A round steak is a steak

Steak

A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...

 from the round primal cut of beef. Specifically, a round steak is the eye (of) round, bottom round, and top round still connected, with or without the "round" bone (femur), and may include the knuckle (sirloin tip), depending on how the round is separated from the loin. This is a lean cut and it is moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling makes round dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting

Roasting

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered by some as a flavor enhancement. Roasting uses more indirect, diffused heat , and is...

 or grilling

Grilling

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been cut into slices...

. Round steak is commonly prepared with slow moist-heat methods including braising

Braising

Braising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour...

, to tenderize the meat and maintain moisture. The cut is often sliced thin, then dried or smoked at low temperature to make jerky

Jerky (food)

Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then been dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed. The word "jerky" is a bastardization of the...

.

Rump cover, with its thick layer of accompanying fat, is considered one of the best (and most flavorful) beef cuts in many South American countries, particularly Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 and Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. This specific cut does not tend to be found elsewhere, however.

Dishes

• Bresaola
  Bresaola
  Bresaola or brisaola is air-dried, salted beef that has been aged two or three months until it becomes hard and turns a dark red, almost purple colour. It is made from top round, and is lean and tender, with a sweet, musty smell...
  
   — Air-dried salted beef made with Round steak
• London broil
  London Broil
  London broil is a North American beef dish made by broiling or grilling marinated flank steak, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. The origin of the name is obscure; the dish is unknown in London, England.-The cut:...
  
   — Bias-cut roasted steak, commonly made with Round steak
• Italian beef
  Italian beef
  An Italian beef is a sandwich of thin slices of seasoned roast beef, dripping with meat juices, on a dense, long Italian-style roll, believed to have originated in Chicago, where its history dates back at least to the 1930s...
  
   — Thinly sliced round steak cooked in stock
• Rinderbraten
  Rinderbraten
  Rinderbraten, also known as Marinierter Rinderbraten, is a German dish whose name means "spiced beefroast" . It is made from a large round of beef, stuffed with pork fat that has been rolled in a combination of saltpeter, salt, red pepper, brown sugar, allspice, and cloves...
  
   — Round steak stuffed with pork fat and spices
• Steak and Guinness Pie
  Meat pie
  A meat pie is a savoury pie with a filling of meat and other savoury ingredients. Principally popular in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, meat pies differ from a pasty in the sense that a pasty is typically a more portable, on-the-go item, as opposed to a more conventional pie.-History:The...
  
   — Round steak with Guinness
  Guinness
  Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
  
   stout, bacon, and onions
• Maple roast — Eye of round steak covered with maple syrup
  Maple syrup
  Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
  
   and slow-cooked

Common Preparations

• Ground round or beef mince — a type of ground beef
  Ground beef
  Beef mince, ground beef, hamburger meat , hamburg or minced meat is a minced meat food, made of beef finely chopped by a mincer. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers and cottage pie...
  
   made from round steak and trimmings from the primal round; this is also the name of a U.S. restaurant chain, Ground Round
  Ground Round
  Ground Round Grill & Bar, an American casual dining restaurant, was founded in 1969 by Howard Johnson's. As of January 17, 2010 Ground Round is owned by Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC, a group of 30 franchisee owners. Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC is located in Freeport, Maine...
  
  
• Accordion cut
  Accordion cut
  An accordion cut is a technique in butchery, similar to butterflying, in which a thick piece of meat is extended into a thin one with a larger surface area...
  
   — cutting on alternating sides and stretching to make a thinner overall steak
• Butterflying
  Butterflying
  Butterflying is a cutting technique used by butchers to transform a thick, compact piece of meat into a thinner, larger one. The piece of meat to be cut is laid out flat on a cutting board and cut in half parallel to the board from one side almost all the way to the other. A small "hinge" is left...
  
   — cutting through the center, leaving a small hinge of meat, and unfolding to create a thinner steak
• Swiss steak
  Swiss steak
  Swiss steak is a method of preparing meat, usually beef, by means of rolling or pounding, and then braising in a cooking pot of stewed tomatoes, either on a stove or in an oven....
  
   — preparing by making a series of small cuts with a bladed roller or pounding flat, also called Swissing, cubing or tenderizing