you do this again for the family in the future, don't be afraid to try experimenting a little bit. A pinch of seasoning in the flower or rubbed into the meat can make a world of difference depending on what mood you may be in at the time. Great content and keep on keeping on!
I wouldn’t have done anything differently. You did well. As for the cut of steak, you did just fine. Because it’s tenderized beyond recognition, a low quality cut is usually used in this recipe. I usually use bottom round.
Yep, you got it right, this was a regular family's way to make a meal out of less-expensive cuts of beef without having to make it into Stew. The restaurant you want to try this in is the Samoa Cookhouse in Humboldt County, California. Ignore the "Samoa" part, this isn't the South Pacific Island, it's a small community around a lumber mill that was named after Samoa (the town of Manila is a little to the north). There was great huge Redwood lumber mill in Samoa, and it had a cookhouse that fed the mill-workers. When the mill decided to close down the cookhouse, the cook asked if he could rent the building and run it as a restaurant. The mill said sure, and he started serving meals to the public the same as he served to the mill workers. It was family style (you didn't order individual entrees, they just brought plates of whatever was on the menu for the day) and it was all you could eat for a fixed price. It was/is the legitimate mill worker food, like Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Pork Roast, Roast Beef, Meat Loaf.... nothing fancy but filling.
Down in Texas, you can occasionally find a restaurant that offer 'Chicken Fried Ribeye with cream gravy' as an upsell to the standard CFS. That's over the top.
In that little diner in America, your waitress would insist you finish it off with an order of peach cobbler. Try adding salt, pepper, and garlic in your dredging flour. And if you didn't, use the left over flour for your gravy. Excellent job Meck.
Good job, but you do need to season the steak and the batter more. I'm sure your recipe only called for salt & pepper...but it's wrong. Really great places season that steak. First dry marinade the steak uncovered in the refrigerator about an hour after you pound it. Season it with salt (most important), black pepper, garlic powder & herbs depending on your taste. You could add oregano, etc. In America, we have seasoning blends in a jar called "Steak seasoning" or some such. In the Fridge, the salt will soak into the steak, and help tenderize AND flavor your steak. Your batter should be seasoned with best fried chicken spices...namely Seasoning salt (a spice blend), black pepper and garlic powder, at the least.
I love chicken fried steak! Dude, you did yourself proud!! Glad I found your channel! You're quirky and different and fun to watch. Quite imaginative! Good job!
The quality of your videos is improving with each one you release. The black and white 50's educational reel really took me back 😂. You did an excellent job, especially for a first attempt. I would onlu add that you should tenderize both sides of the steak, and be sure to season the dredge like you do the gravy. I like a little salt, a lot of black pepper, and some smoked paprika.
Good old Texas Beef Schnitzel. As a person who grew up eating this several times a month through his entire youth, that is /exactly/ it. You nailed it. The only thing "off" about it was you used way too good a cut of beef. It's cheap home food. Take a cheap (but flavorful) cut of beef, beat the hell out of it and fry it. Everything is good fried.
The quality of your presentation as well as the quality of your cooking should suggest that you would have tens if not hundreds of thousands more subscribers than you currently do. Quality content my friend
It can absolutely be packed full of flavor by seasoning the flour with spices, like cayenne pepper, onion or garlic powder, etc. Adding bacon grease to oil or using beef tallow for frying. Cream gravy or country gravy can shlould also be seasoned. For my biscuits and gravy I use fresh rosemary, thyme and sage.
I'm southern to my core so I would just suggest to allow your flour to brown before you add the milk, it takes on a very rich depth. We have "milk" gravy (light) for biscuits and "brown" gravy for meats. It should be the color of coffee with a little cream added or maybe the color of hot coccoa.
I think if it were more routinely hyphenated in print it would be clearer ("Chicken-Fried Steak" as opposed to "Chicken Fried Steak")? [Insofar as it's "steak" "fried in the manner of fried chicken" (or "Chicken-fried").]
You did a bang up job on that Meck! I told you you'd like it! I like to add a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce to the gravy, and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.
As a former chef and chefs instructor from Texas. I'd say that you did a very good job for your very first try at chicken fried steak. Only next time. I hope you will consider seasoning the steak prior to dredging in seasoned flour. Salt and pepper is the perfect seasoning for the steak, the flour and the gravy. Just don't go overboard with the salt all at once. Since salt will be a seasoning in each element of the dish. However it's really hard to have too much black pepper in this dish. Especially in the cream gravy. Again you did a very good job of it this time. Congrats!
Americans eat brown gravy too. And red-eye gravy (made with coffee). We call this cream gravy. You can also add sausage and it’s called sausage gravy. People like that on biscuits (the savory kind) especially.
