We went straight to the butcher to find out. Lemon juice, wine, vinegar, beer and soda are all strong tenderizers. What is mutton and how is it different from lamb? Be careful to not cut it all the way through. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, spices, and salt. Heat this mixture until the onion becomes translucent. Your email address will not be published. 3. Instructions. There should always be liquid in the bottom of the pan. Always sear (brown) the meat quickly before starting to braise. 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. Cube Steaks: See notes above for more details. I agree with you, they are a low-budget cut of meat. But it still benefits from some additional tenderizing before you cook. Marinate the cube steak in baking soda. In fact, we have an appointment to deliver a couple finished steers to the butcher next week. Made from various tough cuts of beef, cube steak is processed in a way that helps create a more tender piece of meat. Season as desired and add half a cup of water or beef broth to the pan. The dish is served with fresh thyme. So most cubed steak recipes use certain techniques that help to lock in the moisture and keep them juicy and tender. Cube steaks are a little on the tougher side. Want to know how to cook cube steak? This makes the meat softer, more tender and easier to chew. How To Make melt-in-your-mouth cubed steaks. 2. STEP 1: Lay meat on a cutting board. Season steak with paper and salt and then dredge in flour mixture, taking care, not to overcoat. For best cooking results ensure it is evenly pounded out. Without the use of a mallet, here's how to tenderize cube steak. Pour over meat. When all the meat is seared, put it into a Dutch oven and add 1/2 to 1 cup water of beef broth along with your other ingredients, vegetables and spices. Add the cubed steak and coat both sides. However, if you do not prepare it right, you may negate that tenderizing work.Try these techniques to make sure that your cube steak recipe is not working against you. If you have a slow cooker, you don't even need to slave over the stove all day to make your tender cube steak. When you find a tough section pound it with your mallet. Use multiple tenderizing methods together. Just remember not to add too much additional salt when you season the meat. Check the liquid every 30 minutes or so and add more as needed. The chef beats a piece of meat with a metal hammer. Tenderizing is the process of making meat more tender by breaking down the connective tissue. 1. For braising to be done right there must always be some liquid in the pot. . . We bought some cube steak at our local Kroger. Ive been wondering how they will do in the instant pot. Youll love cube steaks, regardless of what you call them! Before you can start cooking Omaha Steaks' Chicken Fried Steak, you need to prepare the steaks. Sear for 3 minutes without moving the steak (to form a crust). Cover and place dutch oven in a 250F oven. 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. Allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes, and wash the baking soda off before you cook the meat. Instead, consider braising your cube steak. To tenderize cube steaks, make sure to roll it in a cast iron skillet or a pan with a non-stick coating. STEP 2: Sprinkle meat with a little bit of all-purpose flour and a dash of salt and pepper. The seasoned flour should be thoroughly applied to one cube steak, followed by hot oil. Then, place the cubes in a saute pan with a little bit of water. You could make Chicken fried steak out of them. Not sure how grandma cooked them besides flour, salt, pepper but they were always tender and not from a butcher. . What are minute steaks? Im 73 years old and have never heard of minute steaks. Ive lived in the north, south, east and west. Check Price on Amazon. STEP 4: Flip the meat over and repeat steps 1-3 on the other side. Another great way to cook cube steak is to thaw the meat just until you can cut it with a sharp knife. First, you'll need to season the steak cubes with salt and pepper. Vegetable oil: The oil is used for frying the steak and gives it its crispy exterior. You can buy powdered meat tenderizer at the grocery store. Cook your steak for two to three minutes and then flip and cook for an additional two to three minutes or until your . If you do not have buttermilk, use milk and a splash of lemon juice. Properly Preparing Tender Cube Steaks. This can be done in as little as a minute. Heat oil in a 10 skillet over medium-high heat. Consider pairing with mashed potatoes to create a hearty and full meal. Next, place your cube steak in an acid based marinade. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the meat. With mashed potatoes. Now it is time to turn your attention to making the gravy. Marinate the cube steak in baking soda. Check Price on Amazon. This not only tenderizes the meat but also creates small dimples in the beef. This will help keep the juices locked inside so the steak . Lightly shake off excess flour and place beef in the hot oil. Place the meat in as soon as the oil gets hot. Dredge steaks in flour mixture, making sure they are evenly covered, and shake off excess flour. Cube steak is mechanically tenderized by a butcher before you buy it. Slow cooking in the oven generally works best, but a stovetop can also work as long as you keep the heat low and steady. Repeat with the remaining steak. Work in batches if necessary so you don't crowd the pan. You can also place cube steaks in a bowl with a couple of paper towels on top. Cube Steaks are thin cuts of meat that have been tenderized by a mechanical tenderizer before you buy them. Ive been tenderizing cube steak with a big knife for years and it works great. Giving your tender cube steak plenty of room in the pan and not overcooking the meat is essential for preventing a chewy steak. Ill brainstorm and see what I can come up with! Heres how to create a baking soda bath for your cube steak: Remember, a baking soda bath is a fast and easy way to tenderize tough cuts of beef. Braising is a slow cooking process both in the oven or on a stovetop. Or, maybe you could try baking them in a BBQ sauce (maybe thats too close to gravy?) Follow these steps and youll never dry it out. