A steak finger basket meal from Dairy Queen is one of the most famous fast food meals ever. I love this meal so much. I can make it all day long if I have some steak fingers and some gravy.
I’ll show you how to make these steak fingers at home, so the next time you want some golden brown, crispy steak fingers and some creamy gravy to dip them in, you won’t have to go to the drive-up window.
The star of this show is the steak. We’re going to use some Certified Angus round that has been through the cuber a couple of times. You can always ask your butcher to tenderize the steaks for you. You can also use a good NY Strip steak and tenderize it if you really want to wow your family.
Be sure your tenderized round steak is smooth with no gristle. There shouldn’t be any large white lines running through it which will cause the steak to be tough.
Sliced thin, each steak finger should have about an ounce and a half of meat in there.
Steak fingers are a fun twist on a classic comfort food. Traditionally made with cube steak, this appetizer can also be crafted using ground beef for a budget-friendly version that’s just as delicious.
If you’re craving these tasty little fingers of beef but don’t have cube steak on hand, keep reading. I’ll walk you through how to make indulgent, crispy ground beef steak fingers from scratch right at home.
Step 1: Choose Your Ground Beef
The first step is selecting the right ground beef You want a blend that has decent fat content for flavor and moisture Here are some good options
- 80/20 ground chuck
- 85/15 ground sirloin
- 70/30 ground beef blend
Around one and a half pounds of ground beef will make 20-24 steak fingers, allowing 2-3 per serving.
Step 2: Season the Beef
In a large bowl, mix your ground beef with seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix gently with your hands until combined. Avoid over-mixing so the meat stays tender.
Step 3: Shape the Fingers
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab 2-3 tablespoon sized chunks of beef and shape into finger shaped logs, around 3 inches long by 1 inch wide.
Place the fingers on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps them hold their shape for frying.
Step 4: Prepare the Batterstations
Set up your dredging station assembly line with three bowls:
- Flour – 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Egg wash – 2 eggs beaten with 1/4 cup milk
- Breadcrumb coating – 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt
Step 5: Heat the Oil
Pour at least 2 inches of oil into a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Heat to 350°F. Use a deep fry thermometer to monitor temperature.
Test oil temperature by dropping a small bit of batter in. It should sizzle and bubble, not burn.
Step 6: Coat and Fry the Fingers
Working in batches to avoid crowding, coat each finger in flour, then egg wash, then breadcrumb mixture. Gently drop into hot oil.
Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply golden. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
Step 7: Make a Dip to Dunk
Every tasty steak finger needs a delicious dipping sauce! Whip up:
- Honey mustard
- Ranch dressing
- BBQ sauce
- Bleu cheese dressing
- Sweet and sour sauce
Offer an array of sauces for dunking to take these fingers over the top.
Ground Beef Finger Tips and Variations
- Use breadcrumbs or panko for crunch.
- Try Italian seasoned panko.
- Shape smaller for appetizers.
- Swap ground turkey for a leaner option.
- Add cheese cubes inside some fingers.
- Bake instead of fry for lower fat.
- Slice larger for steak finger sandwiches.
Now that you know how to transform humble ground beef into the ultimate steak fingers, let’s talk tweaks and serving suggestions!
More Delicious Ways to Use Ground Beef
Juicy ground beef is a dinnertime staple, and so versatile. Here are more sensational recipes for you to try:
Classic Cheeseburgers
Backyard burgers are always a hit. Mix in grated cheddar or crumbled bleu cheese for extra indulgence.
Meaty Meatballs
Make a hot tray of hearty beef and pork meatballs simmered in tomato sauce for subs or spaghetti night.
Shepherd’s Pie
Ground beef makes the base for this comfort food casserole topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
For a healthy, fast option, stir fry ground beef with broccoli florets, soy sauce and sesame seeds over rice.
Greek Stuffed Peppers
Fill bell peppers with a savory mix of beef, rice, feta, olives, tomatoes and Mediterranean spices.
Chili Mac
Kid-favorite chili and mac and cheese pair up in this easy one-pot wonder, made extra hearty with ground beef.
