PORTER'S COUNTRY STYLE VENISON STEAK & GRAVY

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 lbs. cubed Venison steak, back strap or loin and/or cubed Beef steak
2 medium size onions – sliced (optional if you use Lipton onion soup mix)
1/3 stick butter
1 large egg
1 cup whole or evaporated milk
1 cup plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon Wild Bill's Meat Rub
1 can (26 ozs.) Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup or your favorite brand
1/2 can (13) ozs.) water - add amount to get soup thick or thin
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet Seasoning & Browning Sauce
1 teaspoon Morton table salt - to taste (See Additional Notes comment)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns (Tellicherry)  - to taste
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon Wild Bill's Meat Rub
Meat tenderizer (optional)
1 Package Lipton Onion Soup mix (add to mushroom soup)  Note:  I now use IGA brand,  Lipton brand has gotten too salty.

I currently hand cube my venison and sprinkle both sides of meat with MSG,  a little meat tenderizer, Sauer brand and a good sprinkling of my Wild Bill's Meat Rub and let set for about 30 minutes to an hour to come up to room temperature!

Preheat electric frying pan to 375 degrees with cooking oil of your choice.

In another pan, sauté sliced onions in butter until caramelized if not using the onion soup mix.  I do use both at times!

Beat egg and milk together, this is the drench.  Dip steaks into egg/milk mixture and coat steaks with seasoned flour, this is the dredge.  Brown steak on both sides and drain on paper towels or a bakers rack suspended over a baking pan.  Drain oil from pan after removing steak.  Add 1/2 +- can of water to can cream of mushroom soup and blend in seasoning and browning sauce until the desired color is obtained.  Add sautéed onions to the mushroom soup mixture.

Note: Add amount of water until you get the thickness desired and add one half of the mushroom soup mixture to the electric frying pan.  Place browned steak back into electric frying pan and balance of the mushroom soup mixture on top.  Place lid onto pan and cook on simmer setting until steak is tender; 1 to 2 hours.   Turn steak over about halfway of cooking time.  This meal can be left in the frying pan on simmer for several hours if desired while preparing others dishes, etc.

Serve with rice of your choice, noodles or mashed potatoes.  Steamed/cooked cabbage seasoned with "fat back" goes very well with this.

YIELD:  4 to 6 servings

Comments by Mickey Porter February 12, 1999.

Recipe by Joyce Porter.  "Tweet" aka my bride will usually re-cube the venison with an aluminum hand meat tenderizer, pounding the "daylights" out of the steak and will also sprinkle each piece of meat with some standard meat tenderizer.  Her venison comes out very, very tender when prepared this way.

Additional Notes:  If using Onion Soup Mix, do not add any salt. Currently using IGA brand since less sodium than Lipton brand. 11-10-07