Copycat Cracker Barrel Country Fried Steak Recipe

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4.76 from 79 votes

Copycat Cracker Barrel Country Fried Steak Recipe

Cracker Barrel Country Fried Steak Recipe is a classic Southern dinner, and is ready to eat in 45 minutes. You'll love the crispy meat and creamy gravy! It's even better than Cracker Barrel's version.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $3.16 per serving

Equipment

food processor
12-inch cast iron or clad skillet (do not use a non-stick pan)
sheet pan fitted with oven-safe wire rack
instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

For the Country Fried Steaks

4 4-5 ounce cube steaks
¾ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For Breading & Frying

2 large eggs
38 saltine crackers preferably with unsalted tops
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3-3 ½ cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying

For the Sawmill Gravy

4 cups whole or 2% milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Optional for Garnish and Serving

fresh parsley chopped
hot sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Tenderizing the Steaks

Place the cube steaks into a zippered plastic bag and pour in the whole milk. Seal and jiggle around so the milk is coating the meat. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours, flipping the bag over several times.
Remove the steaks from the milk, allowing them to drip, and set on a platter. Reserve all of the milk and add to it as necessary to measure 3/4 cups.
Mix the kosher salt and black pepper together, then lightly sprinkle it on both sides of the tenderized steaks. Set aside.

Breading & Frying the Steaks

Whisk together the reserved 3/4 cup of milk with the eggs in a shallow bowl.
Pulse the saltines, flour, and spices in a food processor until the crackers are in fine crumbs, about 8-10 pulses.
Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy gauge aluminum foil and fit with a wire rack. You may spray with non-stick baking spray if you like; however, it is not necessary.
Arrange an assembly line with a shallow bowl with the egg mixture, another shallow bowl with the Saltine mixture, and finally the prepared baking tray.
Coat the steaks first in the cracker flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then once more in the cracker mixture. Place the coated steaks atop the prepared baking sheet with wire rack and let sit for 15 minutes while you heat the oil.
Add the frying oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it's between 350-360°F on a thermometer. Reduce heat slightly and fry the steaks in the hot oil for 10 minutes. (If the oil begins to smoke, reduce heat slightly until there is no smoke.) Turn the steaks carefully so as not to dislodge the breading and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Steaks will be a beautiful golden brown. Always use kitchen tongs and lay the steak away from you! This prevents the oil from splashing towards you!0
Remove to the wire rack atop the baking sheet once again. Repeat with any remaining steaks and place into the preheated low heat oven to keep warm while you assemble the sawmill gravy.
Dispose of all leftover oil, but reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons of the drippings and any cooked bits. Use a wad of paper towels to wipe the skillet mostly clean and add the reserved drippings back to the skillet.

Making the Sawmill Gravy

Whisk together the flour, kosher salt, black pepper, and the milk, then pour the mixture into the skillet with the reserved drippings. Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until the gravy begins to bubble, about 10-12 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until the sawmill gravy has thickened considerably. At this point, season to taste. Keep in mind that saltines coat the steaks, so treat lightly if planning to add salt.

Serving

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and offer a bottle of your favorite hot sauce at the table to pass. Enjoy immediately!

Notes

Alternate Method for Tenderizing Steaks: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every 12 ounces of meat in ½ cup of water. Add the solution to a large plastic zippered bag and then drop the cube steaks in for at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes. Remove, rinse, pat dry, and continue with directions in recipe card as directed.
Saltines are the only cracker I recommend using in this recipe. They are perfectly salted in exactly the right measurement, so no additional salt is necessary when using crackers as your coating. (Saltines come two ways; regular and with unsalted tops. I purposely seek out the unsalted tops for a less salty finished steak. The Saltines with unsalted tops still contain salt.)
Why let the fried steak sit on a wire cooling rack? It allows air to circulate on all sides, drying the egg and the cracker mixture and helping it to adhere to the steak. Martha Stewart uses this same trick in many of her paillard and cutlet methods.

Nutrition