Carl's Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Kosher sale
• 4 Wellborn 2R cube steaks
• 2 cup canola or vegetable oil

Dredge Ingredients:

3 eggs, whisked together
1/2 cup buttermilk

Gravy Ingredients:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup oil reserved from frying pan
3 to 4 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mashed potatoes, for serving

Directions

1. For the steak: Begin with setting up an assembly line of dishes. Mix the milk with the eggs in one; the flour mixed with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in another; and the meat in a third. Then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat. Use big enough dishes to fit the whole steak in. Sometimes a pie pan works best.
2. Season and Tenderize: Work with one piece of meat at a time. Season the meat with your own favorite steak seasoning and beat the seasoning into the meat with a meat tenderizing tool. Pound the steaks into about 1/4″ steaks flipping them over a couple of times.
3. Dredge the meat: Working one at a time, place each piece the flour mixture. Turn to coat and press the flour into the meat. Place the meat into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Finally, place it back in the flour and turn to coat (dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture). Place the breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it’s sufficiently hot. When the flour sizzles immediately, you know it’s ready. (It should not brown right away, if it does, the fire is too hot.) Cook the meat, 2 pieces at a time, making sure to not overcrowd the skillet. Cook until the edges start to look golden brown, usually about 3-5 minutes each side. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate and keep them warm placing in oven heated to 225 degrees. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
5. After all the meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/3 cup of the grease back to the skillet and allow it to heat up.
6. For the gravy: When the grease is hot, sprinkle the flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Add more flour if it looks overly greasy; add a little more grease if it becomes too pasty/clumpy. Keep cooking until the roux reaches a deep golden brown color.
7. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the seasoned salt and black pepper to taste and cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.
8. Serve the meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes and steamed fresh green beans. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!