My Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak always means a crowd around the dinner table. This comfort food weeknight meal is made from scratch and worth the effort. I make it just exactly the way Mom did.
I think we can all agree that meals made from scratch are the most delicious because they are full of flavor and prepared with love!
You will be making the gravy from scratch using the roux from browning the cube steaks sort of like country fried but not quite. I promise, you can do this! We have step by step photos and instructions followed by a video and a printable recipe.
Let’s start cooking!
Get out a big skillet and a baking dish or use a big cast iron skillet to fry and then bake your Smothered Cube Steak.
You will begin by searing the onions. Onions are always optional. If you have an onion lover free home, skip this step.
Place about 2 Tbsp. of Olive oil in the skillet and add sliced onions.
Cook on medium high until onions are clear, stirring often. Take the onions up leaving the oil in the skillet.
Skipping the onions? Start Here ⇓⇓
Printable Recipe Below
After coating the cubed steak front and back with seasoned flour, fry on both sides just until lightly browned.
You are not trying to cook through. You only want brown the outside of the meat and take up. Drain on paper toweling. Leave about 3 Tablespoons of oil and the meat renderings in the skillet for making the gravy.
Leave the burner on a medium high heat.
Sprinkle a couple Tablespoons of sifted flour across the surface of the skillet into the oil. There shouldn’t be much gravy base at this point.
Don’t worry, that little bit of gravy base will make a skillet full of gravy!
Using a fork or a whisk stir and break up any lumps at this time. You will need to work quickly.
Next, add your liquid, slowly stirring as you pour.
Not so secret ingredient to make the gravy a nice brown color and give it flavor. Use about 1 cup of black coffee followed by hot water until you have the desired amount of gravy in your skillet.
Continue stirring until the gravy comes to a boil.
Turn the burner down to a medium heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is achieved.
Place the cubed steak into an appropriate sized baking dish which you have sprayed with non-stick spray. Add the seared onions now before adding the gravy.
Pour the gravy over the meat and onions. Cover with foil.
The secret to fork tender Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak is to cook it slow on low. Bake at 300° for about 3 hours.
Print or download recipe below.
Can This Be Done In A Crockpot?
Yep, not quite the same, we cheat on the gravy, but see for yourself when you also try my recipe for Crockpot Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Serve over a bed of rice and enjoy the compliments from your family! This meal is what we call ‘fork tender’, no knife required.
Oven Baked Smothered Cube Steak
Made from scratch Oven Baked Cube Steak with homemade Brown gravy
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 small onion (optional)
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 cup prepared black coffee (Instant will work)
- 1 Cup sifted flour for the cube steak
- 2 Tbsp. sifted flour for the gravy
- 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 Cups Hot water (amount may vary)
Instructions
- Place about 2 Tbsp. of Olive oil in the skillet and add sliced onions.
- Cook on medium high until onions are clear.
- Take the onions up leaving the oil in the skillet.
Browning the Meat
- Coat the cubed steak front and back with seasoned flour
- Fry on both sides just until lightly browned. (You are not trying to cook through, only brown the outside of the meat and take up.)
- Drain on paper toweling.
MAKE THE GRAVY
- You will need medium high heat for this process. Do not walk away!!
- Leave the oil and the meat renderings in the skillet for making the gravy.
- Sprinkle a couple Tablespoons of sifted flour across the surface of the skillet into the hot oil.
- (There shouldn’t be much gravy base at this point. Don’t worry, that little bit of gravy base will make a skillet full of gravy!)
- Using a fork, stir and break up any lumps at this time. You will need to work quickly.
- Add your liquid, slowly stirring as you pour. (To make the gravy brown, I use about 1 cup of black coffee which adds that special flavor to homemade brown gravy.) Then add HOT water until you have the desired amount of gravy, stirring constantly.
- Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper.
- Continue stirring until the gravy comes to a boil. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is achieved.
BAKE IT!
- While gravy is simmering, place the browned meat into a prepared baking dish.
- Place the onions on top of the meat.
- Pour the gravy over the top of the meat.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 300° for about 3 hours.
- Serve over a bed or rice or mashed potatoes and enjoy!
