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What Are the Best Tips for Grilling round Steak?

Lori Kilchermann
Lori Kilchermann

Some of the best tips for grilling round steak focus on marinating the meat, grilling methods and proper slicing techniques. When grilling a round steak, it is best to use a highly acidic marinade or basting liquid on the traditionally tough beef cut. Allowing the steak to rise to room temperature prior to cooking is also a good tip. After grilling, another tip is to allow the meat to rest prior to serving in order to serve the tenderest and juiciest meat possible.

Round steak is one of the leanest cuts of beef available, therefore, after grilling round steak, the meat often tends to turn out tough and difficult to chew. This can be slightly reduced by using a highly acidic marinade on the round steak prior to placing the meat on the grill. The acid in the marinade, such as vinegar, citrus juice and other ingredients, works to break down the tissue of the beef and make the beef tenderer. The liquid in the marinade provides the required moisture to prevent to meat from drying out when cooking. Placing olive oil in the marinade helps create meat less likely to stick to the grill grate.

It is best for round steak to be at room temperature prior to grilling.
It is best for round steak to be at room temperature prior to grilling.

One tip to ensure better grilling is to always begin cooking with a clean and hot grill surface that has been properly lubricated. The grill grate should always be scraped with a clean wire brush before using in order to get the best results for grilling round steak. Once hot, the grill grate should be properly lubricated by running a piece of beef fat over the grill or by placing a rolled towel in vegetable or olive oil and rubbing the grill with the oiled cloth. This tip will help in placing grill marks on the beef as well as help with the proper cooking of the beef when grilling round steak.

Citrus juice or vinegar can be used in a highly acidic marinate to ensure round steak is as tender as possible.
Citrus juice or vinegar can be used in a highly acidic marinate to ensure round steak is as tender as possible.

The steak will be juiciest if turned over only once while grilling. To form grill mark patterns on the meat, the steak should be placed on a very hot grill for 30 seconds and then rotated one-quarter turn. Once rotated full circle, the meat should be turned over to place the grill marks on both sides of the steak and then allowed to cook until done. After the steak is removed from the grill, the meat should be allowed to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the meat's natural juices to return throughout the meat and provide the juiciest meat possible when grilling round steak.

Discussion Comments

irontoenail

I always used to find it funny that steak from the supermarket which came already in the marinade would usually taste pretty bad. I mean, whenever I made it at home, it would taste really good and I thought it was a difficult thing to mess up.

Then I saw an article on how they only ever marinade the meat that is about to go off, because it hides the "off" flavor and it made sense. It wasn't the bad marinade I was tasting, it was the bad meat. And it also finally made sense that the marinaded meat was often cheaper than the plain stuff.

So, yeah, I'm not saying don't buy the meat that has been marinaded. Just be aware that it might not be the best and freshest option.

lluviaporos

@clintflint - If you marinate it well, it tends to be pretty good and, in my opinion, it's a shame to marinate a really good cut of beef more than a little, because it hides the flavor of the meat.

But sometimes you want to have marinaded meat, hence the grilled round steak.

If you are just looking for a good way to use up some round steak though, personally I would recommend using it in some beef stroganoff or something similar. My mother used to make a really delicious pepper steak stew that worked well with this kind of cut.

clintflint

The reason you don't disturb any meat right after it's been cooking is that cutting it will let all the juices out. They need time to settle into the meat. That's why you will often end up with a puddle of meat juice and a dry steak on your plate if you're too impatient!

Personally I don't think I would bother trying to grill round steak. There are other ways of cooking the tougher cuts that suit them better and the whole process is basically a struggle against the meat getting tougher than it already is. Do yourself a favor and buy a better cut of steak in the first place, if you really want to have grilled steak.

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    • It is best for round steak to be at room temperature prior to grilling.
      By: Louella Folsom
      It is best for round steak to be at room temperature prior to grilling.
    • Citrus juice or vinegar can be used in a highly acidic marinate to ensure round steak is as tender as possible.
      By: racamani
      Citrus juice or vinegar can be used in a highly acidic marinate to ensure round steak is as tender as possible.
    • Thoroughly cleaning the grill is an important part of the grilling of round steaks.
      By: JeremyWhat
      Thoroughly cleaning the grill is an important part of the grilling of round steaks.
    • For proper cooking, grill grates should be lubricated with oil or beef fat prior to grilling.
      By: GraphicCompressor
      For proper cooking, grill grates should be lubricated with oil or beef fat prior to grilling.