Speckle Park Cook Book Glossary

Round

Eye of round

Eye of round is a small, lean, cylindrical muscle from the centre of the round. It looks a little like a tenderloin, but it is far tougher, and it has almost no fat or connective tissue to keep it moist.

This also means it is very uniform, easy to slice and very cheap. It is a favourite for deli-style roast beef, for jerky and for any dish where the meat is sliced extremely thin. Look for a piece around 1 to 1.5 kg (2 to 3 lb) with a clean shape.

Trim off any surface silver membrane before cooking.

Techniques

Roast it rare. A roast in a gentle oven at 120°C (250°F) should come out at about 48°C (118°F). Allow for carryover cooking, then chill the roast so you can slice it wafer-thin.

Sliced paper-thin and cut against the grain, the meat is tender enough for sandwiches and cold platters. It is also good served raw as carpaccio when very fresh and chilled.

The lean, even strips make excellent jerky: slice with the grain, marinate overnight, and dehydrate at 70°C (160°F) until the pieces bend and crack without snapping. For hot dishes, a gentle simmer in broth gives tender slices for noodle soups.

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