Chicken Fried Steak

 

Ever since Charlie graduated from high school, he has been looking for chicken fried steak like they had in the cafeteria. We heard the oldest restaurant in Kansas (Hays House) is famous for theirs and were planning to give it a try some day... it is a two hour trip from here. Every so often I come across a recipe that I hope will be the one but never found it.  The other day I finally found the password to get into the iCloud and found some really ancient stuff. One was a complete cookbook of recipes from restaurants and one two of them were for Country Fried Steak. I may never find that recipe again to see what the date was but it was copied to my computer some 24 years ago. The ISBN number is tor Threadgills, not the cookbook I had with it in it.  One was from Threadgills and the other from Paula Deans.  I used Deans recipe for biscuits and the fried steak from Threadgills. I don't know anything about that restaurant.  I used a mix for the mashed potatoes and one for the gravy. He really liked it. He said it was better than the cafeteria, like a gourmet version and that he was shocked that I finally came up with a winner. He liked the biscuits better too.

Country Fried Steak recipe from Threadgills - a must for comfort foods!

                                                04/03/00 16:39:22   

  From: kitana 

                                                 

   Recipe By : Threadgill's - The Cookbook ISBN 1-56352-277-2 

    1/2 cup kosher salt 

    4 tablespoons black pepper 

    2 tablespoons white pepper 

    1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 

    2 tablespoons granulated onion 

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 

    4 tablespoons granulated garlic 

    2 tablespoons paprika 

    Mix ingredients well. Store in a glass jar or plastic container. Keep tightly

    sealed. Shake before each use to prevent settling. 

    8 6 ounce tenderized beef cutlets -- at room temperature 

    2 eggs 

    2 cups milk -- at room temperature 

    3 cups flour 

    2 teaspoons Threadgill's Meat Seasoning 

    2 cups frying oil -- preferably canola 

    Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside. Combine

    the flour and meat seasoning in another bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a

    heavy 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Use a 550

    degree thermometer to check temperature. The oil should pop loudly when a

    drop of egg wash is dropped in. 

    Dip each of the first 4 cutlets in the egg wash mixture. Dredge them in the flour,

    then dip them back into the egg wash, and very gently place them in the hot oil.

    As you carry them one at a time from the egg wash to the skillet, hold a plate

    under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a regular explosion of

    noisy oil a-popping. 

    Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until breading is set and golden brown. Gently turn

    them with a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook

    another 3 minutes. 

    Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined with paper

    towels. Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4 cutlets. Serve with White Cream Gravy and Mashed potatoes.

Basic Biscuits: 

1 package yeast 

1/2 cup lukewarm water 

5 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

2 tablespoons sugar 

3/4 cup solid shortening (recommended: Crisco) 

2 cups buttermilk

Biscuits: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Add yeast and buttermilk and mix well. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut with small biscuit cutter and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Split biscuits in half and top with country fried steak and drizzle with gravy.