Round Steak
This Round Steak recipe requires just a few common ingredients, cooks in minutes, and offers three cooking methods: stovetop, oven, and air fryer. It’s perfect for when you are craving steak but don’t want to break the bank.
Looking for other easy steak recipes? Try our Air Fryer Steak Bites, Garlic Butter Sizzle Steaks, or Shaved Beef Steak.
Three Simple Round Steak Recipes
This round steak recipe calls for high heat and a 2-minute quick sear, with lots of beauty rest before and after cooking. Whether it’s on the stove top, in the oven, or cooked in your air fryer, you can find all three recipe versions on our recipe card.
Trust me, I was a bit skeptical at first too, but once I saw how cooking round steak that’s at room temperature (with a good rest afterwards) produced such magnificent results, I became a believer!!
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This recipe and cooking method can ONLY be successful if you do a bit of pre-planning and 4 very important things:
- Bring the meat close to room temperature before cooking with a 30-minute rest time, uncovered, on the counter. Liberally salt the steak on both sides for this resting period.
- Sear the pounded round steak for ONLY 1 MINUTE on each side, rendering it perfectly medium-rare at the center.
- Let the seared steak rest for 5 minutes, tented, before slicing it to allow all the meat juices to retreat back into the meat.
- Slice the steak ACROSS the grain (and preferably on the bias at an angle, too) into thin 1/2-inch strips.
Ingredients for Round Steak
- Round steak: You can use any type of round steak in this recipe – bottom round, top round, eye of round. Purchase 1-inch thick round steak. Top sirloin steak also works fine.
- Butter
- Garlic: If you really enjoy garlic, add more smashed cloves.
- Searing oil: I use avocado oil, but you can also use olive oil or even vegetable oil.
- Fresh rosemary or fresh thyme
- Seasonings: Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using just this seasoning blend really allows the good, beefy flavor of the meat to shine through.
- Kosher salt: Sprinkle generously just before serving.
How to Cook Beef Bottom Round Steak
Place the round steak into a gallon freezer bag, pressing out the air. Seal the bag. Make sure to use a gallon FREEZER bag. It is thicker and more sturdy (than just a plastic gallon bag).
Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, pound the steak from 1-inch thickness to 1/2-inch thickness inside the gallon bag to keep all the mess contained. Using the grooved side of the meat mallet can sometimes drive some of the plastic bag into the meat.
Some cooks use parchment instead, but I find that when pounding the meat, some of the juices can still escape the parchment to make a mess. Use your fingertips on your free hand to see where to pound next, so the meat is even in thickness.
Remove the steak from the bag to a large plate and generously season both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Let the steak rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat a 12-inch heavy-bottom skillet (such as cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat.
When the pan is very hot, add the oil. When the oil is very hot and sizzling, almost smoking, carefully add the steak to one side of the skillet. Cook exactly 1 min and then turn, placing steak onto the opposite side of pan. Cook the steak one minute longer on the second side.
To prevent hot oil from splattering as you sear the steak on each side in the skillet, lay a small piece of aluminum foil over the pan. Do not seal the foil, just lay it on top. Or, use a lid and prop it open a bit.
Immediately remove the skillet from the heat. Add the butter, garlic, and rosemary sprig to open area of pan. Once butter has melted, spoon it over the steak.
Remove the steak from the skillet and place it onto a cutting board. Tent with foil, allowing the steak to rest for 5 mins.
Slice the steak across grain and on the bias at an angle into thin 1/2-inch-thick strips. Spoon any remaining butter from the pan over the slices. Sprinkle with a bit more kosher salt and serve at once.
Round Steak in the Oven
Follow the recipe as directed in Steps 1-3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a cast iron skillet (or any heavy-bottomed oven-proof skillet) into the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the skillet and add the oil. Return the skillet to the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven once more. Carefully add the steak to one side of the skillet. Cook the steak for 2 minutes in the hot oven. Turn the steak, placing it onto the opposite side of the skillet. Cook the steak for 2 minutes longer. Follow the recipe as directed in Steps 6-8 to complete.
