Hillbilly Housewife
Makes 6 servings.
1-1/2 to 2 pounds of any cheap piece of beef
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons bacon grease or oil
2 cups hot tap water
1/2 cup milk
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The first thing you do is buy your beef. Look in the meat section and choose the meat which is the cheapest per pound. The shape of the meat doesn’t matter because you will be cutting it up when you get home. If you find stew meat then you can use it too. It will be cut into smaller chunks than if you did it at home, but that won’t matter much.
At home, cut the meat into large cubes. I try to cut 12 cubes, so each person can have two cubes per serving. You can cut them however you like though, smaller or bigger as you see fit. Cut off the fat while you’re at it, to make a tastier dish. When the meat is in cubes or chunks, set it aside. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Place the meat in the bowl and toss it in the flour, coating it on all sides. Meanwhile, heat up the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the coated chunks of beef into the hot fat. Brown them on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes of cooking. Save the leftover flour in the bowl. You will use it later for the gravy. After the meat is well browned, add the tap water. Bring the meat to a boil. Reduce the heat so the water barely simmers. Cover the pan with a lid or a pizza pan. Allow it to simmer for 2 hours. If the water simmers away, add more as you see fit. After two hours, the meat should be tender. In a pint size canning jar, or other container with a good lid, combine the remaining flour and the milk. Screw the lid to the jar on tightly and shake it until the flour is completely dissolved in the milk. Then pour this into the skillet on the stove, to thicken the gravy. Stir it up and bring it to a boil, continue cooking for a full minute. If the gravy is too thick, add a water until it is the consistency you like. Serve over mashed potatoes or cooked rice. This stuff is so rich and so good. It is simple too, just coat the meat in flour, fry it up, simmer ’til tender and thicken the gravy. The recipe is worth it for the gravy alone. Scrumptious.
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