Location, Location, Location

• Both the sirloin and the eye of round come from the rear of the cow. The sirloin cuts come from the lower back and belly of the cow while the round cuts come from the hindquarters. The eye of round is a small, boneless lean cut near the top round and the bottom round. The round cuts tend to be tougher and less juicy than the loin cuts.

Cooking by the Book

• Both eye of round and sirloin come as roasts or steaks. While the recommended way to cook sirloin steak is broiling, grilling or sauteing, the eye of round steak requires moist heat, such as braising or slow cooking in liquid, to keep it juicy and flavorful. However, you can easily substitute an eye of round roast for a sirloin roast, such as a sirloin tip center roast, since they both cook well by either roasting or braising. If using the eye of round, baste with liquid when roasting and add more liquid to the pan when braising.

The Aid of Marinade

• To tenderize a tougher cut, such as the eye of round, soak it in a marinade for several hours before cooking. The enzymes and acids in the marinade help break down the fibrous connective tissue that make meat harder to chew. Use marinades containing acidic ingredients such as citrus juices or vinegar. Make small slices or holes in the meat before marinating to allow the liquid to soak further into the meat. Always marinate beef in the refrigerator.

Jack Sprat Could Eat Some Eye of Round

• The eye of round cut is a leaner piece of meat than the sirloin. A three-ounce roasted eye of round trimmed to 1/8 inch fat contains about 173 calories and just under 8 g of fat. The same size broiled sirloin steak has about 219 calories and about 13 g of fat. When cooked similarly, the eye of round will be less juicy and tougher than the sirloin.