Stretching Round Steak

I got a good deal on round steak last time I was driving home from Illinois at a store we don’t have in my area.  It really was way to good to pass up and we were starting to run a little low on meat at home.

While you can easily just grill the entire steak and cut into portions that could get a little old.  When I purchase meat in bulk I love to try to deal with it right away and get it cut up, portioned and frozen.  This allows me to be ready for quick meals.

This is a half of a round steak that I purchased.  I am going to walk you through how I prepare it for the freezer to make semi-convenience foods.

The first thing I do is trim the fat off.  You can use a knife if you prefer but I use my kitchen shears.  Just pull back the cut fat with one hand as you snip with the other.

After you finish trimming you will wind up with various pieces of meat due to the grain and fat deposits.  You can save smaller pieces for individual steaks and prepare to cut up the rest.

I use the longer pieces for cutting into strips.  They will be seasoned in various ways for different freezer meals.

I am done cutting at this point.  From one half of a round steak I have one individual steak and a meals worth of strips.

To make a stir-fry meat mixture I place about 1-1.5 pounds of strips in a bag along with a wet marinade.  You can use a store bought marinade or one you make yourself.  Later as the meat thaws it will marinate itself in the bag.

To make fajitas I season with a dry seasoning blend.  You can find these in the spice area of your store.  I purchase one in the Mexican food section but you can also buy envelopes of fajita seasoning.

As stated before I also wound up with some nice 3-4 ounce steaks as well.  Just taking a bit of time to cut the steaks and marinade or season the pieces will make for a few quick meals.  It isn’t a total meal in a bag but it is a sure fire way to speed things up.