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ExScoop
10-26-2011, 03:59 PM
A Texas iconic food finally has its due.

Today is Texas Chicken-Fried Steak Day, as designated by the Texas House of Representatives on May 30.

House Resolution 1419 was sponsored by state Rep. Ralph Sheffield of Temple at the behest of Jeffrey Yarbrough, a former restaurateur and CEO of bigInk, a Dallas-based PR and marketing firm specializing in the hospitality industry.

"No one does chicken-fried like Texans; it's about time we celebrate the soul food of our state — chicken-fried steak," Yarbrough said in a statement.

The ability of one dish to bridge the political divide of contentious politicians who could not agree on much this legislative session points to the universal appeal of chicken-fried steak.

In the beginning

The advent of chicken-fried steak may be rooted in the resourcefulness of early Texas cowboys and pioneers. They developed a process of tenderizing, breading and frying a tough, mediocre cut of beef to elevate it into a succulent meat. The technique is similar to frying chicken, hence the name.

"Texas was built around the cattle business in the early days. People got used to eating beef. There are only a few really quality steaks per carcass, but there is quite a bit of beef in the carcass that can be tenderized and used for chicken-fried steak," said Sharon Riley, owner of the Lytle Land & Cattle Co., in an email.

The restaurant was recognized in the 2011 Abilene Reporter-News Readers Choice Awards for its chicken-fried steak.

In today's sedentary society, the calorie-dense chicken-fried steak, accompanied by cream gravy and mashed, fried or baked potatoes, often is seen as an occasional indulgence.

But, early cowboys welcomed the hearty meal at breakfast because it would hold them through a hard day's work until their next meal in the evening, said Mansel Clay, president of the Heart of Texas Chapter of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society.

"It's been popular with cowboys since day one. They cooked it on the trail," Clay said.

Chicken-fried steak also may be rooted in the state's German heritage. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, the beef dish could be an adaptation of the German Wiener schnitzel, a thin cut of veal that is breaded and fried.

COOKING TIPS

A good chicken-fried steak depends on several factors: cut of beef, egg wash, breading, oil and even the skillet.

"All those things together are important," said Tom Perini, owner of Perini Ranch Steakhouse, in an email. His restaurant, which usually serves chicken-fried steak only during its Sunday brunch, is one of several participating in Texas Chicken-Fried Steak Day across the state.

Beef cutlets and round steak commonly are transformed into chicken-fried steaks. Sometimes those cuts are available already tenderized at the grocery store, packaged as cube steak. Otherwise, they need to be pounded thin with a meat mallet or cleaver.

"If I get the steak in time, I like to soak it in buttermilk an hour or two," Clay said.

The buttermilk tenderizes meat by breaking down proteins.

Clay said he removes the meat from the buttermilk, pats it dry, dips its in an egg wash and dredges it in heavily salt-and-peppered flour. He then repeats the egg wash and flour step.

His egg wash consists of a beaten egg with a little water, while Riley uses an egg-and-buttermilk wash.

"I don't season the meat — just the flour. A lot of people season the meat, but I don't," Clay said.

While the meat is being prepared, one-fourth to one-half of an inch of oil should be heating to a temperature of about 350 to 375 degrees in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet.

If you do not have a thermometer, another way to determine high heat is when a couple of drops of water cause the oil to splatter.

Both Clay and Riley recommend canola oil. He also uses peanut oil.

Perini's recipe departs from the tough cuts of meat.

"Our chicken-fried steak is made from rib-eye so it's naturally tender and flavorful," Perini said. "Traditionally, a cast-iron skillet is used with about one-fourth inch of oil. We use a buttermilk batter, and we don't double batter — no need to camouflage the beef."

The meat should cook in the skillet a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Clay said he recommends not turning the meat until it "lets go" of the bottom of the skillet.

After the steak is removed to a platter, a gravy can be made by blending flour with the oil and drippings in the skillet and then adding milk.

"I whisk the entire time I blend in the milk. If you warm your milk a little bit, or have it at room temperature, you will have less chance of lumps," Clay said.

Gravy is comprised of only a few ingredients, but blending them correctly is mastered through trial and error. Bad gravy can ruin an otherwise well-prepared chicken-fried steak.

"The gravy is just as important as the steak," Riley said.

Following are two recipes to try at home, one in old-fashioned directions from Riley and the other in precise measurements.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK AND GRAVY

Courtesy Sharon Riley

A good round steak is best. Tenderize it with a cleaver or side of a heavy plate. The idea is to break the tough fibers in the meat. You can buy meat already tenderized, which saves time.

Mix egg and buttermilk for the wash. Dip once in wash and once in seasoned flour.

Deep-fry until golden brown. At home I like to use a large iron skillet with canola oil. Fry it at about 375 degrees. Remove steaks and set aside. Turn off heat.

Pour off the oil, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add a tablespoon or two of flour and stir until flour and oil are well mixed. Add milk and stir till well blended. Turn heat back on and stir till bubbly.

And there you have chicken-fried steak and gravy.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK WITH GRAVY

Ingredients

7-8 lbs cubed steak or lean round steak, cut into hand-size pieces

2 eggs

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons pepper

4 cups shortening or vegetable oil

Steak Gravy

¼ cup flour

4 cups milk

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

directions

1 Beat eggs; mix with milk in 3-inch deep round pan. Place flour in similar pan.

2 Season meat with salt and pepper; place 4 to 5 pieces in milk mixture and let stand while heating 1 ½ to 2 inches of oil in large iron skillet or Dutch oven. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Dredge meat in flour one piece at a time, back in milk, and again in flour. Place in hot oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

3 While first batch is cooking, prepare next batch of steaks to be dipped just as previous batch is removed from frying pan.

4 Save browned bits left in oil for making gravy.

5 STEAK GRAVY: Leave about ¼ cup oil and browned bits in skillet. Add enough flour to absorb oil, approximately ¼ cup. Stirring constantly, add milk, about 4 cups, and continue stirring until gravy reaches a smooth consistency. Thicker is usually preferred. Add 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Remove from heat and serve, or keep warm and stir again before serving.

Servings: 12 to 14.

Source: Texas Beef Council website www.txbeef.org, which credited the cookbook "Barbecue, Biscuits & Beans: Chuck-wagon Cooking" by Bill Cauble and Cliff Teinert

zebrablue2
10-26-2011, 10:35 PM
Heck, everyday is CF steak day to me.