Yes, traditionally, Chicken Fried Steak is with White (Milk and Flour) Sawmill Gravy and Country Fried Steak is with Brown (Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork) Gravy. But when Fried Steak started to become introduced in the Northeast USA in the 1980's, calling it Chicken Fried Steak was confusing to customers as they thought it was a chicken dish. So they started calling it Country Fried Steak no matter the Gravy served with it. I prefer White Sausage Gravy. I had my first Biscuits and Gravy and Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy in the US Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA in 1982. I was expecting it to taste like Cream of Chipped Beef on Toast (Sheee-ot On a Shingle - SOS), but it was way better. Yes, you could get Chicken Fried Steak for breakfast on some days, and Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast every day.
Looks like you're doing a good job. If you ever come to Philly, you have to try a real Philly Cheese Steak as well as an Italian Hoagie. I guarantee the former will rise on your score board.
That sir is a picture perfect preparation and fry of a Chicken Fried Steak. My favorite combo is to serve that with biscuits and over easy eggs for a delightful "Breakfast for dinner" meal.
Great job! You're getting to be a pro at making American gravy! Our cubed steak is a bit thicker than minute steaks (usually is tenderized top round steak or top sirloin steak), but it's way it is prepared that makes it tasty. I'm having cubed steak tonight but with brown gravy (country fried steak) with brown rice/wild rice medley & sweet white corn. Glad you are finding American dishes you like.
Great execution of a Chicken fried steak. Not sure if you know that there is also a chicken fried chicken version, as well as country fried chicken. A thin cut chicken breast is used. In the states they sell steak already tenderized. The use a cheap tough cut of meat, and the mechanical tenderization is needed to nake it tender. You did a great job explaining it all as well. For the country fried steak you only use a dusting of flour, no eggs.
Chicken Fried Steak has chicken in it. What you have is called a Country Fried Stake that uses beef. Both are pounded to break the fibers of the meats.
If you eat it with eggs, you can have it for breakfast. Steak and eggs is an American classic, but nobody will hate on chicken fried steak in place of a regular steak. 👍
That looks very nice. When properly done it is as you described, subtle. The beef is up front, and most of the other flavors are in the background. Mashed potatoes with more gravy and peas makes a fine meal.
There is a place in Seattle where I live that makes chicken fried steak and gravy served between two waffles with maple syrup. Holy crap, is that good!!
It is pretty standard for anyone eating this in the US to add salt and pepper to the top. It is something I notice that not a single european does when trying it. While there is salt and pepper in the gravy, it usually isn't considered enough (at least on pepper) for most american diners. Next time, add some salt and pepper and it will be even better.
Means the thin steak is fried by first deeping in an egg batter and coating with bread crumbs or corn meal before frying. Actually fried the same way as friying chicken.
That looks amazing! Job well done! 👍👏 Of course, since you didn't make mashed potatoes to go with it, and that simply isn't done, I feel like I have to deduct one half of a point! 😉🤣😅 So glad you enjoyed it! 😃🤩
Great review, and classic standard country fried steak there, another variation of it uses mushroom gravy, as to cut of meat any of the traditionally tougher beef cuts can be used, the exact one of preference varies by region. In my region hammer tenderized Sirloin is the preferred option (Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana)
4:30.......I am saying BEAUTIFUL JOB!!! I am stopping at the 4:30 point in the video right now just to comment on how amazing that CFS looks! The steak coating is amazing, you tenderized the steak beautifully, and that gravy?! Oh my.....YES! I will finish watching the video, and I am positive, from the look of the thing itself, that you are going to be singing it's praises.....now back to the video! Oh, and by the way....were you aware that you can also make a chicken fried chicken? I instead of the beef steak, start with a chicken breast, pound it thin, repeat the coating and the gravy....and serve! I actually prefer to have chicken fried chicken over the steak. We will generally see both items available on the menu at the diners across the USA.
In restaurants you’ll see chicken fried steak and eggs with biscuits and gravy on the side. Yum
Yum!!
Ironically when I rarely do eat out, if I see Chicken fried steak/Country fried Steak I always order it because that is how I decide if I'll ever go back. It's so simple and good so if they can't get it right I rather not try anything else.
@@SilvaDreams This is solid planning, if a place makes a good chicken fried steak, nothing else matters lol.
Mashed potatoes with gravy abd green beans on the side would make it perfect.
And a nice flaky buttery biscuit
Yum.
Thats a proper chicken fried steak...very good..cheers from Texas!
Thank you Texas! 😁
@@captainmeck2752 also you actually can “jazz up” the gravy with garlic or onion powder to add some additional flavor ,but I’m glad you went traditional and just did salt and pepper for your first go at it
I'm from Texas too and I wouldn't turn it down!
