# What do you do with eye round steaks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018 "2012-06-13T15:01:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/1 "2012-06-13T15:01:59Z")
Well, they were on sale, and they’re super-lean for our diets, so I had a moment of madness. How the hell do I cook these so they’re not tough? Added difficulty - I need a weeknight recipe (and my fiance is always starving when I get home) and he won’t eat it if it has any pink in it. No, there is no fixing him. Also, I’m not firing up the grill after work. We’ve been doing sirloin steaks in the oven every so often lately - throw some seasoned salt on them and some Worcestershire sauce while the oven preheats and the steaks warm up to room temp and then throw them covered at 400 for 15 minutes or so (and then I poke his and throw it in the microwave until it’s sufficiently dead). That’s all right if I cut it thinly against the grain. So, what does one do with a cheap cut of meat that one doesn’t want to cook all day? Is it hopeless? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/2 "2012-06-13T15:10:35Z")
Pound it thin, salt/pepper and lightly flour, fry in a pan sprayed with olive oil? Or another option I like (which can surely be improved up) is to pound it thin, then roll it up with some geen chiles inside and bake. You can tell I’m quite the gourmet. ETA and it’s fun to pound stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/3 "2012-06-13T15:13:01Z")
Wow, cheap lean meat + no pink, you’re making it hard! I’d tend to do something like a stir fry with it. Or [jaccard](http://www.amazon.com/Jaccard-200348-Supertendermatic-48-Blade-Tenderizer/dp/B001347JK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339600277&sr=8-1&keywords=jaccard) the hell out of it before putting it under the broiler. **Sicks Ate** claims he’s not the gourmet, but I like both of his ideas. The trick with this cut is that it’s going to be tough even when cooked medium-rare, and cooking it to well-done is going to be even worse, so I’m thinking either slice it thin or pound it flat. ---
**Author:** ![Jimbabweosu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jimbabweosu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimbabweosu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/4 "2012-06-13T15:16:04Z")
My wife and I came across the same cut, at a great price, and here is what I did: Marinate the steak (about a pound) with salt, a little cumin, and the juice of a lime (or two) for about an hour. As the meat marinades, make pico de gallo (Chop up two tomatoes, a small onion, a jdiced alapeno (or serrano), and cilantro, add the juice of a lime and salt to taste- let sit, stirring occasionally). Make Guacamole (two ripe avocados, juice of a lime, salt, cilantro- mash- mix in a diced jalapeno or serrano pepper with a diced small onion. press plastic wrap onto surface, eliminating all air) Grill steaks on a blazing hot charcoal grill till med rare (or broil inside) you can cook it thoroughly, but be aware that this will toughen the meat appreciably- just slice it thinner, and even more against the grain. Toast some corn tortillas, cut rested meat on the bias, to cut the grain- make tacos, adding pico, guac, and queso fresco. Simple, cheap and INSANELY good. And there were plenty of leftovers for day 2… Hope this helps! (otherwise, yes, round steak should be braised for a couple of hours- I use it for swiss steak) ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/5 "2012-06-13T15:23:35Z")
I use eye of round to make super awesome beef jerky. Likely not what you have in mind though. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/6 "2012-06-13T15:36:11Z")
That’s what I was going to say!! Makes damn good jerky. Probably a little tougher than you’d like though. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/7 "2012-06-13T15:41:29Z")
We ask the butcher to tenderize it. Then it goes in the slow cooker with sliced onion and canned tomatoes. Sometimes I brown it first but that’s not absolutely necessary. Serve with mashed potatoes. It’s our cheap and easy version of Swiss steak. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/8 "2012-06-13T15:52:18Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Also, I’m not firing up the grill after work. 😕 My gf often tells me, “Let’s grill tonight, I’m feeling lazy”. How about putting it through a meat grinder and making burgers? (Not saying it would work, but curious) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/9 "2012-06-13T15:59:50Z")
Pound or fork the hell out of it and make chicken-fried steak. Eye of round is a pain-in-the-ass cut. My favorite prep is [this one](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/high-temperature-eye-of-round-roast/), but that’s not going to qualify, as you don’t want pink in your roast. Actually, it also makes for quite good corned beef/pastrami, but that’s a bit more complicated and takes a good bit longer than you want. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/10 "2012-06-13T16:02:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > \*\*Pound…the hell out of it \*\* Yeeesssssssssss. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/11 "2012-06-13T16:18:29Z")
