2Put two cups of all-purpose flour in a shallow dish or bowl
3Put two teaspoons of baking powder into a separate dish or bowl
4Add a teaspoon of baking soda
5Add a teaspoon of ground black pepper
6Add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt
7Mix the ingredients with a fork to blend
8Stir in one and a half cups of buttermilk
9Add a large egg
10Add a tablespoon of hot sauce
11Add the minced garlic
12Mix the batter well
13Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and then again in the flour
14Rest the steak on a wire rack over parchment paper to air dry while you batter the others
15Heat three cups of vegetable shortening in a deep cast iron skillet to 325 degrees
16Fry each steak until it's golden brown, about three to five minutes per side
17Transfer the fried steak to a towel-lined tray and keep them warm under foil
18Drain the fat from the skillet, preserving a quarter cup of the fat and as much of the solids as possible
19Return the skillet to medium-low heat and add the reserved fat
20Stir in a quarter cup of all-purpose flour until blended, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan
21Then, stir in four cups of milk
22Increase the heat to medium and bring the gravy to a simmer
23Cook, stirring often, until the gravy has thickened (6 to 7 minutes)
24Season the gravy to taste with kosher salt and ground black pepper
25Transfer the steaks to a platter and pour the gravy over them
Ingredients
4 beef cube steaks
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
0.75 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 cloves garlic
3 cups vegetable shortening
0.25 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
kosher salt
ground black pepper
Equipment
shallow dishbowlforkwire rackparchment paperdeep cast iron skillettowel-lined trayspatula
Tips
For a buttermilk substitute, add 1 3/4 tablespoons of cream of tartar, or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, to a cup of milk; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.