Braised Cube Steak w/Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Cube steak is an underrated cut of beef.

The meat has great flavor, but tends to be on the tough side.  I have the butcher run top round steak through the tenderizer machine, which has a series of blades or nails that are designed to puncture the meat, giving it a cubed surface.

Grandma just grabbed a saucer out of the cabinet, and used the edge of it to thoroughly beat the meat to tenderize it.  A mallet will do also, I've used both methods with equal success.

First off, after dusting the meat with flour, I seared it in hot oil in the skillet, over high heat. I transferred the browned meat to a platter, then added onions and mushrooms to the skillet for searing.

The moisture from the vegetables deglazes the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet; scrape it well, and add a little flour. 

Once the onions were tender, the cube steak was returned to the skillet and covered for cooking, while sitting in beef broth with the mushrooms and onions.

This whole technique is known as braising,  cooking tougher cuts of meat into tender, fall-off-the-bone cozy dinner food.  

In other words, the meat is browned, or seared, in fat and then simmered over low heat in a covered pot; braised.  Crock pots, dutch ovens, pressure cookers are great tools for this. You decide, cooked on top of the stove or in the oven, you will like the results either way.  Plus, you'll have a little gravy!

I would normally serve this with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.  This time, though, I diced and browned leftover baked potatoes ~ they were taking up refrigerator space.

This is all it takes for a delicious comfy dinner on a chilly evening!

And, leftovers make a great tasty sandwich!


Braised Cube Steak w/Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 (5-ounces each) cube steaks
Salt and seasoned pepper
½ cup flour, plus 1 tablespoon
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (8-ounces) can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups beef broth or water

Method:

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Sprinkle both sides meat with salt and pepper
Place ½ cup flour on plate, coat each piece of meat.
Cook about 3-4 minutes, per side, place on platter and set aside.
Add onions, garlic and mushrooms to skillet, cook until onions are wilted, 3-4 minutes.
Stir to loosen up browned bits from bottom of pan.
Lower heat, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes.
Gradually add broth or water, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and add steaks to pan.
Simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes.
Transfer to platter, taste pan sauce, adding seasoning, if needed, spoon onto meat.
Serve
Printable recipe


Enjoy!