CFS is a German/Austrian dish. German and Austrians in the 1800's in Texas missed their weiner schnitzel from the old country and veal was hard to get in TX. They took local beef, sliced it thin, pounded it flat, breaded and spiced, fried. It is like Old World cream schntizel but the cream sauce has pepper not mushrooms and onions.
I figured that the Midwest Tenderloin sandwich also has roots to the German schnitzel.
Ah cool!
Yeah, it's ... basically ... "Schnitzel."
Which we pretty much just turned into the Meme Racoon, grabbed it, and ran off with it, shouting "This is mine now!" ;)
Ha!
Created in Texas and/or Oklahoma so decidedly “not German.”
I do season my dredge and I use that dredge to make my roux for my gravy (onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, a little cayenne, salt and a good deal of black pepper). Minute steak was popular in the US when I was a child and I still can find it in some markets. We used to fry it up quickly to make a steak and grilled cheese sandwich.
Yum! Thanks Sherry.
This milk gravy is also known as Sawmill Gravy in the South. Next assignment is Redeye gravy made from black coffee poured over fried ham slice drippings.
Woah! Seriously? That sounds incredible!
@@captainmeck2752third gravy to try: onion gravy. You cook onions in the oil till soft, add your flour and cook till its golden brown and nutty. Add chicken stock, parsley and a lot of pepper.
Onion gravy is my favorite of all the gravies you use on chicken fried steak.
It’s spectacular on mashed potatoes too, which you serve often with chicken fried steak.
I've been in USA for a long time and have never had nor ever even heard of this Redeye gravy you are talking about made from coffee.
@@CelticSpiritsCoven It is a southern thing and only served with ham because it is made with ham drippings. Not thickened at all just salty savory hot dipping liquid.
I grew up in the south and the sawmill gravy that I've had all had cornmeal in it. The texture is why it is called "sawmill" gravy. The old story goes that the first person who made it was accused of putting sawdust in the gravy. I prefer milk gravy over sawmill.
I've had many chicken fried steaks in my life... and I would 100% eat the one you made. You did a fantastic job!
Yay! Thanks 👍🏻
The weird one (that makes perfect sense to me) is chicken fried chicken. It's where you prepare a boneless chicken breast filet like that. If you just say "fried chicken" instead of "chicken fried chicken" you would expect fried bone-in pieces of chicken.
😂😂😂
Yeah, it's a "meta" round-robin.
Fried chicken = whole piece of cut up chicken parts (leg, breast, wing, etc.), breaded and fried.
Chicken-fried steak = tenderized beef steak, breaded like fried chicken then deep fried or pan fried like "fried chicken"
Chicken-fried chicken = "chicken steak" [medium / thin cut chicken breast], breaded and deep/pan fried like "chicken-fried steak," which is itself breaded & fried like "fried chicken." :P ;)
@@MGmirkin To be fair the breading used on chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken does tend to have a different texture than standard fired chicken.
Perhaps, a bit... Yeah. Little thicker / crispier. But, it's the thought that counts. ;)
Meck, you are KILLING IT with your gravy making skills! That was a gorgeous cream sauce.
For when you try biscuits again there are 3 more gravies, one common and two not so common: redeye, tomato, and chocolate (it's sweet, not savory).
Stannon
Thanks man! More gravies to try yes!
@@captainmeck2752 pardner... you made this southern (Texan) grandpa VERY happy. you produced a fine specimen of chow. any southerner would be honored to get ears-deep in a plate of that. well done!!
it pairs well with mashed potatoes (and gravy), corn, green beans, cole slaw, thick cut fries/chips or fried potatoes, cornbread, fat slabs of raw tomato, a nice green salad, a dinner roll. you can mix/match the sides to create something that makes you happy.
@@captainmeck2752 oo yes I second Redeye gravy. ham drippings and coffee. its really good
As a Mississippian, there is nothing quite as delicious as a GOOD tomato gravy. It's easy to mess up.
Cubed steak is tenderized with a jacquard machine rather than with a mallet; otherwise it's a schnitzel. A little Lawry's seasoned salt in the gravy throws it over the top. Love your videos!
Thanks Jeb 🙏🏻
A couple tips to make it even better is to mix buttermilk in with the eggs and dip flour-egg-flour-egg-flour let it sit on a rack for a minute to hydrate the flour and that keeps the crust from separating. Also onion powder, garlic powder, and a little cayenne added to both the eggs and flour with salt and pepper seasons everything perfectly.
Thanks for the tips 😁
That's a beautiful chicken fried steak! Well done and another fun video too!
Thanks so much!
