Simply Samantha: Crock-pot Country Style Steak With Bacon Gravy

Hey guys! Welcome to Simply Samantha, where the cooking is simple, and the results are oh so satisfying!

When I moved in with my (now) husband, there were very few things that I knew how to make. I knew simple things like eggs, French toast, spaghetti sauce from a can, and hot dogs. So, after he got tired of the same things back to back, I had to figured out how to get creative! I remember my mother-in-law making country style steak when I would go over there after church on Sundays. She gave me a simple run down of it. I thought, "Okay, that’s easy enough," but then I realized it was more than just searing a piece of steak. I had never made gravy; I didn’t have any idea how to make the gravy. All that I knew was milk and flour; that’s all I could think.

Since experimenting with making country style steak I’ve finally learned, in my opinion, the best way to make the steak and the gravy.

This isn’t a recipe that someone on any sort of diet should be eating. It’s loaded with good, down home ingredients and a lot of love!

The recipe listed below should yield about four cube steaks!

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of cube steak
• 1 ½ cups of flour (all purpose or self-rising, either or)
• 1 teaspoon of S+P (salt and pepper)
• 2 teaspoons of onion powder
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (if you don’t have minced use about three cloves of garlic)
• 2 teaspoons of garlic salt
• ½ cup of bacon bits (make sure they are made from real bacon)
• Butter for sautéing
• Milk (the amount will depend on how thick or thin you want the gravy)

**If you want some spice, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder.

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt two teaspoons of butter. I use butter instead of oil so that the gravy doesn’t end up with an inch of oil and grease on top of it.
2. Put your flour into a medium-sized bowl and add your S+P, onion powder and your garlic salt (and chili powder if you desire), and whisk all together.
3. Take your cube steak out of the package and pat both sides dry with a paper towel. Then put your steaks into the flour mixture. I suggest one or two at a time to make sure they are coated well. (Do not throw away the left-over flour!)
4. Once your butter is about half-melted you can start putting your coated steaks into the pan. The goal of this part of the recipe isn’t to cook the steaks all the way through its just to sear them. So just brown the meat on both sides.
5. After all of your steaks are browned, then take them out and place them into the crockpot.
6. If you look at the bottom of your pan you see some crispy little bits and pieces. These are going to be a part of your gravy. To this you are going to add your bacon bits and your minced garlic. (The reason I used bacon bits is because they don’t make as much grease as normal diced bacon would.) Sauté the two of them together long enough to get everything browned.
7. Now that everything is browned and yummy-looking, add in the flour that you used to coat your steaks in. Let it brown (this will happen quickly). When it turns golden-brown you can start adding your milk ½ of a cup at a time, while whisking the contents together.
8. Once you reach the desired thickness that you want for the gravy, give it a taste! (My husband loves pepper, so he always wants me to add like another tablespoon of pepper, crazy man!)
9. Pour the gravy over the top of the steaks that are in the crockpot.
10. Cook on the high setting for about three hours (long enough to make the steak cooked and still tender). Once they are cooked, you can put it on the keep warm setting and just let it be.

This recipe can also be done on the stove top as well if you don’t want to use a crock pot! Just make sure that you are cooking the steak all the way through (if that’s how you like it. I like mine medium-rare. Hubby wants his burnt!).

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has, and remember don’t knock it until you try it!