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    Home » Amish Recipes

    Amish Poor Man's Steak Recipe

    10/07/2021 by Anna 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Poor Mans Steak

    What is Poor Man's Steak? If you've never tasted poor man's steak before, then let me be the first one to introduce you. But first of all, let me assure you that even though it sounds like food for poor people, it is quite delicious.

    Imagine a thick juicy hamburger patty that has been dipped in flour, fried in butter, and then smothered in mushroom gravy. That pretty much sums up poor man's steak. It is smothered hamburger steak.

    poor mans steak

    As most of you already know, a good steak is very expensive. Hence the reason for calling this a poor man's steak. This recipe is made with ground hamburger, and hamburger is a lot cheaper than steak cuts.

    I'm guessing that someone thought that it tasted just as good as a steak, so they decided it was hamburger steak that poor people could afford to eat.

    Amish Poor Man's Hamburger Steak Recipe

    Growing up on an Amish dairy farm, we always had plenty of our own beef in the freezer. Whenever we butchered a cow, we tried to get all the roasts we could, and then we ground most of the rest of the meat into hamburger.

    A lot of people would try to get all the steaks out of the beef that was possible. But our family did not often eat steak, so we only saved a few steak cuts.

    My mom and dad both had false teeth, and I guess they aren't as good for chewing as your own teeth. So my dad always complained that steak was too tough to chew. And my mom seldom cooked something that dad didn't like. So steak was not really part of our diet. But we all enjoyed this poor man's steak.

    Personally, I enjoy a good juicy steak now and then, but I'm not a huge fan either. I honestly prefer a good-smothered chicken breast or poor man's steak.

    Can I use different kinds of Burger for Baked Hamburger Steaks?

    Yes, you can use different kinds of burger besides beef for this recipe. If you are fortunate enough to have deer or elk meat in your freezer, go ahead and make it with whatever you have on hand.

    Deer burger is not my favorite because of the wild gamey flavor, but I will still use it if we manage to get some. And honestly, I can't tell that much difference if it's meat from a young doe.

    poor mans steak ingredients

    Poor Man's Steak with Cream of Mushroom Soup

    To make Poor Mans Steak, mix hamburger, cracker crumbs (I place my crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin), onions, milk, and seasonings.

    Shape the mixture into eight thick hamburger patties. And you can refrigerate the patties for a while before dipping them in the flour. If you want to make it ahead, mix the patties and refrigerate them overnight. It also makes it easier to handle them.

    Melt the butter in a skillet then dip the patties in flour, coating on both sides. And fry them over medium/high heat for several minutes on each side until nicely browned. (This is not meant to cook them, it's only to give them a nice sear and lock in all the moisture.) Place the seared patties into a 9 x 13" baking dish.

    poor mans steak

    Mix cream of mushroom soup (Click here for a recipe if you want to make homemade cream of mushroom soup) and one soup can of milk. Pour it over the top of the hamburger patties and bake for about one hour at 350 degrees.

    Poor man's steak is yummy served with mashed potatoes (find a creamy Amish mashed potatoes recipe here). You can use the mushroom soup as gravy for your potatoes. And if you like to have extra gravy, add two cans of cream of mushroom.

    And this Poor Man's Steak Recipe would also be delicious served over buttered noodles.

    poor mans steak
    Hamburger steak oven

    More Amish Ground Beef Recipes you may want to try...

    Yumasetti - Amish Noodle Casserole Recipe

    Amish Meatloaf with Oats

    Beef and Noodles -Dairy Casserole Recipe

    Oven-Baked BBQ Meatballs

    Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage

    poor man's steak meat entree

    Amish Poor Man's Steak Recipe

    Poor Man's Steak are fat juicy burgers that have been dipped in flour, fried in butter, and smothered in mushroom gravy. Delicious served with mashed potatoes or noodles.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Amish
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 482 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lb. hamburger
    • 1 c. saltine cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers)
    • 1 c. milk
    • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
    • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
    • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    • 1/4 - 1/2 c. flour, for dipping
    • 3 Tbs. butter, for frying

    Gravy:

    • 1 or 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
    • 1 soup can full of milk (about 1 1/2 cups)

    Instructions
     

    • Mix the cracker crumbs, milk, onion, and seasonings. Add the burger and mix to combine.
      2 lb. hamburger, 1 c. saltine cracker crumbs (about 28 crackers), 1 c. milk, 1/2 small onion, finely chopped, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
    • Shape the meat mixture into thick burger patties. It makes eight.
    • Roll the patties in flour.
      1/4 - 1/2 c. flour, for dipping
    • Melt the butter in a large skillet. Fry the patties over medium/high heat for a few minutes on each side to give them a nice sear.
      3 Tbs. butter, for frying
    • Place the browned patties into a 9 x 13" baking dish.
    • Mix cream of mushroom soup and milk. Pour over the patties.
      1 or 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 soup can full of milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
    • Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 - 55 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
    • Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

    Notes

    I place the crackers into a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
    You can use one or two cans of mushroom soup, depending on how much gravy you want. I usually use only one can.
     If you prefer, you can substitute the milk for water in the gravy.
    *Nutrition is approximate.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pattyCalories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 911mgPotassium: 642mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 258IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword Poor Man's Steak Recipe, Smothered hamburger steak
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Feel free to share!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tammy Zavala

      April 01, 2023 at 12:02 am

      5 stars
      My mother used to make this dish as I was growing up. I loved this dish but never thought to ask mom how to make it. Sadly she passed in 2009 and I have been searching for this recipe ever since. Your recipe is spot on! It tast exactly how I remember it tasting! Thank you so much for sharing.

      Reply
      • Anna

        April 01, 2023 at 9:08 am

        I'm happy to help! Glad it was what you were looking for!

        Reply
    2. Bob F.

      December 10, 2022 at 4:25 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious!! The whole family loved it.

      Reply
      • Anna

        December 10, 2022 at 8:11 pm

        Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Hi, I’m Anna. I grew up Amish in the Lancaster County, Pa. area (the heart of Amish country). I currently live in a small rural town in Missouri and am a homeschool mom to 4 great kids. Some of my favorite things to do are spending time in the kitchen, (baking and preparing meals from scratch), gardening, and spending time with my lovely family.

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