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Okay, I just don't get this. We had Top Round steak for dinner. The last time we had this it was kind of tough. I read that if you cut it "Against the Grain" it will not be tough.

So, what does that even mean? I slice it one direction and then I cut the slices into chunks. So it has been sliced both with and against the grain. I cut the steak in half first and then cut each half the opposite direction first and when done there was no difference between them visually or texture wise. And it was still tough.

I'm thinking of pulling all the top and bottom round steaks out of the freezer and making jerky with it.

Okay, I just don't get this. We had Top Round steak for dinner. The last time we had this it was kind of tough. I read that if you cut it "Against the Grain" it will not be tough. So, what does that even mean? I slice it one direction and then I cut the slices into chunks. So it has been sliced both with and against the grain. I cut the steak in half first and then cut each half the opposite direction first and when done there was no difference between them visually or texture wise. And it was still tough. I'm thinking of pulling all the top and bottom round steaks out of the freezer and making jerky with it.

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[–] • 3 pts (edited )

tl;dr - "against the grain" can only happen at the time of butchering and not after it is cooked.

I'm surprised no one had the correct answer to the "cut against the grain" question. This can only be done when butchering the meat. If the butchering is done cutting across the muscle fibers (i.e. against the grain) then the steak will have short vertical fibers when the steak lays flat. This does make it a bit easier to separate the fibers when cooked, but round steak is still a tough cut of meat. This is a terrible choice for making jerky as it will just crumble apart when dried due to the short, loose fibers.

If the butchering is done by cutting along the length of the muscle fibers, the fibers will be long and horizontal when the steak lays flat. This will be extra tough to cut and chew, but it does make for excellent jerky that you have to pull on. I definitely would not recommend butchering with the grain for normal cooking, but if you do, cook it low and slow to break the fibers, collagen and connective tissue down and give your top round a pot roast-like chew.

I would consult with a knowledgeable butcher about the best methods to make top round work for you. The pineapple/bromelain method can make your steak into mush, give it a weird flavor and ultimately turn it into a worse steak than leaving it alone. Same goes for any other enzyme-based tenderization. It's just not worth it. Check out the Guga Foods channel on YouTube to see the pineapple and other tenderization methods if you want to judge for yourself how it works. Guga often uses "eye of round" for his tenderization experiments and that is probably the worst cut of beef to ever try as a steak. It's awesome for jerky but not much else.

[–] • 1 pt

"against the grain" can only happen at the time of butchering and not after it is cooked.

Not true for roasts large and cuts of meat. Incase anyone is thinking of this for that.

[–] • 1 pt

Not true for roasts large and cuts of meat.

You are technically correct, but the OP's topic was steaks not roasts.

[–] • 1 pt

Yep! Just figured I'd add since anyone who doesn't understand this might be able to benefit from that extra info.

[–] • 0 pt (edited )

Not true when cutting an already butchered steak into small pieces for something like fajitas.

Or at least if it was not done against the grain you can cut your small pieces off in a way that is against the grain

[–] • 0 pt

All the round steaks I have ever seen in the supermarket have already been butchered across the grain so it's likely that OP's steak was done that way as well. This includes round roasts. Skirt steaks are different and go with the grain typically due to their arrangement on the carcass so it is possible to cut across the grain after butchering, but I've never seem a top round steak that went with the grain, with the exception of eye of round which is intentionally butchered with the grain. If OP had and eye of round for dinner, then he would likely have cut off slices across the grain already so I still don't think it applies here.

[–] • 0 pt

Right on! Thank you for the great info. I had considered that cutting against the grain would be best done when the steak is carved but I dismissed that because what I kept reading was about cutting against the grain after cooking which made no sense.

So, I'll be making jerky soon!

It was also suggested that I could cut in thinner strips against the grain and longer chunks out of that. Seems to make some sense too.

[–] • 0 pt

Glad to help out. Round steaks are tricky to use, but you are correct in the cutting it into thin long strips being a good option. I do essentially this when I use round steak to make beef Stroganoff. I do cook it on low and for a generous amount of time to really get the tenderness out of it. It's got a beefier flavor too since it's really lean muscle cut so that's a bonus.

Enjoy your jerky for us Poalrs when you make some. Just don't do it on the 8th of the month. That day is sacred to Poalrs.

[–] • 0 pt

>the 8th of the month. That day is sacred to Poalrs.

First I've heard of that. Been here awhile too.

[–] • 0 pt

False. London broil or flank steak. If you don’t cut those against the grain you will have string beef.

[–] • 0 pt

False. London broil or flank steak. If you don’t cut those against the grain you will have string beef.

Irrelevant. The topic was top round steak not London broil or flank steak.

[–] • 0 pt

It doesn’t matter, this is still wrong. "against the grain" can only happen at the time of butchering and not after it is cooked.