eGullet's Brightest and Best!

[Jinmyo]

Toliver, welcome to eGullet.

[fifi]

AAAAHHH... Back to CFS. This is one of those things that seems simple but you can sure screw it up. I go through periods of being "on the hunt" for my own personal ideal of CFS. I have found few. It is a lot of trouble and smells up my ventless apartment so I haven't tried it at home lately. I did try it a couple of times in the past but it is one of those things I eat out.

Sad story about screwed up CFS. I had a bunch of Europeans in town and needed to take them to dinner. They wanted "local" (whatever that is in Houston... sushi? Chinese?, Tex-Mex?). I took them to Rio Ranch. Now... This is no less than Robert Del Grande's (of Cafe Annie fame) version of a Hill Country ranch house on steroids complete with the requisite limestone and big beam construction, serving "Hill Country" cuisine. Actually a very pretty building. They are reputed to do a really mean CFS. Several of us ordered it. I was really curious as to how you would make an "upscale" CFS. I described the dish to them. We joked that I was trying to bump them off by feeding them a "heart attack on a plate". Well that was true enough. That was the most awful CFS I have ever had. The meat (supposedly sirloin ) was tough to the point of the ridiculous. The crust was heavy and very greasy and had a weird texture. Did they put cornmeal in it? The gravy was just about tasteless and also had "texture issues". There are many things you can do to screw up CFS and that kitchen managed to hit on every one.

[maggiethecat]

Toliver: Welcome to eGullet, and what a great first post. Also, thank you for resurrecting this thread and reminding me that I still haven't made CFS.

Corn flake crumbs rock...hmmm, I actually have corn flakes in the house. Maybe CFS is coming up in the rotation.

Ah, yes, Swiss Steak. A big night in our house when I was growing up.

fifi: That totally sucks.

[KNorthrup]

I work in truckstops. CFS is an all-purpose punchline in our office.

I do like it, but only ever have it for breakfast. With eggs and hashbrowns. Just to add to the cholesterol fest. Although the gravy would certainly be wonderful on fries.

I only actually made it once. For a fiance. It was his absolute favourite food. Noteworthy because he was Thai. It was as far from what he'd grown up with as he could possibly get.

[malachi]

And while you're at it...how about the "Thin sliced"pork chops?

Bone and trim fat.

Pound thin.

Quick brine.

Dry.

Light egg wash.

Dredge in seasoned Panko.

Fry in hot oil.

Serve with Onion-Peach-Sage Marmalade.

[Ladybug]

When I do stir fry, I usually marinate the thin strips of beef (round steak) in soy, cornstarch, and perhaps some sugar or whatever.

Food scientists -- does this tenderize it at all or just provide flavoring?

I think the soy tenderizes it a bit - soy has salt, and therefore, that's really brining the beef. I just read something about this in CI's May & June 2003 issue in an article called, "Investigating Steak Tips." They called soy sauce their "secret tenderizing agent."

[Toliver]

Thank you, Jinmyo & maggiethecat for the welcome. I've been lurking and decided to de-cloak for this thread.

I am on vacation now at the family homestead and have requested of my Mom during my stay that she show me how to make her CFS or the Swiss Steak. The '50's shall live again through me, yet.

As an aside (and it probably belongs in another thread) the local fair is on and the big culinary "hit" this year is deep fried Twinkies and deep fried Snickers. I will report on my gastonomic galavanting at the Fair if I'm not sent to the hospital from the Fair food first.

[maggiethecat]

As an aside (and it probably belongs in another thread) the local fair is on and the big culinary "hit" this year is deep fried Twinkies and deep fried Snickers.  I will report on my gastonomic galavanting at the Fair if I'm not sent to the hospital from the Fair food first.

Get out of ICU and report. Really.

[Behemoth]

Ah top round! I shred at against grain while it is still frozen and fry it up wit' onions & provolone for philly cheese steaks. Good use for cheap cut of meat. (I joined a beef CSA so I would have to learn how to cook whatever's given to me, not just steaks or burgers. I'm getting pretty creative these days. )

Edited to mask my appallingly tenuous grasp of the English language.

Edited May 2, 2004 by Behemoth (log)

[jhlurie]

Partially freeze it, slice it extremely thin, and stir-fry.

Isn't this the actual cut of meat a lot of Korean groceries/butchers already sell in big frozen pre-sliced packs? Assuming you live in an area with Korean butchers, I mean.

[Jinmyo]

Partially freeze it, slice it extremely thin, and stir-fry.

Isn't this the actual cut of meat a lot of Korean groceries/butchers already sell in big frozen pre-sliced packs? Assuming you live in an area with Korean butchers, I mean.

Not that I've ever seen.

[NulloModo]

Interesting...

I bought a cut of meat at the supermarket the other day called 'London Broil' then promptly got onto E-Gullet to learn how to prepare it.

I discovered that my 'London Broil' should have been a Flank Steak, but was instead a 'Top Round Steak'. I tried to prepare it ala London Broil anyway (cooked medium rare, sliced thin) and it wasn't bad...