I'm from Louisiana and moved with my family to Texas when I was 10 in 1998. Chicken fried steak was a permanent fixture on the lunch menu at my school in Texas. I had never even heard of chicken fried steak before, being from Louisiana. And it's just 1 state over. My point being, chicken fried steak, while an American dish, is more accurately a Texas dish, as much of the country didn't grow up with it. Although maybe that's changed some in the years since I was a kid. Maybe more people have since tried it around the country. I don't know.
Thanks Barnaby 👍🏻👍🏻
Well done. The only three things that you could have added were to season the flour, allow the floured steak to sit for 15 minutes (hydrates the flour and helps it to stick), and to "cube" the steak. This does not mean chopping it into pieces. Cubing is a process where one uses a cubing device to help tenderize the meat. The cubing device consists of a bunch of little vertical knives offset by 90 degrees to each other. You jam it into the steak, move it bit, jam it in again, repeat over the entire steak. This cuts the muscle fibers into short lengths (like slicing across the grain) but leaves the steak intact for cooking and results in a more tender mouth feel. It is a better version of tenderizing than the mallet. When we refer to cube steak in the U.S. we are generally speaking of a minute steak that the butcher has run through a cubing machine for us.
He did cube the steak tho.
Thanks Henry. I did bash it with a tenderising hammer at the start. Does that count?
You seem to have a good understanding of southern gravy. The gravy flavor is all about the pepper. You cant have to much pepper as the milk cancels it out. When making that exact gravy for my 96 year old grandmother, I use 3 to 1 flour to pepper. 3 teaspoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 50ml of oil an 150ml of milk. She eats that on eggs every morning.
This is also just the start of American gravy. This one started somewhere in Appalachia they say. They also say sausage gravy comes from there too, but there was not much pork in the mountains back in the day, an it was a pricey import for poor mountain people to be buying. I believe Appalachians made it with pepper an lard as is still common here, though Crisco has replaced lard for the most part. Adding sausage I think came later as it moved in to the wealthier flat land. Sand Mountain which ii a plateau mostly in Alabama seems to have invented chocolate gravy which does not taste how you would think, but is a birthday morning staple over biscuits in the area. Think bitter-ish cocoa over biscuits. Its clearly a newer tradition. Maybe great depression timeframe. Then there is redeye gravy made with coffee. They say thats from Kentucky, but the same issue with pork. Parts of the state did have a lot of it though. Then we have tomato gravy. "mater gravy." Also blamed on Appalachia. See a trend here? This may be accurate though. They did, an we still do grow a lot of tomatoes. Every other porch is usually covered with them mid summer.
Wow, thanks so much for the cool info.
There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't have wayyyy more subscribers, quality videos and editing. Love your content, keep it up! 👍
Really appreciate that. Thanks so much. 👍🏻
Anglophile here and that announcer voice was brilliant. Americans (and even young Brits) will not get the 1950's announce voice parody, but I loved it. BTW why is Yorkshire pudding not a pudding? It's in the name... "pudding"? Just kidding to make a point, but if we required food name to be logical then thousands of food names would have to change, as well as nearly every cocktail name. I hoped that you enjoyed the "beef-steak cooked in the manner in which chicken is fried".
Thanks Michael! Pleased you enjoyed. 👍🏻
Love the history bit with the goggles. Smashingly bang-on/spot-on...
The "annoucer voice" is actually the Mid-Atlantic accent. FDR, the character Frazier Cain, and Tina Turner all used the Mid-Atlantic accent.
As a Texan I approve of your CFSteak! Well done. Even used the drippings from the pan! ❤
Yes, thank you Texas!
Chicken fried steak is comfort food. This is a great dish on a raw day when its cold and rainy. Season the batter the way you like. Use the bits in the pan to season your gravy, along with salt and pepper and whatever strikes your taste buds. Good job Meck!
Thanks 🙏🏻
Chicken fried steak is sometimes part of breakfast as well. Imagine the steak along with biscuits, sharing the same wonderful white gravy. American restaurants would typically accompany that with fried or scrambled eggs.
Breakfast or dinner (just as you described it), it's great!
I view it more as a breakfast. CFS with hash browns, runny eggs, and Tobasco. After a plate, you're ready for work. Or, if you crave something greasy to cure a hangover, then it's back to bed for a nap.
Wow, for breakfast? 🤤🤤
Yuuuum!
@@captainmeck2752 With eggs, toast, bacon, etc., it was the sort of breakfast common with farmers, loggers, construction workers, etc., that are facing a long day of hard work. A huge breakfast like that wouldn't be good for the average person, but it is nice, maybe a few times a year, for a special time, like for my family, we'd usually stop at some little diner and eat that sort of big breakfast, on the way up into the mountains to go camping.
