I Have This Top Round Steak......

1-1.5" thick, about 1.5 lbs. I am temporarily living with my parents who think the only good steak is the one that is either made pot roast style or cooked until it's charcoal. I don't have any problems customizing doneness when the grill is available, but it's not. I am in the mood for a very rare slab of meat to serve with a salad tomorrow night, but using the oven, I'm not so good at cooking times. My parents like theirs medium, difficult to do with a cut this thick without braising or cooking so long it dries out. Does anytone out there have any suggestions for this? Either a good way to get theirs done medium without the whole slow cooking braising method or at least a temp/min per doneness guide using my mother's oven for this size? Sorry, I've been grilling over 5 yrs rather than using the oven for steaks, and I just don't have a handle on cooking steaks beyond medium well other than braising.

Slice the steak into portions, then cook to order (under the ovens broiler).
Then when the parents steaks are done, sneak out to the back porch, haul out a metal coffee can, punch some holes into it, get a makeshift grill going and do yours up right!

I've always liked the reverse sear for that piece of meat.

Leave the meat out of the fridge a few hours to warm to room temp. Roast in a 275 oven until the center comes to 10 degrees below what you think is medium (you'll need to be good at estimating; an external probe thermometer will let you be exact; poking repeatedly with an instant-read probe thermom makes too many holes and lets heat out of the oven). When it hits the 10-below, remove from the oven, cover with foil, and wait till the carryover heat stops raising the temp at the center. In the meantime, crank the oven to 500.

When the meat hits equilibrium (internal temp stops rising), back in the oven for a few minutes at 500, to make a crust. The time at 275 will have dried the exterior to help allow a crust to develop.

Let rest and carve as usual. The meat will be uniformly cooked throughout -- no grey, overcooked band on the outside. Slow roasting also will help keep it juicy and avoid muscle fibers toughening up.

I half agree with Gordon....reverse sear
Rub it down with some EVOO and your favorite seasoning
275 it in the oven until rare - medium rare then drop it in
a real hot cast iron pan with a bunch of butter and
fresh garlic.....

Count to 10 slow

flip

Count to 10 slow again


Chow time!

I picked up a 1.5 lb. piece of that very cut 2 nights ago; it was pretty lean, so I chunked it and made a great chili.
I rubbed the chunks (& let them sit for about an hour) with:
pan toasted chili powder, some smoked paprika and fresh ground pepper.
Browned the chunks on a very hot cast iron skillet & put them aside.
Sweated some chopped onion & garlic in the same pan.
Added the meat, some tomato sauce, leftover homemade chicken broth, chipotles in adobo & one chopped re-hydrated ancho chili.
Let it simmer for about 90 minutes, added a bit more chili powder and a can of red kidney beans about 20 minutes before eating. It was great, but even better the next day for lunch (which I ate with leftover matzo balls, of all things- a very tasty combo).
Ron