And he knew how to cook it better than anyone else. Now, almost four decades later, Massey's is the best known chicken-fried steak restaurant in Texas and son Charles continues to supervise the kitchen from which have been served, more or less, three million plates of Texans' favorite meal. No real secret to any of this. Every ingredient is bought fresh daily. Every dish is made from scratch.
Nothing is prepared in advance.
The cook doesn't start until he receives an order. In it's raw state, it is round steak, a tough piece of beef. Massey's stipulates that the meat must be run through a tenderizing machine twice, first in one direction then in another, to thoroughly break down the tough fibers. Correctly tenderized, Massey's chicken-fried steak can be cut with a fork. Ask butcher to tenderize or pound thoroughly on both sides with meat-tenderizing mallet.