Step #2 – Tenderize The Steak
After making the marinade, it’s time to prepare the bottom round steak by loosening it up.
When it comes to this cut of meat, a good meat mallet makes all the difference. The results are always significantly better if you use one to properly tenderize the steak first.
They can be purchased on the typical online marketplaces for very little money.
A very popular option that strikes a good balance between price and utility is the KitchenAid mallet:
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Place your bottom round steak on your work surface and give it a firm all-over thwack with the meat mallet to make it more tender.
The goal here is to achieve a very uniform thickness. There shouldn’t be any lumps or bumps at either end because this will cause the food to cook unevenly.
If any portions of the steak stand out as being thicker than others, simply keep working on them until you achieve a uniform depth.
Step #5 – Cook To Preference
The ideal way to prepare bottom round steak is to sear it for about three minutes on one side over medium heat.
At this point it should be nicely browned.
Now simply turn it and cook for another three minutes.
The following step is to monitor the situation using your meat thermometer.
Step #4 – Heat & Oil The Skillet
Now that the meat is prepared for cooking, fire up that skillet!
When cooking steaks, people frequently over-oil their pans, but in this case, less really is more.
When frying a steak like this, I advise using no more than one or two tablespoons of oil.
Adding more fat to the meat than is actually necessary is not a good idea because it won’t be frying for very long.
Toss out the proverbial advice to cook a steak at the highest temperature your stovetop can support as well!
The perfect temperature for this type of steak is medium. This advice is even more important if you decided to cut your steak into strips.