Chicken Fried Chuck Steak Sous Vide With Black Pepper Gravy

– by Chef Eric Villegas

Chicken Fried Chuck Steak Sous Vide With Black Pepper Gravy

Fall is coming. Cooler weather is ahead. With that comes the thought of hearty meals that provide warmth and comfort.

Comfort food can provide you with emotional satisfaction on a cold day. Comfort food to helps you feel good. Food high in fat, sugar or salt activates the brain’s reward system and gives you pleasant feelings and reduced tension.

Certain comfort foods also are a reminder of family – maybe a memory of something mom used to make, flashbacks to social gatherings when you were young, or remembering family holidays with the people who took care of you. Comfort food may be linked to memories of attachment – if you are far away from home, eating something familiar may soothe your feelings of missing loved ones.

The smell of certain foods may improve your mood and make you feel socially connected to others while eating.

Whatever the reasons, there are certain foods that just bring you comfort. Hearty dishes, fried foods, soups, sweets – everyone has that one dish that brings them warmth and comfort.

You can create memories and provide a hearty meal to your family when you prepare this Chicken Fried Chuck Steak Sous Vide. Cooking sous vide is an easy way to make family meals. All the equipment you need to make this recipe and others can be found on the VacMaster website.

Ingredients:

1 2-3 pound chuck roast, trimmed

Breading

For the Breading:

  • ¾ cup cornstarch
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk, divided
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 quarts peanut or corn oil
    • For the Gravy:
  • ¼ cup peanut or corn oil, or use the some of the oil from frying
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
    • Directions:

    1.Preheat the SV1 to 56°C/133°F degrees

    Steak in water bath

    For the Steaks:

    1. Place the trimmed whole chuck roast in an appropriate sized VacMaster® bag and using a VacMaster® Chamber or Suction machine vacuum seal the roast.

    2. Gently place the bagged roast in the SV1 for 24 -28 hours.

    3. Remove and immediately place in an ice water bath to chill thoroughly.

    4. Remove the chilled chuck roast from the bag and following the natural seams in the roast cut and portion into approximately 4-6 ounce steaks.

    5. Place the steaks on a wooden cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap.

    6. Using a meat mallet or similar gently pound the steak to even up the thickness, being careful not to tear the steaks, reserve.

    For the Breading:

    breading steak

    1. Place cornstarch in a shallow dish. Whisk together the egg and the 2/3 cup buttermilk in a separate shallow dish. Whisk together flour, 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in a third shallow dish. Drizzle remaining 1/3 cup of buttermilk into seasoned flour and rub with fingertips until mixture is coarse and lumpy.

    2. Working one steak at a time, coat the steak well in cornstarch. Lift and shake off excess cornstarch, then transfer to egg mixture. Coat the steak thoroughly in the egg mixture, lift steak, letting excess egg drain off, then transfer to seasoned buttermilk-flour mixture. Coat steak well, pressing seasoned flour all over to help it adhere to the meat. Lift steak, shake off excess flour, and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining steaks. Refrigerate and let steaks rest for 30 minutes.

    3. According to the manufactures directions fill your deep fryer with the appropriate amount of oil and heat to 375°F or place oil in a large Dutch oven or wok or similar and heat to 375° over high heat.

    4. Carefully lift one of the steaks and gently slide into oil. Cook, flipping occasionally, until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 1½ - 2 minutes total.

    5. Transfer steak to a paper towel-lined tray and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining steaks, reserve steaks keeping them warm.

    For the Black Pepper gravy:

    black pepper gravy

    1.Transfer ¼ cup of hot frying oil or fresh oil to a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan placed over medium high heat.

    2.Add flour and whisk constantly until mixture turns light to caramel colored brown, about 1 minute this toasting of the flour develops the flavor of the finished sauce. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir in pepper, salt, onion and garlic powders and bring the mixture to a boil.

    3.Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; taste re season if necessary.

    4.When ready to served transfer steaks to serving plates and top with the black pepper gravy, serve immediately.