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 that poor people eat, 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.
As most of you already know, a good steak cut is very expensive. Hence the reason for calling this a poor man’s steak. This recipe is made with ground hamburger, and burger is cheaper than steak cuts. I’m guessing that someone thought that it tasted just as good as a steak, so they decided it’s 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 the majority of the rest of the meat into hamburger. We saved a few steaks, but not very many. 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.
My mom and dad both had false teeth, and I guess they aren’t as good for chewing as your own teeth. My dad always complained that steak was too tough to chew. And my mom seldom cooked something that my dad didn’t like. So steak was not really part of our diet. But we did like poor man’s steak.
Personally, I enjoy a good juicy steak now and then, but I’m not a huge fan. 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 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 into eight thick hamburger patties. Melt butter in a skillet. Dip patties in flour, coating on both sides, and fry 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.
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 very delicious 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.
Poor Man’s Steak Recipe would also be delicious served over noodles.
More Amish Ground Beef Recipes you may want to try…
Yumasetti – Amish Noodle Casserole Recipe
Amish Meatloaf with Oats Recipe
Beef and Noodles -Dairy Casserole Recipe
Check out my YouTube channel at My Amish Heritage
Amish Poor Man’s Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb. hamburger
- 1 c. saltine cracker crumbs (about 30 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 hamburger, cracker crumbs, milk, onion, and seasonings.
- Shape the meat mixture into thick burger patties. It makes eight.
- Roll the patties in flour.
- 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.
- Place the browned patties into a 9 x 13" baking dish.
- Mix cream of mushroom soup and milk. Pour over the patties.
- Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 – 55 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.
