Country Style Smothered Cube Steak (Printer-friendly)

Tender beef steaks slow-simmered in savory onion mushroom gravy for classic Southern comfort.

# What you'll need:

→ Meat

01 - 4 beef cube steaks, about 5-6 oz each

→ Seasoning & Coating

02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
05 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

→ Oil & Butter

06 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
07 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Vegetables

08 - 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
09 - 8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
10 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

11 - 2 cups beef broth
12 - 1/2 cup whole milk
13 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Garnish

14 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

# Method:

01 - In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Dredge each cube steak through the seasoned flour mixture, coating both sides evenly. Shake off any excess and reserve 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour for the gravy.
02 - Heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is foaming, carefully add the dredged cube steaks. Sear for 2-3 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms. Transfer the steaks to a plate and set aside.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet along with the sliced onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until the onions are softened and the mushrooms are deeply browned.
04 - Add the minced garlic and the reserved seasoned flour to the skillet. Stir continuously for about 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste and bloom the garlic.
05 - Slowly pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce while stirring and scraping up all the caramelized browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the milk and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
06 - Return the seared cube steaks to the skillet, nestling them down into the gravy. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the steaks are fork-tender and the gravy has thickened to a rich consistency.
07 - Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the steaks to serving plates, spoon the onion-mushroom gravy generously over the top, and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The gravy practically builds itself from the browned bits left in the pan, so you get deep flavor without any fuss.
  • Cube steak is one of the most affordable cuts at the grocery store, yet it eats like comfort food royalty when treated right.
02 -
  • Do not skip the step where you scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom because that fond is where half the flavor lives.
  • Keep the simmer gentle once the steaks go back in, as a hard boil can toughen the meat instead of tenderizing it.
03 -
  • Pat the cube steaks dry with paper towels before dredging so the flour adheres evenly and you get a better crust.
  • If your gravy is too thin at the end, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes rather than adding a slurry, which can make it cloudy.

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