The Ultimate Texas Chicken Fried Steak Recipes

Steps:

• Liberally sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper (see Cook's Note). Put them on a rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature while you make the gravy.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour until combined and cook until golden and bubbling, about 1 minute. Whisk in the whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, whisking frequently, until the gravy boils. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm; it will seem loose but will thicken as it sits.
• Whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, egg and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Working with 1 steak at a time, dredge in the seasoned flour, turning to coat and packing into the crevices. Shake to remove any excess and return to the rack. Repeat with the remaining steaks.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture into the seasoned flour and work it in with your fingers; it should feel like wet sand with some clumps. (These clumps will give the steak a crispy, shaggy crust.) Dip the dredged steaks into the remaining buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Pack the moistened flour firmly onto each steak. Very gently shake off any excess and return to the rack. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Pour the oil into a large cast-iron skillet fitted with a deep-fry thermometer (the oil should come about halfway up the sides). Heat the oil over high heat until the thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the steaks in 2 batches until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Whisk the warm cream gravy to loosen it and serve over the chicken-fried steak.

Steps:

• Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
• Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Steps:

• Beat together the egg and milk and set aside.
• Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.
• Fill plastic zip lock back with flour. Drop steaks into bag to manually and dredge the steak in flour. Then pour flour into a shallow dish and shake excess flour off of the steaks. Use a pair of tongs for dipping steak into egg mixture and a separate pair of tongs for dipping into the flour.
• Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
• Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. (This recipe is not about diets!) Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.
• With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
• Cream Gravy.
• After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.
• Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.