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These steaks from the rump and chuck are very flavorful, but need special care to ensure tenderness. 
Contrary to what you may think, we don't eat tenderloin every night.  While we try a steak from each animal we sell to ensure they meet our quality standards (usually a New York or sirloin), most of the prime cuts are sold to you!  Consequently, we get to experiment with grilling and cooking other of our grass fed beef steaks for our own table.  We have discovered that, with care, they can make a main dish or a grilled steak worthy of company.  These steaks are also great for family meals.

GRILLING
Here’s what I do:

  • Marinate with your favorite recipe (or use one of ours): several hours before grilling, pierce the meat with a fork all over, place in a shallow glass pan (or use a ziplock bag), pour over marinade.  Let sit covered in the refrigerator until shortly before using.
  • Place meat on a rack and let marinade drain.  Catch juices and marinade for later use.
  • Dip meat in olive oil or melted butter in a shallow dish 
  • Sear meat on both sides at high heat.  Do not pierce the meat-use a tongs.
  • Reduce heat on grill to about 275.  Brush marinade on turned-up side; grill about 4 minutes; turn.
  • Pour or brush marinade over upturned side of steak.  Grill about 5 minutes more.  Turn, and check for doneness.
  • If “eye-balling” doneness, remove the meat to a platter before you think it is ready and let sit covered for 5 minutes.  Grass fed beef continues cooking after you remove it from the grill.  Use a meat thermometer to improve your timing: 145°F for rare, 155-160° for medium, 170° for well-done.
Just because it is a "steak," however, doesn't mean you have to grill it.  While the challenge is fun, for family fare braising (simmering in sauce or liquid) or moist roasting is easy and delicious.  See some recipes below.

STEAK RECIPES
Round Steak and London Broil
     Round steak and London broils come from the same muscle group (top round).  It's the most tender part of the round, but still requires either marinating or slow moist cooking to bring out its best.  London broil is typically cut thicker than round steaks.
 Pepper Beef Rolls
 Beef Sitr Fry (added 10/02)
 Beef with Mustard and Brandy (added 12/03)
 Beef Stroganoff (added 12/03)
 Steak Kabobs with Romano Cheese (added 12/03)
 Pineapple stir fry (added 12/03)
 Round Steak Parmesan (added 12/03)
 

 

 
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Pepper Beef Rolls
These beef rolls turn an inexpensive cut into a special meal.  The prep time is lessened if you use round steak that has been flattened and tenderized by your butcher instead of your own meat mallet.  For an additional special touch, use a mix of red, yellow and green peppers.
1 pound boneless beef round steak, cut 1/2-inch thick and trimmed of separable fat 
4 ts Dijon-style mustard 
12 green pepper strips, 3-4” long
8 green onions 3-4” long 
olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ c beef broth 
½ c red wine
1 Tb all-purpose flour 
2 c coarsely chopped carrots 
Cut steak into 4 serving-size pieces. Using a meat mallet, pound each piece to 1/8-inch thickness.  Spread one side of each beef piece with 1 ts mustard. Place 3 pepper strips and 2 green onions at a short end of each beef piece and roll up. Secure with wooden toothpicks.  Brown on all sides in olive oil in a heavy skillet.  Remove from skillet and add chopped onion.  Cook until just tender.  Sprinkle flour into pan and let brown slightly.  Add broth and cook until thickened.  Add wine, carrots and rolls.  Cover and simmer on low or bake at 350° for 1-2 hours.

Beef stir fry
A simple stir fry with toasted nuts and thinly sliced London Broil.
1 c walnuts or slivered almonds (toasted)
1.5 lb London Broil sliced paper thin
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb soy sauce
2 ts ginger
1/2 fresh red chili pepper (not too hot; diced very small; roast first for added flavor)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots sliced very thin on the diagonal
1 sm onion sliced very thin
1 green pepper, sliced very thin
4 c shredded chinese cabbage
8 oz angel hair pasta

Toast nuts in dry wok.   Boil water for pasta in large stockpot.  Cut still partially frozen London broil into the thinnest slices possible.  Heat oil in wok.  Add beef.  Stir fry 3-5 minutes until brown.  Remove from pan.  Toss with seasonings.  Add a bit more oil if needed. Add in order, pepper, garlic, carrots, onion, pepper, cabbage, stir-frying about 45 seconds after each addition. Put pasta in boiling water.  Drain when tender.  Divide noodles on 6 plates, serve beef mixture over.  Scatter walnuts or slivered almonds on top.

Beef with Mustard and Brandy
The flavors in this beef are deep and rich, somewhat fruity.  Although some of the ingredients are unusual, all are readily available in most large grocery stores, and the recipe is not really time-consuming or difficult.
1 Tb olive oil 
1 1/4 lb bottom round steak trimmed of fat and membrane
1/2 c brandy 
2 c beef stock 
2 Tb coarse grained mustard 
2 Tb Dijon mustard 
4 leeks peeled, thinly sliced 
4 sun dried tomatoes (not oil packed) cut into slivers 
3 large garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced 
6 juniper berries 
2 bay leaves 
Coarse-ground black pepper and salt to taste 
Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet and brown meat on all sides.  Remove meat and add brandy, stirring to scrape up any browned bits in the bottom. Cook until the brandy is reduced to a syrupy glaze. Stir in stock, mustards, leeks, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, juniper berries, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan, and place in the oven. Bake, turning the meat every 30 min, for 2 hours (add a bit of water if starts to run dry).  Remove bay leaf and season the sauce with pepper. Thicken the sauce if needed with 1 Tb cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 c cold water.  Cut the meat into thin slices, arrange on a platter, and spoon the sauce over.

