By Kelly Bogard
On Sunday afternoon, people will flock to Fair Park for the Big Tex Choice Awards. Chefs and foodies from all over the great state of Texas are vying for the coveted honor of being a “Big Tex” winner.
And as in many years past, most of the finalists have something in common. They are deep fried. This year, it’s everything from soup to sheet cake, but in years past it has been even crazier. Do you remember the Deep Fried Butter craze of 2009?
So, in keeping with the hot oil theme, I decided I should make you something fried, too. But my idea of good fried food is packing it with flavor, while keeping it easy at the same time.
For Steak Fingers, you will need…
1 lb. beef round steak
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour
1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
oil for frying
Steak Fingers are definitely a classic southern meal. Like Chicken Fried Steak, you can find it on most any restaurant menu. But they’re also a great meal at home, because they cook so quickly.
Start by tenderizing the steaks between two pieces of cling wrap. Once you have a steak tenderized, cut it into strips. I try to make them as even as possible, but sometimes you will end up with a few stray pieces of varying sizes.
Now that all of the meat is prepped, mix together the flour and seasonings in one shallow dish and the egg and milk in a separate shallow dish.
Dredge the steak strips in the flour. Then, dip in the egg wash. And finally, it’s back in the flour mixture until coated well. You will need to repeat this step several times. While doing so, go ahead and start heating your oil over medium heat. I like to use a good frying oil like peanut oil or a blend with peanut oil that does better at higher heat.
You can test to see if the oil is ready by sprinkling a little flour on top of the 1/2 inch layer of oil in the pan. If it sizzles, you are ready to fry. Just place three to four pieces, depending on your pan size, in the hot oil and fry on both sides for about a minute each. Then, set the fried meat on a paper towel to help wick away the extra oil. Repeat until all of the meat is cooked.
And since everything is better with gravy, I like to make a nice pan gravy with a little of the left over oil and flour. A simple southern supper. Serve it up with any number of fresh vegetables. It’s sure to please your biggest Texan food fans. Be sure to head out to the state fair when it opens up at the end of September to see who made the cut, and from all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 lb. beef round steak
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. milk
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 c. plain bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- oil for frying
Ingredients
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- Tenderize the steaks between two pieces of cling wrap
- Cut the steak into strips.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a shallow dish.
- Whisk together the egg and milk in a separate shallow dish.
- Three or four at a time, dredge the meat strips in the seasoned flour.
- Dip the meat strips in the egg wash.
- Return the meat strips to the flour and coat well.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.
- Repeat the dredging, dipping and coating process until all of the meat is ready to fry and the oil is hot.
- Place three to four strips in the hot oil and fry on each side for approximately one minute our until golden.
- Remove the cooked meat from the pan and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Repeat the process until all of the meat is cooked.
- Serve warm.
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