Oh I love your "black & white" research short. Fabulous!! As usual, well done!!! You're killing these recipes! We actually have already cubed steak. Also when you remake it, don't forget the biscuits :).
Yes indeed. Thanks so much Tina.
Looks delicious! Glad you and the Mrs enjoyed it.
It was!
In Spanish, this is called _milanesa,_ "Milan style". My mom used to make it regularly, though we didn't have it with gravy. :)
Nice!
I grew up with it. I miss eating it. Diners make it a lot still.
😍😍
Wow, I love chicken fried steak. You absolutely knocked it out of the park. First time seeing your channel, I'm now a subscriber. As we say in the southern United States, "y'all come back now."
Thanks so much. Appreciate your time and the sub.
First time ive seen your channel, your hilarious. And making the chicken fried steak, you killed it.
Thanks so much Lance. Appreciate it.
I finally have internet after tornadoes and severe storms took out my wifi and phone service here in Kentucky. We're safe and warm.
You did an exceptional job. I'm glad you really liked it! I can't wait for what you cook up next. Perhaps a Rueben sandwich? Maybe chicken fajitas (I make these all the time for my family and they're pretty easy to make of you want hints, I'm not sure if you have access to flour tortillas, though you can make them if you have time). I'll be tuned in whatever you decide, barring more storms taking down my internet. Enjoy your time away. ❤
Cheers
Thanks Bella and so pleased you survived the storms. 😬😬
Add a couple of fried eggs & home fried potatoes & you have a traditional southern diner breakfast.
Oh yum!
Yep, pretty much.
Or with mashed potatoes + gravy, steamed/sauteed veggies, & dinner/Hawaiian roll you have a traditional diner dinner...
Hashed browns!
I like that you make it all from scratch. That's cool, and it's what sets your channel apart from most of the rest 😊
Don't get me wrong, I know some recipes would be too challenging to make at home or you might not feel like cooking. So taste testing at a food joint there in Britain would be just fine too and interesting! 🙂
Thanks Cookie 😍
UK please remember that the US has other graves also. The 3 as mentioned to go with biscuits etc. But we also have your brown gravy, chicken, pork,
turkey, mushroom and others.
Pork chop/steak gravy, sooo good!
Acknowledged. You have multi gravy varieties 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻🤤
Brilliant upload. The newsreel history lesson was cheeky...lol.
As you've probably gathered from the comments, this dish can be adjusted to your personal tastes.
Enjoy your week and look forward to what is next. Cheers!
Thanks so much fday!
Hello from Oklahoma! You did a great job on that steak, it looks great! Chicken fried steak also makes a great sandwich on a nice soft bun with lettuce/tomato/mayo.
Thanks Oklahoma 🇺🇸🇺🇸😁😁
My first Meck video (McVideo?😅). Chicken Fried Steak is my favorite. Used to live in Houston, TX. If you go to Goodson's Café in Tomball, TX, the large CFS is bigger than your dinner plate. The sides come on smaller plates. The gravy should be peppery, but of course you can pepper it to taste.
McVideo is genius and I now want to trademark it 😂 Thanks for watching Rob!
Clever video! Humorous, informative, entertaining...and the food looked great. It's been years since I had it, but I approve and subscribe! Good job, Captain.
Really appreciate your time my friend. Thank you for watching and the sub 👍🏻👍🏻
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Looks great! 😋
Thank you Angela 👍🏻
Well done Captn 👍
Looks great
Thanks Highlander 🙏🏻
I'm a Gulf Coast Texan, and I wouldn't eat it any other way! Fantastic job, Meck!
Thank you!
My Mom was from Oklahoma (chicken fried steak country!). She did season her steak with garlic powder along with salt and pepper. Also she would crush saltine crackers up and mix them in with the flour for dredging. The dish goes great with mashed potatoes with the gravy poured over them as well.
Yum Jeff!
As others have mentioned. Chicken Fried Steak is not just a dinner meal or a Sunday supper dish. It also goes well at breakfast time. I goes great with biscuits and some fried eggs and hash browns. There are some places that I will go and grab it for breakfast and request the sausage gravy on the Chicken Fried Steak. I also like to add some Tabasco or other hot sauce like Cholula. I do this with my Biscuits and gravy, eggs, chicken fried steak, hash browns. Just add an extra kick to it. Cream gravy and hot sauce are a great pairing in my book.
An excellent job on that Chicken Fried Steak!!
Thanks Ken!
I got this tip from one of my various cooking shows - place plastic wrap over the meat before pounding it for easier clean up.
here in upper east Tennessee a minute steak is basically a hamburger patty run thru a cuber and will only take a minute to fry.
Good tip 👍🏻
Usually we use a tenderized round steak which is pretty lean, pretty tough, and pretty cheap. Hence the tenderizing.
