Idaho's Finger Steak Meets Buffalo Sauce
This is the classic finger steak recipe with one addition at the end: a proper buffalo sauce toss. The technique is borrowed from buffalo wings — fry the beef first, make the sauce separately, toss together just before serving. The result is a plate of finger steaks with a glossy, buttery hot sauce coating that doesn't make the crust soggy if you serve it immediately.
The buffalo sauce here is a straightforward Frank's RedHot and butter combination, which is the traditional formulation. It's not complicated and it doesn't need to be. The balance of vinegary heat from the hot sauce and the fat from the butter is what makes buffalo sauce work on fried food. Variations with garlic, honey, or additional spices are fine, but the base is worth knowing before you start adjusting it.
Blue cheese dressing is the correct accompaniment. Ranch is acceptable. Celery stalks on the side are traditional and functionally useful for cutting the heat between bites.
Buffalo Finger Steaks
- 1.5 lbs beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into strips 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Neutral oil for frying, enough to fill your pot 3 to 4 inches deep
- 1/2 cup Frank's RedHot Original (not the wing sauce variety)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional for extra heat
- Blue cheese dressing
- Celery stalks
- Carrot sticks, optional
- Pat beef strips dry. Combine flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, and onion powder in a shallow bowl. Dredge each strip in the seasoned flour, pressing firmly to coat. Let rest on a wire rack 5 minutes.
- Heat oil to 360°F. Fry strips in batches of 6 to 8 for 2 to 3 minutes per batch until deep golden brown. Internal temperature 145°F. Transfer to a wire rack. Do not stack.
- While the last batch fries, make the buffalo sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the Frank's RedHot, garlic powder, Worcestershire, and cayenne if using. Stir until combined and smooth. Do not boil — keep it at a low simmer until ready to use.
- Working quickly, transfer the fried strips to a large bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over them and toss to coat evenly. Every strip should have a glossy coating. Serve within 2 minutes of tossing — the crust softens fast once sauced.
- Plate immediately with blue cheese dressing for dipping and celery stalks on the side.
Timing matters: Have the sauce ready before the last batch of beef comes out of the fryer. Toss and serve immediately. Buffalo finger steaks do not hold well. They're at their best in the first two minutes after saucing.
On the hot sauce: Frank's RedHot Original is specified because it has the right vinegar-to-heat ratio for buffalo sauce. Louisiana Hot Sauce is an acceptable substitute. Tabasco makes the sauce too sharp. Generic hot sauces vary too much to predict the result.
Why You Serve This Immediately
Buffalo sauce is water-based underneath the butter. Once it contacts the fried crust, the water begins to transfer into the coating and the crisp texture starts to degrade. Five minutes after tossing, the crust is noticeably softer. Ten minutes and it's genuinely soggy in spots. This is not a dish you hold under a heat lamp.
If you're cooking for a group and need to manage timing, fry in smaller batches and sauce each batch separately as it comes out. Two or three strips per person, sauced and plated immediately, is better than a full batch held warm and sauced all at once.
Making It Hotter or Milder
To push the heat higher: add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne to the sauce and a pinch to the flour coating. The two-layer approach hits at slightly different times — the coating spice hits first, the sauce heat builds after.
To make it milder: reduce the Frank's to 1/3 cup and increase the butter to 5 tablespoons. The higher fat ratio dilutes the heat without changing the fundamental character of the sauce. You can also serve the sauce on the side for dipping instead of tossing, which gives each person control over how much they use.
Have Questions?
Common questions about technique, cuts, oil temperature, storage, and dietary adaptations are all covered on the Finger Steak FAQ page.