Definately had a very strong 'beefy' flavor. But not the same flavor I typically associate with london broil.

[hjshorter]

Thank you Behemoth, for bumping this up. I've always passed up this cut because I don't know how to cook it. Now I do.

[andiesenji]

Top round, 7-bone or any touch piece of beef that has a lot of flavor is a prime candidate for the old faithful "sweep steak" (It "swept" the 'burbs back in the 60s and was one of the 30-day entrees in Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook" book.)

Aluminum foil, heavy duty

the slab of meat

a package of onion soup mix

(If you want to be fancy you can use one of the packaged Hunter or Peppercorn sauce mixes)

Put the meat on the sheet of aluminum foil

Sprinkle it with the mix

seal it in the foil

put it on a sheet pan and into a 250 degree (F) oven

leave it in the oven for 3 hours.

It should be to the point of falling apart.

You can use this as a base for stew and a lot of other combinations

Shred it roughly for sandwiches

Add a chili sauce to make sloppy joes

layer with mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie

Use your imagination..........

[maggiethecat]

andie:

What a trip down Memory Lane; my mother used that exact recipe in , oh, 1966? I can hear the Tijuana Brass ! I'm going to try it again, and use it for the base for a dynamite Shepherd's Pie.

(I swiped her copy of the "I Hate to Cook Book.")

[andiesenji]

I have a huge collection of cookbooks and I love to read the ones that are written with a bit of humor. Peg Bracken's are great.

I also have a couple by Mary Lasswell, who wrote a series of books about 3 old ladies in San Diego, beginning during WWII.

Mrs. Rassmussen was one of the ladies and the cookbooks are

Mrs. Rassumssen's book of One-Arm Cookery and

the same as above "With Second Helpings"

The books are hilarious and the cookbooks are also funny but have some great "home cooking" recipes.

The "One-Arm" bit is because these ladies love beer and one has to have one hand free to hold a bottle of beer, thus the title.

If you ever come across Lasswell's books in a used book store check them out.

Suds In Your Eye is the first.

I pick them up whenever I come across them as I have given several sets away to people as a "pick-me-up" when they are going through a rough patch.

I defy anyone to read these books and not get a chuckle out of them.

[Behemoth]

Thank you Behemoth, for bumping this up.

Yeah, it's called procrastination -- search random ingredients in eGullet so I don't have to face my end-of-semester mountain for work

I have some round steak in my freezer now, that sweep steak method sounds good. I'm thinking maybe I'll try it with some variation on a mexican-style chili typa paste instead of onion soup and use it for carnitas...

Okay, I go work now.

[balmagowry]

andie:

What a trip down Memory Lane; my mother used that exact recipe in , oh, 1966? I can hear the Tijuana Brass ! I'm going to try it again, and use it for the base for a dynamite Shepherd's Pie.

(I swiped her copy of the "I Hate to Cook Book.")

Yes! and everything you ever needed to know about table-manners and -setting, in I Try To Behave Myself!

[Bicycle Lee]

I say braise the f*&ker in beef stock, tomato juice, onions, carrots and celery...don't forget plenty of herbs and s&p....serve the pull-apart meat over white rice or mashed potatoes...eh?

[lorea]

Partially freeze it, slice it extremely thin, and stir-fry.

Isn't this the actual cut of meat a lot of Korean groceries/butchers already sell in big frozen pre-sliced packs? Assuming you live in an area with Korean butchers, I mean.

I'm assuming you're talking about the pre-sliced meat that is usually used for bulgogi? In that case, it's thinly sliced ribeye. I've tried it with round, and believe me....it's hard to get the classic bulgogi taste and texture with round.

[ned]

Works great on a black eye.

[oreganosci]

I find round steak difficult too, especially when I want it tender fast. Something I've done is cut it into chunks and chop it up in a food processor. Probably wouldn't make the best burger but it works for some other ground meat uses. I'd rather have just one beast contributing to my ground beef, not hundreds.

[stephenc]

Make tacos with the round.

With the pork, pound it really thin, marinate in soysauce, rice wine or sherry, and whack it with pretty much every spice in your pantry.

Fry and serve with another dish and rice.

Edited May 7, 2004 by stephenc (log)

[hjshorter]

You can brown it (the whole thing, without slicing, chopping, etc.) with your choice of seasonings and grease/fat/oil in a large skillet with a lid.

Then dump your choice of sauce over (and it doesn't really matter what - whatever you're in the mood for, tomato or brown or mushroom or "ethnic" or whatever - homemade or canned), and some veggies if you like (again, whatever you're in the mood for - onions or garlic or bell peppers or chiles or tomatoes or carrots or celery) put the lid on the skillet, and let it simmer in the sauce until it's done and tender.

Serve it alongside/over a starch of some kind: rice, noodles, potatoes (or you can cut them up and add them during cooking), etc.

This was dinner last night. I browned round steak, then simmered in tomato sauce until the meat was tender. Shredded the meat and served over buttered egg noodles. Everyone liked it. Thanks Jaymes!