Gotch 👍🏻
@@captainmeck2752 a lot of country fried or chicken fried steak that is served in restaurants is mechanically tenderized. Basically put through spiked rollers. Because of that, it is not recommended to eat it rare or medium rare because of all the different steaks going through the mechanical tenderizer from different animals can introduce a Chance of cross-contamination. Kind of like eating rare ground (mince) beef burgers is not recommended.
Bleaurgh! 🤢
I really appreciate that you did great research and explained the difference in the recipes. BTW your pan cream gravy is 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks so much! 😊
I don't know what path led me here to your video, dude, but I am rejoicing at this entire thing from start to end. First of all, thank you SO SO MUCH for actually using the grease drippings from the meat to make your gravy. Flavor can be strong or subtle but so often I come across other videos of folks in the UK using packaged powder gravy mix and if that is cheaper/easier than hey, I can't fault them for that. But you are the first I've seen to do it the 'proper' way and watching your face with that first bite tells me all I need to hear about the result. Bravo and cheers on enjoying a nice chunk of meat, dude! And if you do this again for the family in the future, don't be afraid to try experimenting a little bit. A pinch of seasoning in the flower or rubbed into the meat can make a world of difference depending on what mood you may be in at the time. Great content and keep on keeping on!
Even though the UK and America are brothers and sisters, we totally cook and eat differently.
Yeah, I love the differences. Fascinates me.
A master class in one handed cooking, Meck!
We use cubed minute steaks, too, so you're right on target with the cut.
Ha! Yes, I could set up a tripod etc but easier to catch everything if I hold the phone, but as you say, not that easy with one hand😂😂
Kudo's on the gravy. That's some skill there
Thanks!
I wouldn’t have done anything differently. You did well. As for the cut of steak, you did just fine. Because it’s tenderized beyond recognition, a low quality cut is usually used in this recipe. I usually use bottom round.
Awesome! Thank you!
Beat that like it owes you money!!😂😂😂
😂😂
Oh man... you made that absolutely PERFECT!
Also, you perfectly described why we call it "comfort food"
Thank you! 😊
Yes!
Yep, you got it right, this was a regular family's way to make a meal out of less-expensive cuts of beef without having to make it into Stew.
The restaurant you want to try this in is the Samoa Cookhouse in Humboldt County, California. Ignore the "Samoa" part, this isn't the South Pacific Island, it's a small community around a lumber mill that was named after Samoa (the town of Manila is a little to the north). There was great huge Redwood lumber mill in Samoa, and it had a cookhouse that fed the mill-workers. When the mill decided to close down the cookhouse, the cook asked if he could rent the building and run it as a restaurant. The mill said sure, and he started serving meals to the public the same as he served to the mill workers. It was family style (you didn't order individual entrees, they just brought plates of whatever was on the menu for the day) and it was all you could eat for a fixed price. It was/is the legitimate mill worker food, like Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Pork Roast, Roast Beef, Meat Loaf.... nothing fancy but filling.
Sounds fantastic! Want to go 🇺🇸
Down in Texas, you can occasionally find a restaurant that offer 'Chicken Fried Ribeye with cream gravy' as an upsell to the standard CFS. That's over the top.
In that little diner in America, your waitress would insist you finish it off with an order of peach cobbler.
Try adding salt, pepper, and garlic in your dredging flour. And if you didn't, use the left over flour for your gravy.
Excellent job Meck.
Brilliant, thanks bud 😁
Good job, but you do need to season the steak and the batter more. I'm sure your recipe only called for salt & pepper...but it's wrong. Really great places season that steak. First dry marinade the steak uncovered in the refrigerator about an hour after you pound it. Season it with salt (most important), black pepper, garlic powder & herbs depending on your taste. You could add oregano, etc. In America, we have seasoning blends in a jar called "Steak seasoning" or some such. In the Fridge, the salt will soak into the steak, and help tenderize AND flavor your steak. Your batter should be seasoned with best fried chicken spices...namely Seasoning salt (a spice blend), black pepper and garlic powder, at the least.
Great tips Jeffery. All that seasoning would be excellent. 👍🏻
Need to try version with a beef patties too!
Oo yes!
Salisbury steak, or something like it?
I love chicken fried steak! Dude, you did yourself proud!! Glad I found your channel! You're quirky and different and fun to watch. Quite imaginative! Good job!
Thanks so much! Very kind 🙏🏻
You can add seasoning to the dredge like onion powder and garlic powder to it.
Makes sense 👌🏻
6:39 I've lived in Kentucky for 20 years. Around here we like a smooth flavor, not a punch in the face. We do relaxed and savory.
Love relaxed and savory!
