For those completely in the dark, CFS is a piece of brutally tenderized top round, a.k.a. cube steak, deep-fried like a piece of chicken. Lest there be any confusion, the same piece of meat is sold as top round (tenderize it yourself!) and cube steak (already given the once-over). Real Texans use tiny hammers, and so did I.
You know the gravy’s legit because it looks like Elmer’s Glue with fruit flies caught in it. It takes a decent bit of practice to get the consistency and the salt just right. Before I sign off, I’d like to quote Homesick Texan on one important matter: “When I’ve spoken of chicken-fried steak to the uninitiated, people always get hung up on the choice of beef: ‘Wouldn’t it be better if it were made with, say, a porterhouse?’ they’ll ask. But they’re missing the point. I don’t want to put you off and say it tastes like shoe leather (which its detractors are wont to complain), but after beating the beef and frying it up, there is just no advantage to using prime steak. Much like chili or barbecued brisket, chicken-fried steak was a tasty and innovative solution to only having not-so-choice beef on hand.”
