CHICKEN FRIED VENISON CUBE STEAK

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This Chicken Fried Venison Cube Steak is one of my favorite fried wild game meals. It's crispy, full of flavor, and easy to make. You can smother these fried steaks in gravy, chop them up and put them in tacos, or do as I did in the photo below and make a giant sandwich known as the cemita poblana.

Here I used venison backstrap (aka venison loin), but you can also use the top round and bottom round with great results. I choose to pan-fry my cutlets "country fried style" in a medium-sized cast iron skillet, but a deep fryer will also work.

Cooks Tips and Notes:

• Tenderizing your Steaks: The cheapest and easiest way to process venison steaks into cube steaks is to use a handheld meat tenderizer tool that is outfitted with stainless steel blades. I like to cut the meat into around 1/2-inch thick steaks and then flatten them with a meat mallet to around 1/4-inch thickness. I then use a handheld meat tenderizer to puncture holes all over the steaks.

• Thickness of Steaks: If you want to attempt to have a fried venison steak that is still on the rare-side, you are going to want to cut your steaks to a thickness of around 3/4 of an inch. I would recommend skipping the flattening with a meat mallet and only using the handheld meat tenderizer. The thicker the steak, the higher your odds of ending up with a red center after frying. But be forewarned, this can be a tricky task to accomplish, which is why I prefer thinner fried steaks that have been flattened and tenderized to achieve tender steaks. This basically means that you are relying on the tenderization and pounding of the meat for tenderness versus the internal temperature of the steaks.

• Extra Crispy Breading: If you can delay cooking your glorious venison steaks for around an hour, your crispiness results will be much better. After you bread your steaks, cover them and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This will let the flour adhere to the meat a little better. After pulling from the fridge, dust the steaks with the leftover breading and fry away to golden crispy goodness.
  

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CHICKEN FRIED VENISON CUBE STEAK

Yield: 4 Steaks

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Times: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the Steak

• 4 - four ounce tenderized venison loin or top round steaks (approximately 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick)

• salt and black pepper

For the Breading

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne or chipotle works)

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk

• 1 large egg
  

• High smoke point oil (for frying)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium-sized bowl add the egg and buttermilk. Whisk thoroughly to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, add all of the dry breading ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Lightly season the venison steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.

4. Generously apply the dry breading mixture to both sides of the steaks. Reserve the remaining breading for later.

5. One at a time, dip the steaks into the buttermilk mixture. Then coat the steaks once again on both sides with the remaining dry breading mixture.

6. Place the steaks in a single layer on a baking tray or dinner plates, cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

7. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator.

8. Add enough cooking oil to a large skillet (such as cast iron) to a level of around 2 inches. Or fill your deep fryer as directed. Heat the oil between 325 to 330 degrees F.

9. Working in batches, fry the steaks until they are a nice golden brown on each side, carefully flipping as needed.

10. Immediately after removing the steaks from the cooking oil, season them lightly with salt.

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Looking for other venison recipes? These are a few of my favorites:

Slow Cooker Venison Pozole

Slow Cooker Chinese Red Venison Shoulder

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Venison Shanks

Lastly, if you make this Southern Fried Venison Cubed Steak Recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you've made.