I bash it around a bit, then pan fry it rapidly in a very hot cast iron pan so that it is very rare. Maybe 1-2 minutes on a side. Unless you can eat this steak rare it is VERY tough when cooked via dry heat. It’s a good steak for [braising](http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/braising.htm) though, if you have a bit more time. Brown it very fast in a dry frying pan. then cover halfway in liquid of your choice (broth and onions and herbs, maybe some wine, is simplest), simmer covered for at least an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/12 "2012-06-13T16:24:12Z")
Braise it briefly in hot fat so all sides are caramelized. Plop it into a pan with crushed tomatoes and herbs, onions and whatever, and simmer for about three hours. You’ll have a nice spaghetti sauce and the meat will have fallen apart. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/13 "2012-06-13T16:51:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > How about putting it through a meat grinder and making burgers? (Not saying it would work, but curious) It would be far too dry. You need at least a bit of fat to make burgers stick together and have flavor. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/14 "2012-06-13T17:01:23Z")
The reason I call it a pain-in-the-ass cut is because it’s not a great braising cut (being on the lean side, it tends to get a bit mealy and stringy with the long cooking time), and it’s a tricky cut to get just right roasted. The method I’ve linked to above (which apparently is the America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated method) is the best I’ve been able to find, and it’s still a good bit tougher than top or bottom round. It’s a cut I tend to avoid, and it’s not particularly beefy in flavor, either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/15 "2012-06-13T17:30:12Z")
It’s good for slicing into julienne strips to make things like stroganoff or tartar. If the butcher will put it through the machine, it’s good for cube steaks. Also, you can poke it to death with a fork and marinade the hell out of it. But whatever you do, you have to let it cook for a while at a low temperature to tenderize, or barely cook it to keep it from getting tough. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/16 "2012-06-13T18:29:16Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The reason I call it a pain-in-the-ass cut is because it’s not a great braising cut (being on the lean side, it tends to get a bit mealy and stringy with the long cooking time), and it’s a tricky cut to get just right roasted. The method I’ve linked to above (which apparently is the America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated method) is the best I’ve been able to find, and it’s still a good bit tougher than top or bottom round. It’s a cut I tend to avoid, and it’s not particularly beefy in flavor, either. I don’t know as I’ve ever used this cut for anything, but braising is usually my go-to for tough cuts. If that’s the end result, I retract my recommendation. Feed it to the dog. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/17 "2012-06-13T19:13:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > … and it’s not particularly beefy in flavor, either. That would be my main objection. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/18 "2012-06-13T20:33:20Z")
You’re going to have to tenderize it somehow, either by mechanical action (pounding or forking it to death) or chemical (marinate it in an acid). I’d probably make chicken fried steak out of it, after I’d pounded it into submission. I made CFS a couple of nights ago, and after I was done pounding, the pieces of meat were about a quarter of an inch thick. This will take care of the tenderness AND you’ll be able to cook it thoroughly. If I didn’t want CFS, then I might go with a stirfry or fajitas. I have been known to use a packet of fajita seasoning on steak strips, and it actually came out pretty good, though I did have to use a bit of oil in the pan. Also, I cut onions and bell peppers into strips and grilled them with the fajita meat. Pioneer Woman has a couple of ideas, too: > **[Fried Round Steak Is the Definition of Comfort Food](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a9901/fried-round-steak/)** > > Simple, easy to whip up in about 10 to 15 minutes, and so flavorful. > **[The Marlboro Man Sandwich](https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11657/marlboro-mans-f/)** > > Marlboro Man loves this sandwich. It uses very simple ingredients and is so rich and satisfying, he’ll forego food for weeks (okay, hours) if he knows one is on the horizon. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/19 "2012-06-13T21:07:20Z")
I do adore the Pioneer Woman, but I bought these stupid things because we’re on a _diet_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018/20 "2012-06-13T21:10:26Z")
Oh, so you don’t want to use a stick of butter for two people? 😉 Seriously, try some fajitas or stirfry, with a minimum of oil, or even use some chicken broth instead of oil. Or heck, chop them up and put them in a vegetable beef soup. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-eye-round-steaks/625018.md?page=2)