Steak Recipes

© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA

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Basic Country Gravy and Chicken-Fried Steak from Oklahoma

Recipe from: Keri Cathey, Tulsa, Oklahoma

This is the way that my grandmother made gravy, and the way I've made it for the 20 years that I've been married. Great with hot biscuits, chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, or anything else that needs cream gravy.

Southern Cream Gravy

¼ cup butter, bacon grease, or (preferably) a combination of the two
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, or 1 cup each milk and chicken broth (canned is okay)
½ to 1 teaspoon pepper, black or white, depending on your preferences
Salt to taste (less salt is needed if using canned chicken broth)

First, you make a roux... In a heavy bottom sauté pan or skillet, melt fat over medium heat. (If you can use a skillet in which you've fried bacon or other meat, all the better because the gravy will pick up the little bits that are left in the skillet.) Using a wooden spoon or a whisk, add flour, stirring constantly until flour becomes light brown. You must continue stirring during the cooking process, as flour will tend to scorch as browning process proceeds. Should black specks appear in the roux, discard and begin again. Gradually blend in the liquid, add the pepper, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 4 to 5 minutes. (If you quit stirring now, you'll have lumpy gravy that can only be remedied by dumping the whole thing in the blender, zapping it for a few seconds, and dumping it back into the saucepan to continue cooking - yes, I've done that before, too. . Take a quick taste and adjust the salt to your liking.

Serve with biscuits or anything that needs a good gravy.

Some people like cooked sausage crumbled up and cooked into their cream gravy when serving over biscuits for breakfast, but I never liked it like that myself.

What the heck... here's the chicken fried steak to go along with all the yummy cream gravy!

Chicken Fried Steak

2 pounds round steak, preferably tenderized by butcher
1 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup Crisco or vegetable shortening
milk, enough to dip steak
1 egg

Pound meat until tender, unless otherwise tenderized. Cut into serving pieces. Blend milk and egg in a small shallow bowl. Dredge steak in flour, then dip in milk-egg mixture, then dredge in flour again. Season with salt and black pepper. Have the shortening sizzling hot in a heavy skillet on top of the stove (approximately 375°F). (Note - if you'll heat the skillet before adding the shortening, food will stick much less than if the shortening is placed in a cold skillet. Don't know why, but it works.) Quickly brown the steak on one side, then turn and brown on the other side. Lower the heat to approximately 300°F and cook until it is done. Serve with cream gravy.