Looks delicious! All you're missing is mashed potatoes, corn, and a dinner roll. I love this meal!
So good!
The quality of your videos is improving with each one you release. The black and white 50's educational reel really took me back 😂. You did an excellent job, especially for a first attempt. I would onlu add that you should tenderize both sides of the steak, and be sure to season the dredge like you do the gravy. I like a little salt, a lot of black pepper, and some smoked paprika.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your comments. 🙏🏻
That looks perfect! Nicely done - and I'm glad it tasted good!
And minute steak was perfect to use for this!
Thank you 😋
That was a legitimate chicken fried steak imo, and you've gotten really good at making gravy. Kudos from Texas.
Thanks so much! Love you Texas🇺🇸
Good old Texas Beef Schnitzel. As a person who grew up eating this several times a month through his entire youth, that is /exactly/ it. You nailed it. The only thing "off" about it was you used way too good a cut of beef. It's cheap home food. Take a cheap (but flavorful) cut of beef, beat the hell out of it and fry it. Everything is good fried.
Thanks so much. But the minute steak I used is pretty much the cheapest cut we can get to be honest.
As a New Yorker, this video was educational for me too :)
Cool 😂👍🏻
The quality of your presentation as well as the quality of your cooking should suggest that you would have tens if not hundreds of thousands more subscribers than you currently do. Quality content my friend
Very kind, thanks so much.
It can absolutely be packed full of flavor by seasoning the flour with spices, like cayenne pepper, onion or garlic powder, etc. Adding bacon grease to oil or using beef tallow for frying. Cream gravy or country gravy can shlould also be seasoned. For my biscuits and gravy I use fresh rosemary, thyme and sage.
Wow and yum!
I'm southern to my core so I would just suggest to allow your flour to brown before you add the milk, it takes on a very rich depth. We have "milk" gravy (light) for biscuits and "brown" gravy for meats. It should be the color of coffee with a little cream added or maybe the color of hot coccoa.
Gotcha. Thank you Janet.
Don't worry, I know lots of Americans that don't understand that it is steak breaded like chicken.
Thank goodness!
I think if it were more routinely hyphenated in print it would be clearer ("Chicken-Fried Steak" as opposed to "Chicken Fried Steak")? [Insofar as it's "steak" "fried in the manner of fried chicken" (or "Chicken-fried").]
This is a money saver for family who are on a budget to feed a lot of people cheaper stakes can be tougher so tenderizer them made easier to eat
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Love chicken fried steak. You did a good job .... Frank from Texas
The best thing about finding foods the kids don't like is they don't bug you for some or all of it when you make it for yourself.
Very true😂
You did a bang up job on that Meck! I told you you'd like it! I like to add a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce to the gravy, and lots of fresh cracked black pepper.
That's an odd recipe!
@@CelticSpiritsCoven It says right on the Lea & Perrin's bottle "for roast meats, steak, cutlets, fish, gravies, and soups".
Thanks Dust 👍🏻👍🏻
As a former chef and chefs instructor from Texas. I'd say that you did a very good job for your very first try at chicken fried steak. Only next time. I hope you will consider seasoning the steak prior to dredging in seasoned flour. Salt and pepper is the perfect seasoning for the steak, the flour and the gravy. Just don't go overboard with the salt all at once. Since salt will be a seasoning in each element of the dish.
However it's really hard to have too much black pepper in this dish. Especially in the cream gravy. Again you did a very good job of it this time. Congrats!
Appreciate your comments David! 🙏🏻
Americans eat brown gravy too. And red-eye gravy (made with coffee). We call this cream gravy. You can also add sausage and it’s called sausage gravy. People like that on biscuits (the savory kind) especially.
And yellow chicken gravy. Yummmm ! But you should’ve put garlic powder and a touch of cayenne in your dredge.
Sounds GREAT!
Yummy, delicate comfort food :) always love the 'research' vids - make me laugh
Glad you like them!
You can always season the dredge if you want. We also serve it with peppery gravy to add a slight bite.
Nice!
Yes, traditionally, Chicken Fried Steak is with White (Milk and Flour) Sawmill Gravy and Country Fried Steak is with Brown (Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork) Gravy.
But when Fried Steak started to become introduced in the Northeast USA in the 1980's, calling it Chicken Fried Steak was confusing to customers as they thought it was a chicken dish. So they started calling it Country Fried Steak no matter the Gravy served with it. I prefer White Sausage Gravy.
I had my first Biscuits and Gravy and Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy in the US Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA in 1982. I was expecting it to taste like Cream of Chipped Beef on Toast (Sheee-ot On a Shingle - SOS), but it was way better. Yes, you could get Chicken Fried Steak for breakfast on some days, and Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast every day.
