Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak
Try this Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 138.4614 mg
- Fat 35.978985 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 39.188772 g
- Saturated Fat 14.496489 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (210g)
- Sodium 267.0207 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 4.594401 g
- Calories 491 calories
Step-by-step
- Place about 2 Tbsp. of Olive oil in the skillet and add sliced onions.
- Cook on medium high until onions are clear.
- Take the onions up leaving the oil in the skillet.
- Coat the cubed steak front and back with seasoned flour
- Fry on both sides just until lightly browned. (You are not trying to cook through, only brown the outside of the meat and take up.)
- Drain on paper toweling.
- Leave the oil and the meat renderings in the skillet for making the gravy.
- Sprinkle a couple Tablespoons of sifted flour across the surface of the skillet into the hot oil.
- Using a fork, stir and break up any lumps at this time. You will need to work quickly.
- Add your liquid, slowly stirring as you pour. (To make the gravy brown, I use about 1 cup of decaf coffee which adds that special flavor to homemade brown gravy.) Then add HOT water until you have the desired amount of gravy, stirring constantly.
- Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper.
- Continue stirring until the gravy comes to a boil. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is achieved.
- While gravy is simmering, place the browned meat into a prepared baking dish.
- Place the onions on top of the meat.
- Pour the gravy over the top of the meat.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 300° for about 3 hours.
- Serve and enjoy
Ingredient lists show measurements, but they hide the physical mechanics of transformation. Cube steak arrives mechanically tenderized with tiny surface punctures. These cuts demand careful handling to prevent toughness during extended heat exposure.
Browning meat requires dry heat to trigger the Maillard reaction. Moisture is the enemy of this process. Pat the beef thoroughly with paper towels before dredging it in flour. Introduce the cut into oil heated to medium-high. Flip it only after a golden crust forms on the bottom side. Pull the meat early. Internal doneness matters less at this stage than exterior color development.
Gravy structure depends on fat-to-flour ratios and temperature control. Retain the rendered fats in the skillet after searing. Dust flour directly into the hot grease and stir rapidly to cook out the raw starch flavor without burning the particles. Pour liquids slowly while whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Coffee provides deep color and acidity that balances the heavy fats in the pan.
Long braising breaks down tough connective tissue. Transfer the sealed baking dish to a 300 degree oven for three hours. This low thermal application melts collagen into gelatin. The meat reaches optimal tenderness when individual muscle fibers easily pull apart under fork pressure alone.
