Cubed Steak with Peppers and Olives Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook cube steak so it's tender? ›

Cook the cube steak in oil for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side. After you've browned the meat: Move it into the slow cooker. Let it cook on low for 6 to 8 hours to end up with perfectly tender cube steak.

The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.

Flank steak is our cut of choice for pepper steak—it's marbled with fat, full of beefy flavor, and easy to cut into thin, tender slices. That being said, flank isn't your only option. Skirt steak will give you a very similar result, or if you're looking for a cheaper choice, sirloin is another great option.

Tenderize Cube Steak By Slicing It Against The Grain

Cutting the cube steak into thin slices against the grain (perpendicular to the muscle fibers) can help to break down the tough fibers and make the meat easier to chew. This is particularly useful when using cube steak in dishes like stir-fries or fajitas.

Place the cube steaks in the milk and turn them to coat them in the mixture. The soaking time depends according to how tough the steaks are and how tender you would like them to be. Like a marinade, however, you will get best results by soaking the steaks for four hours or overnight.

Cover and place the meat and milk marinade in the refrigerator between 4 to 12 hours—whatever you deem as the perfect wait—before rinsing and patting the meat dry.

Marinate with Acid

Not only does a tenderizing steak marinade imbue aromatic flavour, but the acidic ingredients in it also denature connective proteins in the meat. Regular or apple cider vinegar, wine or beer, lemon or lime juice, buttermilk or yogurt contain tenderizing acids.

Steak au poivre is often served with pan peppercorn sauce consisting of reduced cognac, heavy cream, and the fond from the bottom of the pan, often including other ingredients such as butter, shallots, and/or Dijon mustard.

Should you put pepper on a steak before searing? ›

So should you pepper your steaks before you sear them? Well, the answer isn't a definitive "no," but it does really depend on what you're going for. Searing pepper is going to release a lot of bitterness, meaning that taste is going to impart itself on your steak -- but maybe that's exactly what you're looking for.

Coat both sides of the steak, and its sides, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, so a visible layer of seasoning exists on every surface. The salt shouldn't pile up, but it should coat the meat. The steak is essentially putting on a t-shirt made of salt and pepper.

It comes from the round area of the animal, so it's highly exercised and, therefore, can be tough. It's important to cook cube steak quickly over direct heat or slowly over indirect heat to prevent it from overcooking and becoming chewy.

According to the USDA, it's not recommended to wash any raw meat before cooking.

Use hot oil.

If your oil isn't hot enough before you add the steaks, the breading can fall off of the steaks because the eggs (the “glue”) don't cook instantly.

You can velvet meat and make it melt-in-your-mouth tender by quickly tossing chunks of beef or chicken in about ¾ tsp of baking soda for about 15 minutes before your next stir fry, then rinse and pat the meat dry before putting in the pan.

Cube steak is a budget-friendly meat item that delivers on flavor for recipes. The meat has been pre-tenderized which makes it a great choice for a get-dinner-on-the-table meal. You want to be careful to cook the cube steak correctly to keep the tenderized character and not have it become unpleasantly tough in texture.

Marinading the meat with pineapple juice will also breakdown the protein and tenderize it. You only need half a cup and try not to marinade for more than 3 hours or you risk the meat turning into mush.