Round Steak in the Air Fryer
Follow the recipe as directed in Steps 1-3. **Be sure the round steak is well rested as the recipe directs (resting at least 30 minutes at room temperature after you season it) to be successful with cooking round steak in the air fryer.
I have found that if you are cooking 2 steaks are each about 1/2 pound, it’s best to air fry them one at a btime so the hot air can circulate well in the air fryer to provide optimum browning and caramelization. **If you are cooking a one pound steak, it may be too large for your air fryer (depending on the brand and size) so feel free to cut it in half, cooking each piece separately.
Preheat the air fryer at 450 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Using your favorite silicone brush, slather the rack with a bit of avocado or vegetable oil. Place the prepared steak onto the rack and air fry for 4 minutes.
Turn the steak and air fry 1 more minute. Let the steak rest in the air fryer for 5 minutes. **This resting period post-air frying is essential for tender slices of round steak using this method.
While the steak is air frying, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and saute for 1-2 minutes or just until the rosemary and garlic are fragrant.
Remove the steak
Slice the steaks and serve with an additional sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of the rosemary/garlic butter. Air fryer cooking times can vary depending on their size, model, and brand.
How to Use Sliced Round Steak
If you come to my house, you’ll find cooked, sliced round steak in my fridge almost ALL the time. It makes the best high-protein snack that’s easy to reheat and eat, especially if you’re always on the run like we are.
We also use sliced round steak to make wraps, pinwheels, sliders and sandwiches. We also add it to salads to boost the protein we need. It’s very easy to chop the strips of steak and stir them into pasta like mac and cheese or even and pasta salads.
Round Steak
Ingredients
- 1 pound round steak about 1/2-inch in thickness, usually sold as two half pound steaks within the package
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large clove garlic smashed with the side of your wide chef knife, skin removed
- 1 large sprig fresh rosemary or a small bundle of fresh thyme I prefer the rosemary!
Instructions
- Place the round steak into a gallon freezer bag, pressing out the air; seal the bag.1 pound round steak
- Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, pound the steak until thinned to about 1/4-inch in thickness (or just slightly thicker), using the fingertips on your free hand to see where you need to pound next so the steak is even in thickness.
- Remove the steak from the bag to a large plate and repeat with the second steak .1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt and pepper, then generously season both sides of each steak with this mixture. Let the steak rest, uncovered, for 30 minutes, at room temperature.
- Let the prepared steaks rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. **Please note: This resting period prior to cooking is essential for tender and juicy round steak using this high heat, quick method so do not skip it!
- Preheat a 12-inch heavy-bottom skillet (such as cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat.
- When the skillet is very hot, add the oil. When the oil is sizzling and almost ready to smoke, carefully add the steak to one side of the skillet.2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Cook the steak exactly 1 minute, then turn, placing the steak onto the opposite side of pan. Cook the steak one minute longer on the second side.
- Immediately remove the skillet from the heat. Add the butter, garlic, and rosemary sprig to the open area of pan; once butter has melted and the rosemary is fragrant, spoon it over the steak.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large clove garlic, 1 large sprig fresh rosemary or a small bundle of fresh thyme
- Remove the steak from the skillet, placing it onto a cutting board; tent with foil, allowing the steak to rest for 5 mins. **Do not skip this resting period for the round steak so it can be tender and juicy.
- Slice the steak across the grain (and preferably on the bias at an angle) into thin strips, as desired, spooning any remaining butter from the pan over the slices. If desired, sprinkle with a bit more kosher salt and serve at once.**After the steak cooks and rests, it usually plumps back to about 1/2-inch thickness that you are slicing into strips.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- To prevent hot oil from splattering as you sear the steak on each side in the skillet, lay a small piece of aluminum foil over the pan. (Do not seal the foil, just lay it on top.) Or, use a lid and prop it open a bit.
- Pounding the steak from 1-inch thickeness to 1/2-inch thickness is best done inside a gallon bag to keep all the mess contained. Some cooks use parchment instead, but I find that when pounding the meat some of the juices can still escape the parchment to make a mess. Also, a gallon FREEZER bag is thicker and more sturdy (than just a plastic gallon bag) so use one of these if possible.