# What am I supposed to do with this cube steak? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269 "2013-01-24T23:26:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/1 "2013-01-24T23:26:58Z")
Found the last package of my (mostly quite excellent and a very good deal) “family pack” of meat from the freezer today. Cube steak. Urgh. Please no chicken fried steak. (Please no fried anything.) And PLEASE nothing tough. There is nothing I can stand less than tough meat. Even moderately tough. So what do I do with this stuff? All I know is chicken fried steak and that sort of thing. (Also, my husband can’t have dairy.) Can I, I don’t know, slow braise it somehow? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/2 "2013-01-24T23:36:53Z")
Chop it up, lightly brown it. Make some pasta. Pour mushroom soup or similar over pasta, mix in meat. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/3 "2013-01-24T23:37:14Z")
[“Swiss” steak?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_steak) - [recipe](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swiss-steak-recipe/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/4 "2013-01-24T23:37:43Z")
Fake beef burgandy. Cut the meat into 1-2 inch cubes, arrange them in a single layer at the bottom of an oven-safe dish of some sort (use a little cooking oil, if you’re worried about sticking), sprinkle on an envelope of powdered onion soup mix, then dump on a couple cans of golden mushroom soup. Put in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours or so. It can be eaten over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles. (Note: real beef burgandy apparently involves burgandy, but that detail was long ago lost from the family recipe, although the name remains.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/5 "2013-01-24T23:40:07Z")
Sounds like my mom’s fake beef stroganoff without the sour cream. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/6 "2013-01-24T23:52:18Z")
Dice it up and sauté in a pan until brown. In a pot (or rice cooker) mix it with rice, diced mushrooms and water. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic & onion powder. If using a rice cooker, push cook and come back later. If using a pot, bring it to boil and then simmer until the liquid has been absorbed. Bon ape tit! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/7 "2013-01-25T00:41:53Z")
Fry it in a pan. Melt cheese on top. Grab two slices of oat or other bread Put a small amount of steak sauce on the bread. Put anything else you might want on it. A little different cheeseburger. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/8 "2013-01-25T00:42:36Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Please no chicken fried steak. (Please no fried anything.) And PLEASE nothing tough. There is nothing I can stand less than tough meat. Even moderately tough. This makes me sad. I don’t “fry” chicken-fried steak. I lightly coat the meat in highly-seasoned bread crumbs, which stick easily to the damp meat, and then saute it in a bit of bacon fat. Pretty much the same way I’d cook a pork chop or a fish fillet. ---
**Author:** ![hamwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hamwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hamwater)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/9 "2013-01-25T00:47:11Z")
I put mine in the crock pot. All of that collagen melts off and you can cut it with a fork. I add some onions, onion soup mix and a can of consume. Sometimes I thicken it when it’s ready and sometimes I don’t. Usually serve it over rice. ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/10 "2013-01-25T00:49:52Z")
Pound it out with a meat hammer. Crack some black pepper corns, season the meat lightly, crust it with crushed pepper, give it a good sear in a skillet, remove the meat, deglaze with a little wine,add beef stock, braise onion mushroom and garlic, thicken with a little flour mixed in water, eat. Or do what I do with frozen beef, throw it away and go get something fresh to cook… ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/11 "2013-01-25T00:57:55Z")
> [@slowlearner](#): > > Pound it out with a meat hammer. Crack some black pepper corns, season the meat lightly, crust it with crushed pepper, give it a good sear in a skillet, remove the meat, deglaze with a little wine,add beef stock, braise onion mushroom and garlic, thicken with a little flour mixed in water, eat. Or do what I do with frozen beef, throw it away and go get something fresh to cook… It must be nice to have the luxury of never having to eat previously frozen beef. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/12 "2013-01-25T01:34:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > This makes me sad. > > I don’t “fry” chicken-fried steak. I lightly coat the meat in highly-seasoned bread crumbs, which stick easily to the damp meat, and then saute it in a bit of bacon fat. Pretty much the same way I’d cook a pork chop or a fish fillet. I don’t fry my fried eggs either. I just cook them in a frying pan in some hot sizzling butter. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/13 "2013-01-25T01:39:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t fry my fried eggs either. I just cook them in a frying pan in some hot sizzling butter. Yeah, I know it’s “fried”, but I just don’t think of it the same way as deep frying, like a pan-sauteed steak being different than a deep-fried steak. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/14 "2013-01-25T02:22:29Z")
Second Swiss steak. Tender and flavorful. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/15 "2013-01-25T02:30:34Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Yeah, I know it’s “fried”, but I just don’t think of it the same way as deep frying, like a pan-sauteed steak being different than a deep-fried steak. I knew that’s what you meant, but it sounded funny the way you wrote it. BTW: Chicken fried steak is supposed to be pan fried, like real fried chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/16 "2013-01-25T02:59:05Z")
Trust me, I’m from South Carolina. I am aware of the thing. I just don’t like chicken fried steak. I think it’s gross (and also really tough.) ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/17 "2013-01-25T03:14:35Z")
I used to make a recipe with round steak, but I suppose you could use cube steak. Pound it with the edge of a plate, dip in seasoned (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a good pinch of allspice or ground cloves) flour, and saute in oil on both sides. Lay in a baking pan with a couple of bay leaves and a sprinkle of rosemary. Slice a big green pepper and an onion and put this over the meat. Cover with enough Hunt’s tomato sauce to just cover. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 300 degrees for an hour and a half. Test with a fork, if it’s tender, it’s done, if not, give it another half hour. (or you could do all this in the slow cooker). Mashed potatoes with this are a must! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/18 "2013-01-25T03:25:26Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Trust me, I’m from South Carolina. I am aware of the thing. I just don’t like chicken fried steak. I think it’s gross (and also really tough.) It’s good and tender when I make it. But I don’t blame you for not wanting anybody else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/19 "2013-01-25T03:39:03Z")
I third Swiss steak. It’s a good winter food. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269/20 "2013-01-25T03:52:32Z")
Cut into slivers. Season with cumin, cayenne, black pepper, onion and garlic powder. Braise until tender. Make tacos. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-with-this-cube-steak/648269.md?page=2)