Cooking Cheap

This is an adaption from of Alton Brown’s Good Eats. Unlike many of AB’s recipes this one is pretty easy and it’s a different way to cook a cube steak. Unlike the TV show, I buy by my mystery meat cube steak from the mega mart. I also like “Hungarian” goulash more than swiss steak so I changed just about everything. It’s tasty and easy. Takes a few hours of cooking which is a bonus for me.

Serves 2, probably.

1/2 lb cube steak.
Salt and pepper
flour for dredging
bit of oil (1 Tbl or less)

Preheat oven to 325F.
Salt and pepper the cube steaks and dredge once of twice in the flour.
In an oven safe pot, heat the oil over medium high until hot (AB says shimmering)
Brown steaks for a couple of minutes per side. May have to do this in batches. Don’t crowd the pot.
Set aside.

Return pot to the burner over med-low heat. You might need a bit of butter or oil if there was none left in the pot. Add
1 half a medium onion, chopped. Saute for a few minutes.
1 small glove garlic chopped. Saute for minute or so.
Big squirt of catsup (1 or 2 Tbl)
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Squirt of prepared mustard, (1 tsp?)
1 tsp Paprika. Mix it all up.

Add 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef, broth or stock.
Dash of cayenne pepper or bottled hot sauce.

When it comes to a simmer, add the steaks to pot, cover and put in the oven for 1 and half to 2 hours. Easy!

I didn’t actually measure but above is close. I happened to have home made chicken stock but beef base with some water and a shot of red wine might be good. I happen to like a lot of sauce (or gravy). If needed you could add water if its two dry or take the lid off it’s too soupy or thicken with a slurry. Serve with whatever goes with gravy: pasta, potatoes, dumplings. Rice would probably be OK too.