Swiss Steak Report -- Pfftt!

  • Thread starter Melba's Jammin'
  • Start date



"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, "Dimitri"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> (snip)
>> Is the cut you purchased called "Swiss Steak" or was it just simply a
>> round steak? If so IMHO (Round Steak) the flavor/texture is
>> inherently dry. There is little or no fat to keep it "moist". Its
>> only good buried in Campbell's soup.
>
>>
>> Dimitri
>
> This was boneless top round. No fat. See the pic on my website.
> --

Take a look here -

http://www.beeffoodservice.com/Cuts/Info.aspx?Code=33

IIRC when I grew up, the Swiss steaks were generally a fairly thin cut.

Dimitri
 
"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!

Barb, the next time you have a 1-inch thick slice of meat use Sheldon's
recipe. It is fine.

Charlie

SWISS STEAK

Source: Sheldon, rfc, 25FEB02

1.5 to 3 lbs. round steak (about 1-inch thick)
1/3 cup flour
2 large onions, sliced
2 tbs. fat
1.5 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, cut fine
1 stalk celery, diced
1.5 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup wine
2 potatoes, quartered
2-3 carrots, chunked
1/2 green pepper, sliced
chopped parsley


Lay the meat on a breadboard and sprinkle both sides with flour. Using a
mallet, pound the flour into the steak on both sides. The flour will become
absorbed into the steak. Sauté the onions in the oil and remove from the
pan. Add the meat to the pan and brown well on both sides. This will take
about 10-20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine,
add water. Place the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes
and the sautéed onions over the steak. Cover the pan and simmer for about
1.5 hours or until tender. Serve over noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.
Garnish with parsley. Serves 4 to 6 depending on amount of beef you use.
 
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 09:05:07 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
<[email protected]> wrote:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:45:19 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> > <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > :)
> > > I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor
> > > woman's
> (snip)
> > Report back when you have everything in place (fergit about
> > that "tomatoey" recipe thing unless it's part of your
> > heritage) or come to one of our houses for some REAL pot
> > roast.
> > :)
> > sf
>
> I can make pot roast. I was making Swiss Steak.

Same thing only thinner.

sf
 
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah.

Well, no wonder, what with those mushrooms in it. Blecch! ;-)
Anyway, I always made Swiss steak the way my mother did which
wasn't authentic by any means, but was very tasty. I can't
recall now what cut of meat I used as I haven't made it in
about 20 years. But I (and my mother) always pounded the
meat *with* the flour. First salt and pepper the meat and
then dredge in the flour, then pound, then redredge. Should
be about 1/4-3/8 inch thick. Brown in skillet. She would
add onions but I never did. Then - this is the secret - make
a sauce of 1/2 ketchup (Heinz, of course) and 1/2 water and
pour over meat in skillet, cover, and simmer for about 20-30
minutes. I've never heard of green peppers in Swiss steak but
it sounds good. The "authentic" recipes I've seen just have
onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

> The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn

Why was the scalloped corn disgusting?

> and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking.

Well, duh! Butter Buds? No wonder.

> The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.

Yogurt is wonderful on baked potatoes although my
first choice is sour cream. Guess you probably didn't
have any yogurt either though.

Sorry your dinner didn't turn out.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
mailto:[email protected]
 
In article <[email protected]>, Kate Connally
<[email protected]> wrote:

> > The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> > disgusting scalloped corn
>
> Why was the scalloped corn disgusting?

Dry and tasteless. Might not have had enough creamed corn in it. Maybe
too many cracker crumbs, too. Not enough salt. Boring.
>
> > and canned green beans that had no flavor
> > whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> > before nuking.
>
> Well, duh! Butter Buds? No wonder.

Hey, watchyerself. The beans were absolutely tasteless. The BB should
have added something. Nothing could save them. They went into the
trash can.

> Yogurt is wonderful on baked potatoes although my
> first choice is sour cream. Guess you probably didn't
> have any yogurt either though.

Nope. I'da been there had I.

>
> Sorry your dinner didn't turn out.

Thanks.
>
> Kate
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton
 
In article <[email protected]>, notbob
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > at 300 for about 2 hours....
>
> > disgustingly dry....
>
> Gee, I wonder why?
>
> nb

No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton
 
On 2005-01-05, Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> wrote:

> No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.

Low and slow for meat is usually about 200 deg F, give or take 25 deg. As
for Swiss steak, if 4 yrs of military chow is any indicator, it sucks no
matter what you do to it. ;)

nb
 
In article <[email protected]>, notbob
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On 2005-01-05, Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> > couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
>
> Low and slow for meat is usually about 200 deg F, give or take 25 deg. As
> for Swiss steak, if 4 yrs of military chow is any indicator, it sucks no
> matter what you do to it. ;)
>
> nb

Oh. Live and learn. :p
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton
 
"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, notbob
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On 2005-01-04, Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > at 300 for about 2 hours....
>>
>> > disgustingly dry....
>>
>> Gee, I wonder why?
>>
>> nb
>
> No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>

If I can add my two cents I think there was nothing wrong with your recipe
or the technique.

