I love a good old fashioned Sunday dinner! Sitting at the table, talking, enjoying each other’s company. The table full of homemade-from-scratch comfort foods prepared by nothing but your own two hands and love. Lots and lots of love!

No fancy food processors, professional mixers, salad slicers, or blenders.

Just pots ‘n pans, an old wooden rolling pin, and your favorite giant mixing spoon!

To me, dinners like this are timeless. No matter who your company is, or who’s coming to dinner, meals like this never go out of style and are always appreciated. Sometimes even more by “pampered guests”. It’s something unexpected and so comforting that they are instantly taken aback, and you can bet transported back in time to simpler times when they, too, enjoyed the same type of meal at a Grandma’s house when they were a child. 😉

Sometimes it’s even just the memories that certain foods bring back, that can make the meal so very incredibly special.

And this is one of them. 😉

I had never had good luck with cube steak! No matter what I did, it was always tough as shoe leather! From medium-rare to well done, it just never came out good, and I finally gave up on it….until my hubby told me his mom’s secret. 😉

She was well-known for her incredible southern cooking, and I was quite surprised to hear what she did to make hers so tender!

Ready for this?

She used “cubed” pork instead. Yep, pork!!!! And what a difference!!!!

(*You’ll need your butcher’s help with this, but just ask, they’ll be happy to do it for you!)

This turns out incredibly tender and OH SO GOOD because it’s made from lean pork that has been run through the meat grinder set on “tenderize” at the store, or what they call “cubed”, instead of cubed beef steak such as cuts like round steak that most chicken fried steaks call for. The reason cheap cuts of beef are “cubed” is because they are that tough that it’s the only way you can possibly eat them “chicken fried”. And even doing that, as I’ve already mentioned, was still horribly tough and chewy.

The first time I made these, I was in utter shock and 7th heaven. I had never had better. EVER. And would never ever go back to using cubed beef steaks again.

You’ll be shocked, too, at how large they get when they “cube” them!! They’re amazing! I even made them for a group of wealthy bankers once while catering, and they about died over them! They were a HUGE hit!! Though they always appreciated what I made for them, the bank President told me many times over the years that I catered for them, how they all acted like little kids at Christmas over that particular dinner! So you just never know. Sometimes all you really need or want, are the simpler things in life. 😉

So all you do, is choose a package of 2-4 pork loin chops right from your grocery store. Take the package to the meat counter, and ask them to cube it for you. If they look at you funny, tell them it’s your secret recipe for tender, juicy “cubed steak”. 😉 They’ll get it! 😉 And they are always happy to do it because it takes all of 2-3 minutes to do is all.

These will be large! They will be a bit soft, too, so handle them gently and carefully. Then just dredge them in seasoned flour, then into beaten egg and buttermilk, and then into some chicken-flavored cracker crumbs! I like to use “Chicken in a Biskit” crackers, but you can use any kind of cracker you enjoy such as Ritz or Saltines, or even your favorite butter cracker! Just keep the flavors simple. You don’t want an overpowering flavor to take away the integrity of what this meal is about. Simplicity at it’s best! 😉

If making just two, you can usually fit both into one large frying pan. If making more than two, you’ll definitely need two pans. (But it’s easy, don’t worry!)

The only tricky part is turning them. Make sure you use a LARGE spatula and also tongs. Don’t lift them up and drop them flat or you’ll splatter grease, lift up with a spatula and guide them gently back in turning with both the spatula and tongs. (Always turn them away from you, too, just in case you do splash a little. Hot grease burns are no fun!)

These cook very quickly because they’ll be thin with lots of tiny spaces inside for the heat to cook all around and through. Only 3-4 minutes per side is all they need! 😀

With that said, you’ll want to already have your side dishes done. I like to serve these with a nice vegetable such as buttered summer corn, green beans, or sweet baby peas. And homemade mashed potatoes are a must! Either make homemade gravy from the pan drippings or make a simple gravy like my easy Chicken Gravy, not only for the potatoes, but also for the chicken fried steaks! Plain bread or rolls to go with, and you have a Sunday dinner that will be remembered for years to come! 😀

So if you, too, enjoy a good old-fashioned Sunday dinner, with the whole family and friends gathered around the table, you might want to give this “secret recipe” a try! I think you’ll be quite amazed at how wonderful it turns out, and how tender and juicy it is compared to regular “chicken fried steak”! You, too, will be the “southern belle of the ball” with this hearty, down-home supper made with love and care! Have a most wonderful weekend, friends!

Yield: 2 servings

Old-Fashioned Tender Chicken Fried Steak

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 boneless pork loin chops, cubed like cube steaks by your butcher
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• salt ro taste
• lots of coarse ground black pepper
• 1 beaten egg
• 1⁄4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1⁄2 cups finely crushed "Chicken In A Biskit" crackers, more or less as needed for breading
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, more if needed

Instructions

*Have your butcher "cube" 2 lean boneless pork chops for you.

In pie plate, place flour. Season with as much salt and pepper as you like. Add lots, though.

In another pie plate, beat egg and beat in buttermilk.

In third pie plate, place cracker crumbs.

Lightly coat chops on both sides in flour mixture.

Dip one at a time into egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat nicely in cracker crumbs. Pat on.

Place chops into hot oil mixture over medium heat and fry for about 3-4 minutes or or til golden brown.

Turn and fry other side until done (*you may need 2 large spatulas to do this!), about another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with gravy, mashed potatoes, biscuits and vegetables.

Notes

*Whenever seasoning your flour, you should actually be able to taste the salt when you wet your pinky and try it. If it tastes bland, add more. If it's too salty, add a little more flour.