Country Fried Steak

Make a Flour Dredge and Egg Wash

1. Flour Dredge

   Combine all dry ingredients into a pie pan or other shallow dish, this is the only time at which it is acceptable to sift the flour. Your adding the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and every other spice according to your pallet in a dry pie pan and mix those around. I like to unevenly distribute the spices such that the spices aren't hiding from the steak at the bottom of the flour.

2. Frying Preperation

   Add 1/2 cup of Crisco to a frying pan. The ammount does not need to be exact. Just enough to cover about half the thickness of your steaks.

3. Egg Wash

   In a large-ish bowl combine Eggs and milk and stir together with a fork until a uniform slightly yellowish color.

Preperation of the Meat

1. Beat your meat

   With one steak on a cutting board, grab grandmas mid-evil mace (uhrm), I mean the meat tenderizer and whack the steak flat until its about 1/4 - 1/8 inch thick. Continue beating all of your meat until all steaks are flat.

2. First Flour

   Immediately after beating your meat, put it in the flour mixture. It would be tempting to get your meat wet after its beating, but don't. The first flour helps grab more egg wash and subsequently a thicker breading. Coat both sides of the steak with flour.

3. Egg Wash

   Put the dry flour steak into the egg wash. Get egg on both sides of the steak. Usually one deep thrust is enough to coat your entire meat.

4. Second Flour

   Pull out of the egg wash and go straight back to the dry flour. Flop it around on both sides to ensure even coverage.

Begin Frying

1. Put the steak into the frying pan

   You should have a shallow pool of Crisco on the bottom of a frying pan. Extra points if you use the cast iron skillet. Shallow fry both sides of the steak in the hot Crisco until dark golden brown. Lifting an edge to check the color is ok, its not a pancake.

Gravy

1. Gravy

   This part is going to build your intuitive cooking skills.

   Pour off most of the Crisco, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan. This is a good time to mention the grease jar. You will want to save that grease for things like bacon, green beans, and any other thing you may be frying this week. Add the onions and some of the leftover flour mixture to the pan. Stir and fry over medium heat until the flour is golden brown and the onions are translucent.

   Both Flour and onions into the oil. The onions will turn translucent at about the same time a rue sets up. I hate rues, You can always add more flour so start with a small spoon full. If you add too much flour dash in some water real quick. Keep stirring. DON'T STOP STIRRING. If the flour browns before the onions wilt your heat is too hot move the pan half off the element. You need three hands, Good luck. Once the onions are good, build up the gravy volume by alternating water and flour. Now is also a good time for one of those dried beef stock cubes grandma has laying in the back of the cabinet.