The very first post on this site was for cube steaks, just the typical kind, dredged in flour, browned and braised until tender. It’s a great comfort food in the winter with mashed potatoes and gravy. Today, I took a different approach with cube steaks for some steak sandwiches, but still with a braising technique.
Most of the cube steak sandwich recipes you will find on the web simply cut the steak portions into strips and brown them. That’s still a little tough for my taste; I prefer to go the further step of braising the strips in the oven after browning for a more tender texture. I braised them in a combination of beef stock, tomato paste, and A.1. sauce for a savory zing. It filled the house with a great aroma and the sandwiches were really good.
A.1. Cube Steak Sandwiches
Preheat oven to 350°; I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet with lid, but any ovenproof lidded pan will work.
1 pkg cube steaks, about 5-8 pieces
2 large onions, halved and sliced
1 cup beef stock or broth
1/4 cup A.1. Steak Sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper
1 jar roasted, peeled red bell peppers, cut in strips
sandwich rolls
- Slice cube steaks in 1/2 inch strips across the grain created by the tenderizing process. It can be hard to tell if there is a real grain in this cut of meat with all the tenderizing cuts in it, but there should be cuts in one obvious direction that you can cut across. Don’t worry, because the longer cooking will further tenderize the meat.
- Heat your skillet over high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onions, seasoned with salt & pepper, until translucent and just beginning to brown. Remove them to a plate while you brown the meat.
- Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan; then brown the meat strips, seasoned with salt & pepper, in batches until all are browned.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Return beef and onions to pan. Add beef stock and A.1. sauce.
- Bring to boil, cover, and place in oven for about 45 minutes.
- Toss pepper strips with meat and onions.
- Serve on toasted buns, with or without cheese.
Kitchen Portfolio 