The Art of Chicken Fried Steak with Drunken Pork Gravy
“Primo crunch” — that’s the verdict on this chicken fried steak, and it’s well-earned. This Big Bite segment breaks down one of those quintessential comfort food dishes that Guy Fieri calls “an inexpensive down-home country meal” that “kind of warms everybody up.”
Building the Drunken Pork Gravy
The gravy starts with unseasoned pork sausage — not breakfast sausage, as specifically noted. The key insight here? If your pork sausage doesn’t have enough fat, fortify it with a little vegetable oil. The sausage gets seasoned with red chili flake, white pepper, salt, and black pepper.
The technique matters: the sausage needs to break down into small pieces, not “big nuggets of pork.” Medium heat, patience, letting the fat render out properly. Once the sausage is broken up, onions go in first to cook in that pork fat, followed by garlic.
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Here’s where the “drunken” comes in — the pan gets deglazed with white wine. A touch of Dijon mustard adds “a nice little bite,” creating what’s described as “a sophisticated gravy.” Flour gets sprinkled in to create a blonde roux, mixing with the pork fat, then milk and heavy cream thicken everything up. Throughout the process, the gravy gets broken up with a wooden spoon to keep those pork pieces small and evenly distributed.
The Perfect Chicken Fried Steak Crust
The breading combines Japanese panko breadcrumbs with crushed saltine crackers. The panko delivers “a nice super crunch” that’s “light” with a “real distinct crunchy flavor.” But there’s something special about breading chicken fried steak with crackers — crush them in a resealable bag (freezer bags work better because they’re tougher).
The meat of choice is London broil, deliberately not run through a tenderizer at the butcher. Instead, the meat gets placed in a resealable bag with the top cut off and sides cut down to create an envelope, then gently pounded from the inside out. The goal is thinning it out enough to cook to medium without overcooking the breadcrumbs.
The dredging process: buttermilk (which adds “fantastic flavor” and additional tenderizing), then seasoned flour, then egg wash, then the panko-cracker mixture. The critical step? Press down firmly to really get that panko to stick, then let it rest to adhere.
Frying Technique
Oil temperature sits between 325 and 350 degrees. This is a shallow fry, not a deep fry — the oil comes about halfway up the steak rather than submerging it completely. Two cutlets can fit in a large pan, but don’t try to squeeze three. Crowding expels moisture and ruins the cook.
The result? That “primo crunch” and a perfectly cooked medium interior. If you’re a fan of hearty Southern-style cooking like Tennessee Smoked Barbecue or adventurous comfort food like *Alligator* Hot Dog and Frog Legs in FL, this chicken fried steak delivers the same satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs appeal.
Tips from the Kitchen
On sausage fat: Watch how the sausage sits in the pan — if it’s sticking and the fat hasn’t rendered, add a little oil to help it along.
On the breading: The combination of panko’s airy crunch with saltine’s denser texture creates a superior crust to either alone.
On meat thickness: Thin cutlets ensure the meat reaches medium doneness before the breading over-browns.
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