Eye of Round Steak Recipe, Seared and Sliced Thin

This eye of round steak recipe starts with a whole eye round roast, cut into steaks at home. Salt them at least an hour ahead, sear them in a very hot skillet for just a few minutes a side, rest them briefly, and slice them thin. Done that way, eye of round makes a good, beefy steak dinner at a weeknight pace.

It helps to be honest about the cut. The eye of round is a long, round muscle from the hind leg, and it is one of the leanest pieces of beef there is. With so little marbling it will never be as soft as a strip or a ribeye, and it turns dry and tough quickly once it is cooked past medium. Keep it pink, slice it thin, and it is very good.

At a glance: serves 6. Prep 15 minutes, salt at least 1 hour, cook about 20 minutes in batches, rest 5 minutes.

Asked how long he rests a steak before cutting into it, Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was candid:

“Not as long as I should. Really should go eight to ten minutes. I sometimes barely give it five.”

Gray Shipley

For thin eye of round steaks, the short rest he admits to is about right. A 3/4-inch steak loses heat fast, and you want it warm when you slice it, so 5 minutes is plenty. A thick steak or a whole roast is where the full 8 to 10 minutes pays off.

Ingredients

• 1 eye round roast, about 3 pounds
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon per pound
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or avocado
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. Trim off any silverskin, the thin, shiny membrane on the outside of the roast. Cut the roast crosswise into steaks 3/4 to 1 inch thick. A 3-pound roast gives 10 to 12 steaks.
2. Season both sides of each steak with the salt. Set the steaks on a rack over a rimmed sheet pan and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
3. When you are ready to cook, pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season them with the pepper and garlic powder. Set a clean rack over a plate or sheet pan to hold the cooked steaks.
4. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke.
5. Add 4 or 5 steaks, leaving space between them. Cook without moving them for 2 to 3 minutes per side for 3/4-inch steaks, or 3 to 4 minutes per side for 1-inch steaks, until deeply browned and a thermometer in the center reads 125 to 130 degrees F for medium rare, or 145 degrees F to meet the USDA FSIS safe minimum. Move them to the rack.
6. Repeat with the remaining oil and steaks, wiping any burned bits out of the pan between batches.
7. When the last batch is out, turn the heat to low. Add the butter, garlic and thyme and swirl the pan for about 1 minute, until the butter foams and smells nutty. Let the last batch of steaks rest for 5 minutes.
8. Slice the steaks thinly with the knife tilted at a low angle, arrange the slices on a platter, and spoon the garlic butter over the top.

Add 1 eye round roast to cart

Is eye of round steak tough?

It can be. The eye of round does a lot of work, it has almost no fat running through it, and its muscle fibers are long and tight. That makes it firmer and chewier than steaks from the loin or the rib, however carefully it is cooked. Three things make the difference. Salt it well ahead, so the seasoning goes deeper and the meat holds on to more of its juice. Cook it hot and fast, to no more than medium. And slice it thin.

Slicing eye of round across the grain

Cutting the roast crosswise into steaks already crosses the grain once, which is why each steak has short fibers running from one cut face to the other. Slicing the cooked steak thinly with the knife tilted at a low angle cuts those fibers shorter still, and short fibers are what make a lean cut feel tender. Use your sharpest knife, and slice just before serving.

A beef eye round steak recipe with a quick marinade

If you would rather marinate, whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 3 cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Skip the salting step, put the steaks and the marinade in a zip-top bag, and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours. Lift the steaks out, throw away the used marinade, and pat them very dry. The sugar browns quickly, so turn the heat down a notch from the main recipe and watch the pan.

A marinade flavors the outside of the steak; it does not tenderize the middle. The thin slice does that.

How long to cook eye of round steak

For steaks 3/4 to 1 inch thick, plan on 4 to 8 minutes in the pan in all. Take them off at 125 to 130 degrees F for medium rare; they will rise a few degrees as they rest. Medium rare is below the FSIS figure of 145 degrees F with a 3-minute rest, and the choice is yours. If you cook to 145, slice extra thin, because this cut has no fat to keep it soft once it is cooked through.

Serving eye of round steak

Sliced thin, these steaks are good with roasted potatoes and a green salad, piled onto crusty rolls with horseradish sauce, or laid over rice with the garlic butter spooned on top. Leftover slices make a very good cold steak salad the next day.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef steaks and roasts. Check each batch with an instant-read thermometer, since thin steaks can pass their mark in under a minute. Refrigerate leftovers promptly, and if you reheat them, bring them to 165 degrees F. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.