Round Steak

[sahmomto2]

Last time I bought a 1/4 of a steer, I ended up with 4 round steaks - I think bottom round? They are about the size of a cookie sheet and only 1/2 inch thick. We tried to grill one, but it's hard to do without it getting tough. All the recipes I can find call for cream of crap soup or bouillon granules.

What would you do with these? I don't want to see them go to waste. I would make burger out of them, but I don't have a grinder.

Thanks for any ideas!

[Tom Denham]

You could cut them into smaller portions and marinate them to tenderize. I make a marinade of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and a sweet spice like cinnamon or Chinese five spice powder. Put the meat in a one-gallon size ziploc bag with the marinade and let sit in a bowl in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Turn every once in a while to make sure the marinade and spices are covering every part of the meat. Then sear several minutes on each side in a hot skillet and serve pink in the middle.

 

You could also prepare them in a pressure cooker, but most people don't have that wonderful tool.

[sahmomto2]

Thanks, Tom! I like the sound of that marinade. And I do have a pressure cooker, but I use it so seldom, I didn't even think about it.

[carolinaBlue]

Bottom round steak is very lean so you need to cook it in a moist environment like a slow cooker, Season it up, give it a quick sear in a hot pan , saute some onions, garlic & some italian type herbs. Then throw it in the slow cooker with some chopped tomatoes - the acid will help break down the fibers in the meat. Since your cut is really thin, I would probably roll it up & tie it with some butchers string so it doesn't cook too quickly. Yummy!

[sahmomto2]

Thanks, Carolina, good idea!

Tom, I used that marinade (with cinnamon) on chicken thighs and it was really yummy! Would have been great on pork chops, too.

Now to get those round steaks thawed...