Notes
If you are skipping the onions, just begin with Browning the Meat in the Instructions.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
4 oz.Amount Per Serving Calories 639Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 98mgSodium 195mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 33g
Nutrition information is not accurate based on uncontrollable variables in home kitchens.
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Jill Frazier says
Best way ever to cook chopped steak. I couldnt stop eating.
Lynn Cain says
Could I make the smothered steak recipe with pork chops instead of steak? We love steak but I am looking for some things to do with pork chops.
Shirley Wood says
Hi Lynn, good question. I have never made it using pork chops but that sounds good! Let me know how it goes. I’m afraid I don’t have advice except to manage your cook time based on how thick the chops are. The thicker ones will take longer.
Check out these Pork Chop recipes:
https://intelligentdomestications.com/2014/12/pork-chop-casserole-quick-easy-3-ingredient-dinner.html
https://intelligentdomestications.com/2014/10/3-ingredient-crockpot-maple-glazed-apple-pork-chops.html
Megan says
Now that I’ve started expanding my culinary skills, I am REALLY enjoying cooking sauces and meals from scratch! I can see why your husband gets so excited for this dish!
Erlene says
Ooo…this looks delicious. Can you believe that I’ve only recently started using cubed steak?! I can’t believe it took me so long to use this type of meat. It’s so yummy breaded with gravy.
Victoria Stewart says
What can you use instead of coffee? I don’t drink it, thanks
Amberjane says
Looks very tasty – thank you for sharing with Pin Worthy Wednesday
JESS44903 says
This looks so easy and sounds so delicious! 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Johnny says
This looks like an interesting and easy recipe. I will try this tonight. However, I’m adding some low sodium beef broth (with 1 tsp instant coffee), and sea salt for flavoring. I’ll let you know how this comes out. Thanks for your time and effort on this website.
Sandy Sandmeyer says
This recipe makes me want to try cubed steak again. Yum! Thanks for sharing at #AnythingGoes.
Lyn swain says
Your recipe sounded so good ,I made it today ,the gravey had no flavour ( I must have made a boohoo somewhere so i added 2oxo cubes ,a good slog of wostershire sauce and 1/2cup BBQ sauce it went well with all in the end
Beverly Roderick says
I just saw your post on google+ . So glad you shared it there. Coffee in the gravy has me intrigued! Pinning.
Vicki Pierce says
Only one word is needed. AWESOME!
Thanks for sharing.
Judy says
I’m drooling–this looks wonderful!
Shirley Wood says
Thank you Judy, it sure was good.
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
My mother made a lot of cube steak recipes when I was younger. My guess because there was so much you could do with it and it was a cheaper cut of meat. Thanks for linking at the Yuck Stops Here!
Shirley Wood says
My Mother cooked cube steak a lot when I was growing up also. It sure costs more now than back then. Thanks for stopping by, Chrystal. I’ve enjoyed hosting with you ladies at #StopTheYuck.
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
These hearty flavors just scream Fall to me… I am getting more ready for the Fall Season to arrive every day. Thanks for sharing this recipe. PINNED!
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Shirley Wood says
Thanks for the Pin! I am so ready for Fall to be here, I’m sneaking in those dinners already 🙂
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
Oh, I do not have a recipe like this one, thank you, Shirley! Adding to my collection 🙂
Shirley Wood says
I am honored to be added to your recipe collection! I want to hear about it when you make gravy!
Zan says
This looks great – I refuse to buy cubed steak in the stores because I never seem to know how to cook it. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Shirley Wood says
You’re welcome Zan. I hope you will tell me how your family enjoys it when you make it.
Alli says
The first time my youngest daughter had crackling cornbread at my mom’s house (she was about 2) she said, “Grandma, your cornbread has bones in it.” Crackling cornbread can’t be beat!
And, by the way, brown gravy is so much better than white gravy (in my opinion). And every good southern cook better know how to make cubed steak. Great tutorial!
Shirley Wood says
That is funny Alli. Children and be so funny sometimes. It is for certain that white gravy and brown gravy both have their place at the table. We tend to prefer white gravy for biscuit type meals and brown gravy for meat and potato type meals.