Planning the Perfect Steak Finger Spread
Serving up a platter of hearty steak fingers? Here are some tips for a fantastic finger food feast:
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Chill beers and sodas to accompany the hearty appetizers.
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Make mini slider buns to turn fingers into sliders.
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Offer crispy fries, tater tots or potato wedges on the side.
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Have a veggie tray with ranch dip for lighter noshing.
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Set out little ramekins of different dipping sauces.
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Make bite-sized desserts like cookies or brownies.
With this complete guide to crafting the ultimate ground beef steak fingers, you have all the know-how for an appetizer sure to be a hit. Now grab the ground beef and get ready for finger lickin’ fun!
Blowin’ in the Wind
Now for the dry ingredients. If you’re cooking outside and the wind is blowing the flour around, use a little more. Get some of our Original Seasoning and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. This will really make these steak fingers taste better. You won’t be disappointed.
Before you start cooking, make sure the deep fryer, Dutch oven, or other frying tool you’re going to use is hot. Today we’ll only be doing a shallow fry, so use less oil and set the temperature to 350 degrees F. Put the wet ingredients together and set up a line so we can start frying these babies!
Now, in case y’all didn’t know this, I beat Bobby Flay at the chicken fried steak throwdown. I did it by baptizing the meat twice, which makes the crust better.
Toss the meat in with the dry ingredients. With tongs, dip the meat in the wet ingredients, then the dry ones, then the wet ones, then the dry ones.
After this, lay those steak fingers out on a wire rack.
Fry these steak fingers up until golden brown. Watch the temperature of the grease to make sure it stays steady at about 350. The battered steak fingers will cool off the oil a little bit. That oil needs to get hot again before we add anything else. That way, everything will fry evenly and turn golden brown.
Now on to the perfect creamy gravy we are going to dip these steak fingers in. But it’s so easy and there’s no real set recipe, so it’s hard to mess up. My beautiful wife Shannon gets scared of gravy sometimes.
The best tool I’ve ever seen for gravy is the XO Spatula. It’s a holey spatula! Yes, the holes help you mash all the lumps out to make the smoothest, creamiest gravy you’ve ever seen. When you add the flour to the grease to make the roux, continually mash and stir so the roux doesn’t burn.
Add the milk, simmer until thick and the rest from here is gravy.
Thanks so much to Dairy Queen for the delicious steak finger basket. Even though these homemade steak fingers are great, when I’m on the road I’ll still get the DQ basket. Don’t forget to watch the video for more tips on how to make this tasty drive-up classic. Come back next week.
Steak Fingers | Dairy Queen Remake Steak Finger Basket with Gravy
FAQ
What is steak finger meat called?
What kind of meat is dairy queen steak fingers?
What are Tyson steak fingers made of?
How do you make steak fingers?
For the steak fingers: Combine the flour, seasoned salt, pepper and cayenne in a dish. Whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate dish. To bread the meat, first dredge in the flour mixture, then dip quickly in the egg mixture and then put back into the flour mixture to coat on both sides. Continue until all the meat is breaded.
How do you cook steak fingers in a frying pan?
Use tongs to move the steak fingers to a paper towel-lined plate. Add additional oil to the skillet if needed, and repeat with the remaining steak strips. Place the finish strips in the oven to keep warm. Butter – All good gravy starts with butter. Seasoned Flour Mixture – This is the leftover mixture used to flour the steak fingers before frying.
Can you make steak fingers with country gravy?
Using tenderized cube steak as the base, Steak Fingers with Country Gravy are inexpensive to make, quick to fry up, and always a crowd-pleaser! Both the steak fingers and the gravy are made in the same skillet for easy clean-up. Tenderized Cube Steak – You can find this cut of meat at your local supermarket.
How do you cook a steak finger in a crock pot?
Take each steak finger and dip it into the egg mixture, then into the cornstarch. Now dip the steak finger into the egg mixture once more, then into the breading mixture. Remove each breaded steak finger to a plate in a single layer.