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Use a granulated tenderizer. Never and I travel a bit. Place the beaten eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Thank you, Amy, for showing me how I can make my own cube steaks at a discounted price. Tenderize cube steaks for 10 to 15 minutes per side. Add in your seasonings, veggies, onions, spices, potatoes, etc. Then heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Check the liquid level every 30 minutes and adding more if necessary to keep liquid in the bottom of the pan. Im sorry to hear you havent been able to find good ones. You can also tenderize cube steak with salt, baking soda and enzymes which well go over later in the article. Im glad you enjoyed them! UPKOCH Metal Meat Tenderizer Cuber Machine Tool for Tenderizing BBQ Chicken Steak Fish and Pork. Alternatively, you can reheat steak bites in the oven. Place the meat in a single layer in a roasting pan or Dutch oven with a tight lid. You might have heard of them referred to as minute steaks which is actually a Canadian term for cubed steaks.. One of the best ways to tenderize cube steak is the cooking process called braising. Preparing the Steaks. Mix flour, salt & pepper (I prefer fresh ground) in pie plate. Leave me a comment and let me know you were here! Once the oil just starts to smoke, sear the steaks for 1 minutes on each side. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan when it is hot, evenly coating the bottom. The tenderizing process makes them have a rough texture that has little indentions in it. Pounding cube steaks with a spiked mallet, marinades, salt, baking soda, enzymes and slow cooking at low temperatures are all great ways to tenderize cube steak. The butcher will have run the cut through a tenderizer before purchasing. While your cast-iron skillet is heating, season the cube steaks with salt and pepper. I havent bought them from the store for a long time though! Next, cut the meat against the grain into small cubes. Its not worth sniping over. Over medium heat, sear your cube steaks in a pan with olive oil for around three minutes on each side. Slice across the top of the steak in every possible direction, breaking up the meat as much as possible. You want to make the cubes about the same size so that they cook at the same time. STEP 3: Pound each piece of steak with a large knife. STEP 2: Sprinkle a little amount of all-purpose flour over the meat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the mixture. Place some rings of onion on top of steaks, then add chunks of potatoes, then a few more onions.Sprinkle potatoes and onions with a little more of the seasoning. The trick to making perfect cube steak is cooking it low and slow so that it has time to break down. Apply it liberally by sprinkling it across the entire surface and underside of the cube steak. Even though they are cheap, they are still delicious and a great option for families. Slow cooking applications include braising, barbecuing and sous vide (cooking proteins in a vacuum sealed bag immersed in warm water). Try to select the freshest steak you can with some amount marbling. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax . The maximum you can marinade steak for is 24 hours. I have never heard them called minute steak. Just use the cutting edge and pound, pound, pound. Cook each steak for two or three minutes on each side at medium-high heat, making the total time anywhere between 4 to six minutes. Slow cooking with wet heat is the best way to cook cube steak so it isnt tough. This involves tenderizing the steaks, coating them in the batter, and setting them aside until ready to be fried. This tenderizing process is how cube steak got its name. How to Cook Cube Steak. Start checking your meat when you hit around 80% of the total recommended cooking time, and stop cooking as soon as it reaches the stage at which the meat is tender, but not falling apartso, if a recipe says to cook the stew for two and a half hours, start checking it around the two-hour mark. Cube steaks are an inexpensive cut of beef which makes them a great choice if youre living on a budgetand who isnt! When enzyme tenderizers are used too long the steak can get mushy on the outside. It also allows liquids to penetrate deeper into the steak as you cook it. I cut meat in Rochester, NY and we packaged minute steaks AND cube steak! This makes it easier to break down and chew. Areas of a cow that dont get used as much exercise are softer with more marbling. Theyre faster than a marinade but produce a similar effect. A stew is a little different than braising because it uses more liquid. Cube steak is sometimes called cubed steak, or swiss steak. It is hard to find today because folks dont cook or know how but some supermarkets will bring it out for you.