One of the tastiest traditional American dishes is country-fried steak. It is tender, juicy cubed steaks that have been dredged in a coating reminiscent of fried chicken. Traditionally, it is served with creamy gravy for dipping.
Oftentimes, you will see this dish served with sausage gravy. This Country Fried Steak with Homemade Bacon gravy instead uses the other most-loved breakfast meat; bacon. It is a crispy, tender cubed steak that is lovingly coated in a chicken-fried coating served with the creamiest, most bacony gravy that has tons of black pepper and a little bit of heat from cayenne pepper.
Serve this stick-to-your-ribs meal for a casual family meal or for when you are in serious need of comfort food. It doesn’t get much more comforting than Country Fried Steak with Bacon Gravy!
Ingredients:
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4 cubed tenderized beef steaks
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2 tsp salt, divided
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3 eggs, beaten
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2 teaspoons hot sauce (I like Louisiana brand)
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1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
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1 tsp pepper
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2 tsp smoked paprika
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1 tsp garlic powder
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¼ vegetable oil, for frying
For the Beef Bacon Gravy:
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½ pound beef bacon, sliced into thin strips
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½ sweet onion, chopped fine
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1 garlic clove, chopped fine
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1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
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½ cup whole milk
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½ cup heavy whipping cream
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Pinch of cayenne pepper
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1½ tsp black pepper
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1 tsp salt
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Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Steps to Make It:
- Begin with the meat. Take your cubed steaks and season them with 1 teaspoon of salt on both sides.
- In a shallow bowl, crack your eggs and beat them together until they are a homogenous mixture. Add the hot sauce and mix well.
- To another shallow bowl, add the flour, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and the other 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix with a fork until the flour is completely homogenous.
- Dip each cubed steak into the flour and get a very even coating on both sides. You do not want to see any uncovered spots on the steak.
- Next, dip the steaks into the egg mixture and coat well on both sides.
- After the egg, dip the steak back into the flour mixture and coat completely so that there are no wet egg spots.
- Place the coated cubed steaks on a wire rack and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes before frying. This allows the coating to stick to the meat well.
- While the steaks are resting, begin baking the beef bacon gravy. Slice your bacon into strips and add it to a saucepan over medium heat. Also, add the sweet onion.
- Cook the bacon and onions together until the bacon is crispy, about 5-6 minutes.
- Once the bacon is crisp, add the garlic and flour to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk the flour into the bacon and onions and allow that to cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. The flour will become a deeper, nuttier color.
- Add the whole milk, heavy cream, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a low simmer, then turn on low and allow to sit while you fry your cubed steaks.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet to medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the cubed steaks into the oil and allow to fry for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crisp. After both sides are golden brown, remove them to a wire rack.
- Serve the country-fried steaks with the gravy on the side so that the outside crust stays nicely crisp.
