These steak fingers are strips of cube steak soaked in seasoned buttermilk, coated twice in flour, and fried until golden and crisp. Serve them with homemade white gravy for dipping and a couple of your favorite dinner sides.
Crispy Steak Fingers with a Buttermilk Coating
If you like country fried steak, this version has that same flour-coated crust in smaller, easy-to-dip strips. The buttermilk marinade seasons the beef, and a little cornstarch in the flour mixture helps the coating fry up crisp.
Plan to start the marinade at least 4 hours before cooking, or let the steak soak overnight for up to 12 hours. Once you’re ready to bread it, set out your flour mixture, a bowl for the reserved marinade, and a wire rack so you can move from one step to the next.
FAQs
Use cube steak about ¼ inch thick. Cube steak has already been mechanically tenderized, which gives it those little indentations. Cut it across the grain into strips about 1 inch wide and 4-5 inches long.
The names overlap. Finger steaks usually refers to the Idaho specialty, often served with cocktail sauce or fry sauce. Steak fingers commonly describes chicken-fried steak strips like these. The cut of beef, coating, and sauce vary between recipes, so the sauce alone doesn’t determine the name.
Drain the excess marinade, press the flour gently onto both sides, and let the breaded strips rest on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before frying. Turn them carefully once the underside has formed a crust.
You can marinate the steak in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. Wait to bread it until shortly before frying, allowing the 10-15-minute breading rest. Leaving the breaded strips sitting for hours can make the coating wet and gummy.
Serve them with white gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Baked mac and cheese or 3-ingredient biscuits are other comforting additions. Make the gravy separately; this steak-fingers recipe does not include it.
Refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F. Use within 3-4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven for about 10-15 minutes or a 350°F air fryer for about 3-5 minutes, flipping halfway. Times vary; heat the center to 165°F. Keep the pieces in a single layer to help the coating crisp again.
Ingredients
You'll find the complete printable recipe below. Here's what you'll need for the marinade and the seasoned coating.
For the buttermilk marinade:
- 1 pound cube steak - Choose steaks about ¼ inch thick so the strips cook evenly.
- 1½ cups whole buttermilk - For the marinade and the second dip during breading.
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce - Adds savory flavor to the marinade.
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt - Use a seasoned salt blend, not an equal amount of plain salt.
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper - Seasons the beef before it gets its coating.
For the seasoned flour:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour - The base of the breading.
- ¼ cup cornstarch - Helps give the crust a crisp texture.
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt - This is in addition to the seasoned salt in the marinade.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder - Goes into the dry coating; use baking powder, not baking soda.
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper - For the flour mixture.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder - Add flavor throughout the coating.
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika - Adds a little smoky flavor.
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard - Use mustard powder, not prepared mustard.
For frying: Use vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, enough to come 1-1½ inches up the pan. The amount will depend on the size of your skillet or Dutch oven.
Instructions
- Cut the steak. Slice across the grain into strips about 1 inch wide and 4-5 inches long.
- Marinate. Whisk the buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the steak, cover, and refrigerate for 4-12 hours.
- Mix the coating. In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, seasoned salt, baking powder, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and dry mustard.
- Drain the strips. Set a strainer over a bowl to catch the marinade. Save it for the breading step.
- Start with flour. Coat each steak strip in the seasoned flour, pressing gently so it sticks.
- Dip and coat again. Dip the floured strip back into the reserved marinade, then return it to the flour for a second coating. Discard the leftover marinade and flour when all the strips are breaded.
- Let the coating rest. Arrange the breaded strips on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1-1½ inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F, leaving plenty of room above the oil.
- Fry in batches. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden and at least 145°F in the center, or a higher temperature if the beef package directs. Check a thick strip by inserting an instant-read thermometer from the side. Let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
- Drain and serve. Move the cooked steak fingers to a clean wire rack and let each batch rest for at least 3 minutes before serving. Add a bowl of white gravy for dipping.
Tips
- Watch the oil temperature. Oil that’s too cool can leave the coating greasy; oil that’s too hot can brown the outside before the meat is ready. A frying thermometer makes it easier to keep the oil near 350°F.
- Give each strip room. Crowding the pan lowers the oil temperature. Fry in batches, and let the crust set before turning the pieces.
- Use a clean rack for cooked steak. Air can circulate underneath it, which helps keep the bottoms crisp. Avoid stacking the hot strips or letting them sit in a pile on paper towels.
- Check doneness instead of adding extra frying time. Thin cube steak can become tough when overcooked. Use the temperature reading along with the golden coating as your guide.
More Recipes
For more comforting dinners, try these next:
- Smothered Cube Steak - Another way to use cube steak, with onions and brown gravy.
- Country Fried Pork Chops - A crisp, flour-coated pork chop dinner.
Recipe
Steak Fingers
Equipment
- Deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven
- Frying thermometer; instant-read meat thermometer; wire racks and rimmed baking sheets
Ingredients
Buttermilk Marinade
- 1 pound cube steak about ¼-inch thick
- 1 ½ cups whole buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Seasoned Flour
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
For Frying
- Vegetable oil or canola or peanut oil; enough for 1 to 1 ½ inches in the pan
Instructions
- Cut the cube steak across the grain into strips. Aim for strips about 1 inch wide and 4-5 inches long, using steaks about ¼ inch thick.
- Whisk together the buttermilk marinade. In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add the steak strips, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
- Mix the seasoned flour in a shallow dish. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, remaining 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, baking powder, remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and dry mustard.
- Drain the steak strips, saving the marinade for breading. Set a strainer over a bowl to catch the buttermilk mixture. Keep it separate from any food that is ready to eat.
- Coat each steak strip twice. Press it into the seasoned flour, dip it back into the reserved buttermilk marinade, and coat it in flour again. Gently press the flour onto both sides. Discard any remaining marinade and dredging flour after breading.
- Let the breaded steak fingers rest on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Set the rack over a rimmed baking sheet. This rest helps the coating adhere.
- Heat 1-1½ inches of oil to 350°F. Use a deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven with plenty of room above the oil. Monitor the temperature with a frying thermometer.
- Fry in batches for about 3-4 minutes per side. Cook until golden brown and the center reaches at least 145°F, or a higher temperature if directed on the beef package. Insert an instant-read thermometer sideways into a thick strip. Avoid crowding the pan and let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
- Transfer the fried steak fingers to a clean wire rack. Let each batch rest for at least 3 minutes before serving. Serve warm, with white gravy for dipping if desired.
Notes
- Plan ahead: Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. The total time shown includes the minimum 4-hour marinade, a 15-minute breading rest, and a 3-minute rest after cooking. Frying time varies with the size of the pan and number of batches.
- For a crisp coating: Press the flour onto the steak, let the breaded strips rest, and keep the frying oil near 350°F. Drain cooked strips on a clean wire rack without stacking them.
- To serve: Pair with homemade white gravy for dipping. Gravy is prepared separately and is not included in the ingredient list or nutrition.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour above 90°F) and use within 3-4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven for about 10-15 minutes or a 350°F air fryer for about 3-5 minutes, flipping halfway, until the center reaches 165°F.
- Nutrition estimate: Calculated for 4 servings using all the listed marinade and flour mixture, plus an estimated 4 tablespoons of frying oil retained in the whole batch. Some marinade and flour are discarded, and actual oil absorption varies, so these figures are approximate. Gravy and side dishes are excluded.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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