Country Fried Steak and Gravy

February 9, 2026

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In just 30 minutes, you can make this Country Fried Steak and brown gravy totally from scratch to feed the people you love. When everyone gets one bite of golden-breaded steak smothered in homemade gravy, you’ll have a new family favorite on your hands.

Country Fried Steak with Brown Gravy

If you’re looking for an easy way to make an over-the-top indulgent dish for Sunday dinner, this Country Fried Steak recipe was made for you. Juicy cube steak breaded in a crispy, golden batter and smothered in a rich brown gravy, and you can do it all right and home. I’ve got a simple recipe and surefire method to help you create the perfect coating to soak up all the gravy and complement the tender beef. You just need a deep, heavy-bottom pan and some of my beef tallow for frying and you’ll be feeling like a comfort food hero in no time.

Country Fried Steak vs Chicken Fried Steak

You’re not alone if you don’t know the difference between country fried and chicken fried. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are some subtle differences that set them apart. The main difference between the two styles is gravy. Chicken fried steak comes with a white gravy, and I’ve got a great recipe here if that’s more your style. Our Country Fried Steak, on the other hand, comes with a rich brown gravy. I’ll teach you how to make that too in a bit.

Country fried usually means a breadcrumb dredging as well, but I just love the texture of the flour dredge in this recipe. You can go that route if you prefer a more traditional approach. Don’t be afraid to make it your own!

The Best Steak for Frying

When it comes to choosing steak for frying, I love cube steak. It comes tenderized, so it’s got plenty of nooks and crannies to grab onto the breading. You can usually find cube steak at your local butcher or grocery store meat counter. If you can’t get your hands on any, don’t stress. You can make your own cube steak by picking up some top round or sirloin steak, tenderizing it with a mallet, and slicing into thin cutlets. Just like that, cube steak!

Ingredients for Country Fried Dredges

I’ve got a simple dredging method to help you create that crispy, golden-brown breading on your steaks. Here’s what you’ll need so you can make them:

Wet Dredge:

1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
¼ cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce

Dry Dredge:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup corn starch
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Like I said earlier, this isn’t a traditional country fried dredge, but my family loves it this way. If you want to go fully authentic, you can incorporate breadcrumbs into your dry dredge.

How to Make Country Fried Steak

I know Country Fried Steak tastes like it took a long time to make, but trust me, you can whip this incredible dish up in no time. Just follow these easy steps:

Season the steaks. First up, season the cube steaks on both sides with the Beef Rub and set aside. If you don’t have any Beef Rub, you can pick some up in my store, or use equal parts salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Make the dredges. Prepare the wet dredge by combining the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce in a shallow dish or rimmed plate. Whisk lightly until small bubbles form. Prepare the seasoned flour by whisking together the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow dish or shallow plate.
Dredge the steaks. Place each steak in the flour, pressing lightly to get the flour into all of the tenderizer holes in the steak. Flip the steaks and lightly coat on the other side. Shake off any excess flour. Transfer the steaks to the buttermilk and egg mixture and coat lightly on each side. Return the steaks to the seasoned flour and fully coat. Set the seasoned steaks on a cooling rack while you heat the cooking oil.
Fry the steaks. In a heavy-bottom skillet, melt down the tallow (or lard) and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches about 350 degrees F. Carefully place the dredged steaks into the heated oil and fry the steaks for about 4-5 minutes per side. You want them crispy and golden brown. Remove the steaks from the oil to a paper towel-lined plate to cool for a few minutes. Check out the section below if you want to learn how to make a homemade brown gravy to smother your steaks.

Homemade Brown Gravy

Making the gravy to drizzle all over your steaks couldn’t be easier. Simply add the 2 reserved Tablespoons of dry dredge to the remaining 2 Tablespoons of tallow, then whisk for about 1 minute. Make sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan and into the roux. Whisk in the beef stock (or broth), then whisk regularly for 2-3 minutes. Once your gravy is thickened, season with more Beef Rub or salt and pepper to your preference.

The Best Sides for Country Fried Steak

This is a filling, hearty main dish, so it’s probably enough to fill up your crew without any extra work. However, I’ve got you covered with some easy and delicious sides if you want to make a full spread.

More Affordable Beef Recipes

If you and your family love this Country Fried Steak as much as we do around here, I’ve got more recipes you’ll love. Check out some of these comforting classics to try for your next family dinner:

You can find all these and over 700 more BBQ recipes here on the https://homefrontking.com/, as well as in the Hey Grill Hey App.

Easy Country Fried Steak Recipe

Follow the recipe card below to make this Country Fried Steak with homemade gravy so you can feed the people you love! After you wake up from your comfort-food coma, make sure to come back so you can tell me how your steak turned out in the comments. And hey, a 5-star review makes it easier for other Backyard BBQ Heroes to find this recipe.

To be the first to find out about awesome recipes like this, plus get BBQ pro tips and tricks, make sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram, and that you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel. Hey Grill Hey is here to help you become a Backyard BBQ Hero!

Season the steaks. Season the cube steaks on both sides with the Beef Rub and set aside.

4 cube steaks, 1 Teaspoon Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub
Make the dredges. Prepare the wet dredge by combining the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce in a shallow dish or rimmed plate. Whisk lightly until small bubbles form. Prepare the seasoned flour by whisking together the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow dish or shallow plate.

1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, ¼ cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup corn starch, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Dredge the steaks. Place each steak in the flour, pressing lightly to get the flour into all of the tenderizer holes in the steak. Flip the steaks and lightly coat on the other side. Shake off any excess flour. Transfer the steaks to the buttermilk and egg mixture and coat lightly on each side. Return the steaks to the seasoned flour and fully coat. Set the seasoned steaks on a cooling rack while you heat the tallow.
Fry the steaks. In a heavy-bottom skillet, melt the tallow down and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches about 350 degrees F. Carefully place the dredged steaks into the heated oil and fry the steaks for about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

2 cups beef tallow

Prepare the gravy. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the lard. Whisk 2 Tablespoons of the seasoned dredging flour into the remaining melted lard. Cook and whisk over medium heat for 1 minute, scraping any browned bits up from the bottom of the pan into the roux. Gradually whisk in 1 cup of beef stock (or broth). Cook, whisking regularly, for 2-3 minutes, or until the gravy is thickened. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and a heavy dose of fresh cracked black pepper.

1 cup beef stock

Smother, serve, and enjoy. Serve the country fried steaks with a hearty spoonful of the pan gravy and enjoy.