Well, THAT was disgusting. I seasoned the meat and let it come to room temp. I dredged it in seasoned flour, then egg, then seasoned flour. I fried it for about 4 minutes on each side. I put it in a 350' oven for 25 minutes, covered in foil. It was flavorless, the breading slid off in one intact piece, and the meat was horribly tough. I'm sure I've made something this bad before, but if I have, I can't recall what it might have been.
Did you use cube steak or cutlets? I've never put mine in the oven after frying so I don't know how Gloria does that... but I "assume" that covering with foil would hold in moisture and soften the crunchy breaded coating.
I used cube steak. It was pretty thick...about 5.5 oz each and like a thick burger. When I've seen this in diners (and I've only tried it once), the finished product has been pretty thin. Except the diner one almost seemed as though bits of beef had been stirred into the breading and a patty has been made of it...I did not see a distinguishable layer of meat in the middle. If I tried it again (and I doubt that I will), I'd find a recipe that uses a different cut of meat that that I would beat into a sheet of paper myself with a tenderizing mallet.
I prefer very thin cutlets, so "like a thick burger" sounds too thick to me. I have used round steak many times that I tenderize myself by beating it very thin with the tenderizing mallet. Sorry it didn't turn out well. If you have leftovers, make gravy and put the leftover meat in it; simmer covered for a while until it gets more tender. Serve over rice or noodles.
I made plenty of cream gravy. This is not gonna get more tender. It was tough to hack through with a steak knife, as though it were full of gristle. I am at one of those "I never throw food away" moral crossroads. Maybe I could chop it up or run it through a food processor and serve with noodles as you suggested. Maybe I'll make some homemade egg noodles to take the edge off of the disappointment. Or maybe this once I'll take the low road. I could chuck it into the woods for the critters....
@John Brunner I am so sorry yours did not turn out good. I have never had any problems. Maybe it was the meat itself. Just can't imagine what could of gone wrong. Very disappointing I know.
Thanks, Gloria. You're right on one level...the meat was not the best. But I've never cooked with cube steak before, so had no idea what I was looking at. When I opened the pack of the 4 patties, the non-visible sides of the meat had started turning...and it had 4 days to go before the Use By Date. Still doesn't explain the toughness. I know I under-cooked it in the pan because the recipes I looked at said to do 4 minutes per side for 1/4# pieces, and while I did cook for 4 minutes, mine weighed more than 1/4#. Other than the emotional trauma of wasting food, it's no big deal. And I still got my belly full. It's certainly not the first (or worst) cooking failure I've ever had, and likely won't be the last. That's the risk you take when you go beyond boiling water and opening cans, huh?
Perhaps the meat was too thick for this method of cooking. The cube steaks I buy are not thick but not real thin. My hubby has been meatcutter for over 20 years and he has told me before... The way meat is cut and where it comes from plays part meat being tender. Especially the cut.
I agree with you and with your husband. The funny thing about the thickness was that the highly-rated recipe I found called for 1/4# cube steak patties per serving. I blindly went with it without even thinking about what I was gonna be making with it. I should easily have been less than 1/2 that. Or maybe I could have hammered it flat. Regarding quality: I used to travel to Lenexa, Kansas with work. Hands-down the local beef was the best I ever had. There's nothing like a great steak for lunch. Bottom line is that for me it's not that big of a deal. When I read your comment, CFS sounded like a nice change and something I've never made before (and have only eaten once.) I might try it again just so I don't let a recipe get the better of me. By the way: you mentioned baking soda. I assume that gets mixed in with the flour. You know, I've been aware of tenderizing meats this way, but I have never tried it.
I'm thawing chicken tenders and I'm thinking I'll "create" something with them and that Cream of Poblano soup and serve it over rice or noodles. This should be interesting.
I wish I had a fresh poblano pepper or two in the house; that would definitely step this experiment up a bit. Hmmm, I have some corn tortillas; maybe a type of enchilada dish with a bunch of cheese.