Beef Stroganoff 
The ketchup and paprika introduces a little bite and color into the typical creamy stroganoff.  Great served over brown or wild rice.
2 lb round steak cut into pieces and pounded with a mallet 
1 ea onion, large/sliced 
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb flour
3 Tb ketchup
1 ts paprika 
1 Tb coarse pepper
3 Tb soy sauce 
1/2 c sour cream 
1 lb mushrooms sliced thinly 

Cut beef into serving sized pieces and pound with a meat mallet.  Cook onion in olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy skillet until transparent. Remove from pan. Dredge meat in flour and brown in same pan. Return onions to pan. Add mushrooms, ketchup, paprika, pepper and 1 c water.  Turn on low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Add sour cream and soy sauce.  If too thick, add up to 1/2 c milk.  Simmer until sauce thickens.  Serve over cooked brown rice or noodles. 

Steak Kabobs with Romano Cheese
This recipe is a bit fussy, but turns an inexpensive cut into a delightful company meat that is perfect for grilling on a fall evening.  Serve nestled in a bed of pilaf.
1 lb round steak 
marinade:
   1 c soy sauce
   ¼ c sherry or red wine
   2 cloves garlic; crushed
   2 ts sugar
filling:
   4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced very fine
   1/2 ts salt 
   3 fresh basil leaves, chopped 
   2 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
   2 sprigs fresh cilantro 
   Freshly coarse-ground black pepper 
   ¼ c grated Romano cheese 
Pound the steak with a meat mallet to tenderize. Marinate overnight.  Remove from marinade (discard marinade) and let drain.  Pat lightly with a paper towel.  Sprinkle both sides lightly with black pepper. Sprinkle the meat with the Romano cheese. Mash the garlic, salt and basil, cilantro and parsley together into a paste. Spread evenly on the steak.  Roll the steak into a tight jelly roll form and slice into 3/4 inch thick rolls. Thread through skewers.  Grill or broil 15 - 20 minutes or until done. Turn once half-way through cooking.

Pineapple stir fry 
A quick and easy stir fry using an inexpensive cut of beef.  Start the meat marinating and the brown rice cooking when you come home from work.  Start stir-frying a few minutes before dinner and serve piping hot with the vegetables still crunchy.
1 pound beef top round steak, cut 1/2-inch thick 
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple slices (juice pack) 
marinade:
  2 Tb dry sherry (can use red wine vinegar or water) 
  1 Tb soy sauce 
  1 Tb molasses (can use brown sugar or honey)
  1/8 to 1/4 ts crushed red pepper 
stir fry:
  olive oil
  4 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
  1 red pepper sliced
  1 Tb cornstarch 
  1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
  1 (6 ounce) package frozen pea pods, thawed 
2 c hot cooked rice 

Partially freeze meat (or partially thaw); cut on bias into very thin bite-size strips. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Cut pineapple slices into chunks and set aside. In a bowl stir together reserved pineapple juice, dry sherry, soy sauce, molasses, and red pepper. Add meat; stir till coated. Cover and marinate meat in the refrigerator 1 hour. Drain well, reserving marinade.  Stir-fry half of meat in1 Tb oil in skillet or wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till browned. Remove meat. Add a bit more oil to pan and stir-fry remaining meat, onions and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes or till meat is browned. Return all meat to skillet. Push meat from center of skillet. 
Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade. Add sauce to center of skillet. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Add tomato, pea pods, and pineapple. Stir ingredients together until coated with sauce. Cook and stir about 2 minutes more or till heated through. Serve over hot cooked rice. 

Round Steak Parmesan
Baking the round steak makes it tender, and the cheesy sauce is great with noodles or rice.  Sure to be a family favorite.  You can also make this dish ahead and freeze.  Just bake until done, then cool, add the mozzarella, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze.  Remove from freezer the night before and allow to thaw in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then bake about 30 minutes until hot and the cheese melted.
1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef round steak, about 3/4 inches thick 
3 Tb flour 
1/2 ts salt 
1/8 ts pepper 
1 egg, slightly beaten 
1 Tb water 
1/2 c fine dry whole wheat bread crumbs 
1/2 ts dried leaf basil 
3 Tb cooking oil or shortening 
1 can (15 1/2 ounces} diced tomatoes 
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 
1/4 c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 
2 Tb dry red wine (can use red wine vinegar)
1 ts honey (can use brown sugar)
1/2 ts dried leaf oregano 
½ ts onion powder
½ ts garlic salt
1 c shredded Mozzarella cheese 

Cut round steak in serving-size pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper; dredge meat and pound on both sides to tenderize and flatten. Mix egg with water. Combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip each piece of meat in egg mixture and then dredge in bread crumb mixture, coating thoroughly and evenly. Brown in hot olive oil in large oven-proof skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove meat and scrape up bits of browned pieces.  Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, wine and honey and simmer 5 minutes in Dutch.  Return meat to Dutch oven or skillet.  (Alternatively, place meat in a 13x9 inch baking dish and pour sauce over meat). Cover tightly with foil or lid and bake at 300° for 90 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle cheese on top of meat and broil until cheese melts and starts to brown. Makes 6 servings.