IMHO the problem is the cut of beef - The Top Round appears to be a good
value 'cause its red and very lean but I believe unless cooked rare and
sliced like a London Broil you end up with shoe leather.

Next time try your recipe with a piece of boneless chuck or at the very
least use a thin cut of bottom round. IIRC we used to make it all the time
but we had to simmer it to death in an electric fry pan with lots and lots
of liquid.

Dimitri
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Dimitri" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
(snip)
> > No enough liquid, I guess. Hey, everybody told me to bake it for a
> > couple hours low and slow. I did. It sucked.
> > --
> > -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>
>
> If I can add my two cents I think there was nothing wrong with your
> recipe or the technique.


Thank you, Galahad, Sir.
Note to notbob: Pffthhgggbbtt!
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> More on 1-4-05 - Chicken Tortilla
Soup, and Swiss Steak.
"Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
Mimi Sheraton
 
I make swiss steak in the crock pot. I do brown the steaks first on the stove.
Then throw it in the crock pot with 2 cans of stewed tomatoes, a chopped onion,
about a cup of diced up celery and 1 packet of onion soup mix. Cook for about 8
hours on low or 6 hours on high. Never fails. Yummy with mashed potatoes.

Sandra
 
"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
> :)
> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>
> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!
> --
> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 11-29-04; Sam I Am!
> birthday telling; Thanksgiving 2004; Fanfare, Maestro, please.
> "Are we going to measure or are we going to cook?" -Food writer
> Mimi Sheraton

Sorry you were disappointed. Were it me, I'd have skipped it all in favor of
a good stir fry, but that's just me ;-)
For another hunk of the meat, try slicing it super thin (partially frozen
does wonders for that), and marinating it in equal parts hoisin, oyster and
soy sauce for a few hours. Makes a very tasty stir fry when combined with
your favorite veggies (me, I like broccoli, water chestnuts, julienne
carrots, and sugar snap peas).

I've never baked Swiss steak, always simmered it on the stove. I do pot
roasts that way too, and pork chops & gravy. Round steak is pretty dry on a
good day, but it does work out good for the stir fry.

I had to laugh when I read the comment about the baked potato. Alexis
doesn't think they come that way (sans sour cream). I'm pretty sure she
thinks they grow in the ground with sour cream already there.

kimberly
 
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 09:05:07 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
<[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>,
>[email protected] wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:45:19 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > :)
>> > I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor
>> > woman's
>(snip)
>> Report back when you have everything in place (fergit about
>> that "tomatoey" recipe thing unless it's part of your
>> heritage) or come to one of our houses for some REAL pot
>> roast.
>> :)
>> sf
>
>I can make pot roast. I was making Swiss Steak.

honey, i gotta believe you can pea soup.

your pal,
blake
 
On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 09:28:21 -0600, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I've never had it come out dry.
>
>Jill
>
someone's paying you for these straight lines, aren't they?

your pal,
blake
 
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 18:40:41 GMT, "Dimitri" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>I sliced the meat in two, horizontally, although I did it vertically.
>> :)
>> I pounded the hell, snot, and sh** out of it with a knife (poor woman's
>> cube steak?), working seasoned flour into it. Browned it in oil and
>> butter, covered it with onions, mushrooms, some green & red peppers
>> (dehydrated), and a can of Red Gold Petite diced tomatoes and baked it
>> at 300 for about 2 hours. It was tender enough and the meat was
>> disgustingly dry. Bleah. The mushrooms were great. Served with some
>> disgusting scalloped corn and canned green beans that had no flavor
>> whatsoever, even though they'd been doused liberally with Butter Buds
>> before nuking. The baked potato would have been fine with some sour
>> cream and butter, but I didn't have any sour cream.
>>
>> Gee, I can't WAIT to do this again. Not!
>> --
>> -Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com>
>
>Is the cut you purchased called "Swiss Steak" or was it just simply a round
>steak? If so IMHO (Round Steak) the flavor/texture is inherently dry. There
>is little or no fat to keep it "moist". Its only good buried in Campbell's
>soup.
>
>
>Dimitri
>
nah. it can be good marinated as for london broil (which to me means
flank steak).

it's easier to handle than flank if you're doing a stir-fry.

but lately, whenever i see a nice piece of flank, the sticker shock
nearly knocks me over!

which cut is more expensive in your neighborhood?

your pal,
blake
 
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