Venison Cube Steak Sandwiches with Poblano-Lime Chimichurri

Author Notes

Since I do all of my own butchering at home, I never end up with venison cube steaks, or fast-fry steaks as they’re often known in Canada. I do hear about them all the time though, as many must get them included in the packages they bring home from the processors after dropping off their deer.

I figured I’d make my own cube steaks the old fashioned way by taking out some aggression on thinly cut top round steaks with the spiked side of a meat mallet. Always feels good!

Since the mallet bashing works to tenderize the meat, I thought that it would be fun to turn them into a venison cube steak sandwich. The thin, tenderized steaks can be bitten right through without pulling the entire piece of meat out of the sandwich – very important when building a good sandwich.

Steak always goes so well with chimichurri, so I thought that would be a great way to sauce the sandwich. I happened to have a poblano pepper in the fridge, so I decided to add it, tweaking the traditionally Argentinian sauce to something a little more Mexican. Maybe I hadn’t cleared out all of my frustrations yet, since I opted to make the sauce in my mortar and pestle, once again bashing everything into submission. You can also use a food processor, or mince everything finely and mix together in a bowl.

I must say, it turned out great. I hope you’ll give this one a try!

—Adam Berkelmans