Rania's Recipes: Chicken Fried Steak & Carolina Pulled Pork

Rania Harris stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live to show off some more great southern-inspired recipes!

Chicken Fried Steak

• 4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups vegetable shortening for deep frying
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Pound the steaks to about ¼-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, hot sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.

Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Serves 4

Carolina Pulled Pork with Cole Slaw

• 1 boneless pork butt, about 4 pounds
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons purchased Creole Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• Wet Mop Basting Sauce, recipe follows
• 2 cups Barbecue Sauce
• 8 Kaiser rolls - toasted
• Cole Slaw, recipe follows

Wet Mop Basting Sauce:

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt

The night before you cook the pork, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate and let the flavors blend overnight.
Yield: 2 1/4 cups

Directions for Pork:
Place the pork in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, Creole Seasoning, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, and cayenne. Rub the seasoning evenly over the pork to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat an oven to 225 degrees.

Bring the pork to room temperature and place in a roasting pan, fat side up. Slow cook in the oven, basting with the wet mop basting sauce every 45 minutes, until tender and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. (The cooking should take about 5 to 6 hours.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
With a knife and fork or two forks, pull the meat apart into small slices or chunks. Toss with the barbecue sauce, to taste, and divide among the hamburger buns. Top with the coleslaw. Serve with additional Barbecue Sauce on the side.

For the Cole Slaw:

• 3 cups packed coleslaw mix
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 medium garlic clove - minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the coleslaw:

Place the coleslaw mix in a bowl. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl. Dress the slaw and season with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss thoroughly to mix.