Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Cube steak with mushroom gravy is a hearty and inexpensive family dinner featuring tender seasoned cubed steak smothered in a luxurious brown gravy.

Reach for that cast iron pan, dust off some memories of grandma’s kitchen, and step back in time with this old-fashioned dish brimming with flavor. It is hard to find a more unpretentious meal than cooking up a few cuts of cube steak.

What is Cube Steak

Cube steak is a very affordable cut of beef from the top round or top sirloin. Similar in size to hamburger patties, a cube steak is “cubed” with an electric tenderizer that flattens the steak and gives it its distinctive appearance. Because cube steak typically comes from the round or sirloin, it is a relatively lean cut of beef.

How to Cook Cubed Steak

Cube steaks hold the middle ground for tenderness. They are not an exceptionally tough cut of beef, but they still can benefit from longer cooking times to tenderize them a bit more.

There are recipes, such as the popular ‘chicken fried steak’ which cooks cubed steak in a skillet for a short period of time, however, for this cube steak with mushroom gravy recipe, I found it to be the most enjoyable when the steak is dredged in a seasoned flour mixture and simmers in beef broth for a few hours. It becomes fork tender, and very flavorful. The flour mixture, in particular, holds the flavor of the seasonings close to the meat, for a noticeable improvement in flavor when testing this recipe.

Mushroom Gravy

The starring feature of this recipe is the mushroom gravy. The base of this gravy is a traditional brown gravy. Mushrooms are simmered in the liquid, infusing their flavor throughout, and added to the finished gravy.

The key to any great gravy is the roux. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat that is whisked together over low heat in a skillet to remove the flour taste. Be careful to keep stirring and not to have the heat to high or the roux will burn. If it burns, there is no saving it, scrape out the roux and start again with fresh butter and flour.

How to Prevent Lumpy Gravy

When the roux has finished cooking liquid is added to form the gravy. If too much liquid is added, it will not incorporate into the roux fully and lumps will form. It is best to work a few splashes at a time, stirring them into the roux before more is added. Your patience will be rewarded with silky smooth gravy.

What to Serve with Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy

When serving cube steak with mushroom gravy there is one side dish that stands head and shoulders above the rest: fluffy mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are perfect for soaking up all of the extra luxurious gravy coating your plate. I enjoy mashed potatoes with any of my recipes calling for brown gravy, such as my beef tips and gravy recipe or boneless eye of round roast.

Print Recipe

Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Cube steak with mushroom gravy is a hearty and inexpensive family dinner featuring tender seasoned cubed steak smothered in a luxurious brown gravy. 

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 20 mins

Total Time2 hrs 25 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 660

Author: Fox Valley Foodie

Ingredients

Cube Steaks

• 1/4 cup Cooking Oil
• 3-4 cuts Cube Steak (1-2 pounds)
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion powder
• 2 cups low-sodium Beef Broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce
• 8 oz fresh Mushrooms (sliced)

Gravy

• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1-2 cups low sodium beef broth (as needed)
• Salt as needed

Instructions

• Add flour, paprika, onion, and garlic powder to a dish and mix to combine.
• Season cube steaks with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge in flour mixture.
• Heat oil in a large 12″ skillet on medium heat. Once oil is shimmering add cube steaks and brown on each side.*
• Once cubed steaks have browned add low sodium beef broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and sliced mushrooms. Cover and simmer on low for two hours.**
• After two hours, remove cube steaks from the skillet and set aside. Pour remaining liquid and mushrooms through a strainer to separate, reserving the liquid in a bowl.
• Prepare the gravy by melting butter in the skillet, once melted sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine to form a roux. Continue whisking to prevent flour from burning until the mixture begins to darken slightly (2-4 minutes).
• Measure the reserved liquid previously set aside from simmering cubed steaks. Add additional low sodium beef broth to the reserved liquid so the total liquid equals 2 cups.***
• A little at a time add the liquid to the flour/butter mixture, whisking to incorporate before more is added. Adding too much at once will create lumpy gravy.
• Once all of the liquid has been incorporated, return cube steaks and mushrooms to the skillet. Simmer as needed to thicken the gravy and taste for salt and pepper, add more as needed.
• Serve cube steaks topped with mushrooms and gravy.

Notes

*Cube steaks shrink as they cook. If four cube steaks do not all fit in the same skillet initially you can start them in separate skillets and combine them into one skillet after a few minutes of cooking.

 

**If you do not have a large enough cover to fit a 12″ skillet, simply use aluminum foil. It works well as a substitute. (affiliate link)

 

***The simmering liquid typically reduces down to 1 cup for me, so I need to add 1 additional cup of beef broth to have enough liquid for the gravy.

 

IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE you will also love my Beer Braised Short Ribs recipe too!

*Calories listed are a vague estimate and accuracy should not be assumed.

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