A cheap cut that works well is a store bought cube steak, usually a lesser cut, sirloin or round , machine tenderized.
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Looks like you're doing a good job. If you ever come to Philly, you have to try a real Philly Cheese Steak as well as an Italian Hoagie. I guarantee the former will rise on your score board.
I would LOVE to!
That sir is a picture perfect preparation and fry of a Chicken Fried Steak.
My favorite combo is to serve that with biscuits and over easy eggs for a delightful "Breakfast for dinner" meal.
Perfect. Thanks!
Great combo
CFS and biscuts or Hash is a great starch mix.
Oh yes 👌🏻
Great job! You're getting to be a pro at making American gravy! Our cubed steak is a bit thicker than minute steaks (usually is tenderized top round steak or top sirloin steak), but it's way it is prepared that makes it tasty. I'm having cubed steak tonight but with brown gravy (country fried steak) with brown rice/wild rice medley & sweet white corn. Glad you are finding American dishes you like.
Thanks Lisa 👌🏻👌🏻
Great execution of a Chicken fried steak. Not sure if you know that there is also a chicken fried chicken version, as well as country fried chicken. A thin cut chicken breast is used.
In the states they sell steak already tenderized. The use a cheap tough cut of meat, and the mechanical tenderization is needed to nake it tender.
You did a great job explaining it all as well. For the country fried steak you only use a dusting of flour, no eggs.
Lovely, thank you!
Biscuits on the side would be a good accompaniment. You can share the gravy,
Looks perfect.
Now I'm hungry and all I have in the fridge is chicken...
Chicken fried chicken maybe?!
Chicken Fried Steak has chicken in it. What you have is called a Country Fried Stake that uses beef. Both are pounded to break the fibers of the meats.
It is also served with eggs and hash browns for breakfast
Don't forget some breakfast sausage! ;)
Amazing!
If you eat it with eggs, you can have it for breakfast. Steak and eggs is an American classic, but nobody will hate on chicken fried steak in place of a regular steak. 👍
Gotcha!
That looks very nice. When properly done it is as you described, subtle. The beef is up front, and most of the other flavors are in the background. Mashed potatoes with more gravy and peas makes a fine meal.
Thanks for watching
Now you need to make "chicken" chicken fried steak, my favorite!
I enjoyed your video 👍
Thank you😁
There is a place in Seattle where I live that makes chicken fried steak and gravy served between two waffles with maple syrup. Holy crap, is that good!!
Oh my goodness me!
It is pretty standard for anyone eating this in the US to add salt and pepper to the top. It is something I notice that not a single european does when trying it. While there is salt and pepper in the gravy, it usually isn't considered enough (at least on pepper) for most american diners. Next time, add some salt and pepper and it will be even better.
Gotcha. Thanks Frank!
Means the thin steak is fried by first deeping in an egg batter and coating with bread crumbs or corn meal before frying. Actually fried the same way as friying chicken.
Thanks for the info!
Damn! You did GREAT!!
Thanks so much!
That looks amazing! Job well done! 👍👏 Of course, since you didn't make mashed potatoes to go with it, and that simply isn't done, I feel like I have to deduct one half of a point! 😉🤣😅 So glad you enjoyed it! 😃🤩
Totally fair Jane 😂😂
I always add onion and garlic powder, when making the gravy. Goes really well with mashed potatoes. Very good job.
Sounds great!
I think you forgot the pepper.
Hmm, probably.
Great review, and classic standard country fried steak there, another variation of it uses mushroom gravy, as to cut of meat any of the traditionally tougher beef cuts can be used, the exact one of preference varies by region. In my region hammer tenderized Sirloin is the preferred option (Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana)
Nice. Thanks MrPenguin.
Lol I season my flour salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder.
The gravy add a little Worcestershire sauce.
You did just fine.
Thank you Clara 👍🏻
Try some red-eye gravy. It’s a (typically) ham-based cream gravy with black coffee in it. It goes great on biscuits and chicken-fried steak as well.
Wow! Added to list.
4:30.......I am saying BEAUTIFUL JOB!!! I am stopping at the 4:30 point in the video right now just to comment on how amazing that CFS looks! The steak coating is amazing, you tenderized the steak beautifully, and that gravy?! Oh my.....YES! I will finish watching the video, and I am positive, from the look of the thing itself, that you are going to be singing it's praises.....now back to the video! Oh, and by the way....were you aware that you can also make a chicken fried chicken? I instead of the beef steak, start with a chicken breast, pound it thin, repeat the coating and the gravy....and serve! I actually prefer to have chicken fried chicken over the steak. We will generally see both items available on the menu at the diners across the USA.
Thank you Darice! Really appreciate your comments. 😍😍