Cube steak fingers are a fun spin on the classic southern dish of country-fried steak and gravy. Breaded and fried crispy golden brown, these easy cube steak fingers are delicious for any meal of the day and are simple to make.
Cube steak fingers are pure comfort food! Cube steak is a flavorful cut of beef from the top or bottom sirloin or round near the rump of the cow that is generally tough. However, once run through the tenderizer or manually tenderized, it becomes really flavorful and tender when cooked properly.
The most common methods of cooking cube steak are sautéing, pan frying, and braising. It’s often topped with gravy, simmered in gravy, deep fried or even eaten as a burger. These southern-style cube steak fingers are a twist on the classic country fried steak, and will certainly be a hit with your family and friends.
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Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
- Cube Steak
- Oil
- All Purpose Flour
- Paprika
- Tony Chachere’s Seasoning
- Eggs
- Buttermilk or Milk
- Butter or the Reserved Cooking Grease
Tools You’ll Need
- Large Skillet or Roasting Pan/Skillet
- Bowls for Dredging
- Whisk
- Meat Tenderizer or Mallot (if buying steak not pre-tenderized)
How to Make Cube Steak Fingers
Frying the Cube Steak Fingers
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Make sure there is enough oil so that it's evenly distributed throughout the pan—you'll need about ½ inch of oil and the bottom of your pan for this recipe.
- While the oil heats up, in a shallow bowl, combine flour and seasonings. In another shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk or milk. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture for the gravy. Working with 1-2 cube steak fingers at a time, dredge the fingers in the flour, then the buttermilk, and once again in the flour. Make sure this is a quick dredge on each side.
- Fry the fingers until golden brown on each side, then remove from the grease and set aside. Cooking should take about 2-3 minutes per side to cook through and achieve a golden outer crust. Don't be tempted to cook the fingers longer than necessary in order to achieve a crunchy crust, but it's important not to overcook your meat. If your oil is heated properly before frying, it should be golden on the outside and tender/perfectly cooked in the middle.
Making The Gravy
- To make the gravy while the fingers are frying, use butter as your fat base for the gravy. If you like that rich and delicious flavor of gravy made from the steak fingers and can allow the fingers to rest in the oven, use the steak finger grease.
- Whisk the reserved seasoned flour into the fat to make the roux. Stir in some of the milk until it’s a cohesive mixture. Once it begins to thicken, add a little more milk. Allow mixture to come to a light simmer then turn heat to medium-low. As the mixture thickens, add milk to desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Serve the cube steak fingers alongside a bowl of gravy for dipping and your favorite sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
A large skillet will allow you to cook all of your steaks at once, rather than crowding them in one small pan. You can work in batches if necessary.
For best results, you will want the oil to be 350°F.
Without a thermometer to verify, try sprinkling a small amount of flour to check if it’s ready. An immediate sizzle means you’re good to go. If it sizzles and then smokes quickly, it’s too hot. No sizzle, not hot enough.
The safe internal temperature guideline for cooking beef is a minimum temperature of 145°F then resting for 3 minutes. It’s important not to overcook the cube steak as it will become tough.
Buy a round steak and pound it to ⅓ to ½-inch thickness.
- What to serve with Cube Steak Fingers and Gravy:
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Steamed Broccoli
- Roasted Carrots
- Mashed Potatoes
- Baked Potato
- Cooked Cabbage
- Kraut
- Turnip or Collard Greens
- Scrambled Eggs & Fruit for Breakfast
More Recipes Like This
- Laura Ashley's Kentucky Fried Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken and Gravy
- Southern Fried Pork Chops and Gravy
- Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
- Biscuits and Gravy
Cube Steak Fingers and Gravy
Ingredients
Cube Steak Fingers
- 1 ½-2 lb cube steak cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 cup oil for frying
- 1 ½-2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning or other cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk or milk
Gravy
- 3 tablespoon butter or oil from from frying
- 3 tablespoon reserved flour mixture
- 2-3 cups milk
- Salt/Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
Cube Steak Fingers
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high.
- Set up a dredging station with 2 bowls: Bowl 1: whisk together flour and seasonings; Bowl 2: whisk together eggs and buttermilk or milk. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture for the gravy.
- Working with 1-2 steak fingers at a time on both sides, dip in the seasoned flour, the egg mixture, then put back into the flour.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the fingers 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and an internal temperature of 145°F is reached. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and hold in a warming oven while making the gravy.
Gravy
- In a medium skillet on medium-high, melt butter or use reserved grease from the cube steak fingers. Whisk in the reserved seasoned flour into the grease and cook 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the milk to the mixture and whisk quickly. This initial mixture will thicken and cook quickly. Once well combined, add an additional cup of milk, and stir until well combined. Allow mixture to come to a light simmer then turn heat to low-medium. As the mixture thickens, add milk to desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 3-5 minutes.
Celia Rodriguez
Can you use almond Milk for the strips
Laura Ashley
I haven’t tried it myself, but here’s what I found online for subbing buttermilk for batter: Gently stir together 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk. Allow the mixture sit for about 5 minutes. Proceed with the recipe.
Veronica
Where did you get the whisk you used in the video?
Laura Ashley
It's a Mix 'N Masher from the Pampered Chef. It's excellent for gravies!
Lindsay
So my husband, whose favorite meal is his grandmother's cubed steak, has moved this to the top of his list. He loves this! It is so good. Cubed steak is kind of high-maintenance to me sometimes but this recipe is worth it.
Laura Ashley
Moved to the top…now that is an honor! Thank you so much, Lindsay! That means a lot to me!
Glenna Dennis
My family loved this recipe! We will definitely make it again soon!
Laura Ashley
That is WONDERFUL!! Thank you SO SO much!!