The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

Slow Cooker Cube Steak

Blaise Doubman

Cube steak gets such a bad rap. I am not sure where the bad reputation started with cube steak being terrible but it is out there and I am sure you have heard the rumors. Even Martha Stewart jumped on the band wagon saying cube steak was a “cheap cut of meat” and was “very difficult to turn into something palatable”. Well, I have always loved Martha Stewart but I have to respectfully disagree with that. There are several ways to make cube steak delicious, including the recipe that I am sharing here with everyone today. It will become a new family favorite!

There are some tricks to making sure that your cube steak comes out tender and flavorful. The first trick is to brown both sides before putting it into your slow cooker. Also cooking it for a long period of time in the slow cooker, is a must. This recipe uses brown gravy but you can easily use mushroom white gravy or your favorite gravy instead. This is delicious served with mashed potatoes and gravy. As always, if you try this, please write to me and let me know what you think of what changes you made to the recipe. Adding a bit of crushed garlic is good too!

Slow Cooker Cube Steak and Gravy

For optimal flavor and texture, it is important to take the time to brown the steaks on each side before placing them into the slow cooker. I generally follow this rule on most of the meats I put into my slow cooker, aside from chicken. For easier clean up, line your slow cooker with a plastic slow cooker liner. Be sure to reserve the leftover gravy in a small bowl to serve at the table for those who like a little extra gravy on their cube steaks.

4 cube steaks
½ cup white all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Large jar of beef gravy

Start by warming about ½ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

On a plate combine the white all-purpose flour, salt and black pepper.

Dredge each cube steak in the flour mixture and carefully place in the heated vegetable oil.

Brown both sides of the cube steaks, which will take about 5 minutes.

Carefully place each steak inside of your slow cooker and pour on the beef gravy.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Ask and Answer: Lots of people have wondered recently if I have any recipes for cold side dishes such as potato salad, macaroni salad, etc. Yes! Visit my website, http://trailblaise.com and in the search box, type in whatever recipe you are looking for! My website is divided up and will search for particular recipes, flavors and even the ingredients you want to use.