Cube steaks can make a good burger!

I picked up some cube steaks at the market last week as my hubby likes them as an alternative to a standard burger. I've never been fond as they always seemed too tough. I finally got smart and looked up a few recipes online and thought about the process a bit. All the recipes I found stated they needed to be poached to keep them tender. So I thought hmmm, I bet they'd be great poached in Beer! Beer is tenderizing right? And I had a bottle of Rio Blanco Pale Ale on hand to do the job and a few red onions lingering from the CSA. Red onions make most things better.

Here's my take on it. They turned out excellent!

Cube Steak Burgers poached in onions & beer

4 cube steaks
1 large or two small red onions
1 bottle beer
4 slices provolone cheese
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Add a little olive oil to a large skillet and get it heated on med-high.
Season the cube steaks with salt and pepper, add to the pan and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate for a bit.
Use 1/2 the beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the good little brown bits
Add the onions, thinly sliced to the pan and saute a few minutes until they start to soften.
Add some more beer so that the pan has a good 1/2 inch or so in it. If you have some left, drink it!
Add a few shakes of Worcestershire and put the cube steaks back in the pan, covering them with onions.
Cover and lower heat to med-low and allow to poach/steam for 12-15 minutes.
Uncover and add a slice of provolone to each steak so that there are some onions smothered under the cheese. Recover and allow to cook a few more minutes until the cheese is nice and melty.

Serve on buns with your favorite fixings. I used mayo and dijon and some extra onions from the pan. Add beans and chips and you've got an easy meal.