Steak Fingers

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs Tenderized bottom beef round or "cube steak"
• 2 tsps Kosher salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• canola oil (for frying)
• (Makes about 2 dozen pieces)

Directions

1. Cut cube steak pieces into 1 inch strips.
2. Mix together, salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper and garlic powder and apply seasoning blend to both sides of the meat.
3. Let the seasoned strips rest on a wire rack suspended above a half sheet pan for at least 5 minutes.
4. Measure your flour into a shallow dish and dredge each seasoned strip thru the flour, making sure to gently knock off any excess, then put the floured fingers back on the rack.
5. While the floured and seasoned strips take a break, beat the eggs into the buttermilk.
6. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the egg and buttermilk mixture into the flour and distribute the resultant crumb throughout the flour with a fork. Move the milk/egg mixture to a shallow pan, and dip the already floured beef strips into the egg and milk mixture and then immediately coat each strip with more flour.
7. Put each of the now breaded fingers back on the rack to rest a minimum of 10 minutes.
8. When you're done dipping and dredging, heat enough vegetable oil to cover a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet a quarter inch deep.
9. Heat the oil to 350F over medium heat (or until you can just start to smell the oil cook) add fingers 4-6 at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan.
10. The heat in the pan should readjust to 325F. Cook strips for 3 minutes on each side, turning once during the frying with spring-loaded tongs.
11. Move finished fingers to a clean wire rack or a plate with paper towels nestled in a warm (180F) oven while you finish the remaining batches of fingers.