The Tender Aldi Steak That Tastes Way More Expensive Than It Costs

There isn't much better than a proper steak dinner, a nice big slab of beef with all the fixings, and this is doubly true when it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. It can, however, be something of a dicey game to try to pick up a low-priced piece of beef. An appealing price tag will sometimes trick you into picking up a cut that turns what should be a luxurious dinner into more of an exercise in chewing. But there are good deals out there, and Tasting Table sent Hunter Wren Miele to find them, scoping out the best steak cuts at Aldi. One winner from her assessment was Aldi's top round, a cut that eats much better than you might expect based on the price.

Top round is a cut from the inside of the leg, one of the three types of round roasts. It is on the lean side and not the flashiest piece of beef out there, but if you know how to prepare it, it can make a fine meal indeed. As Miele points out, the best way to prepare top round is to roast it, and roast it she did. Thanks to the evenness of the Aldi steak — a rarity in thinner and cheaper cuts of beef — her cook came out beautiful and even, providing a tender piece of beef that she describes as slicing easily and having a flavor fit for a much more expensive steak. At less than $8 a pound, that's a steak dinner that certainly won't break the budget.

Given the low prices of Aldi beef, it is no surprise that you will find keyboard connoisseurs across the internet sharing reviews and recipes for how to prepare these steaks, and the top round is no exception. In lieu of roasting, another popular option for this cut is to cook it in a sous vide and then give it a quick sear in a pan. This allows excellent control on the cook without sacrificing a good brown crust.

But there is no reason that this steak needs to be served as, well, steak. It is a versatile cut with lots of potential options. You can cube up this top round steak from Aldi and use it in a stew, or take inspiration from others on the internet and slice it thinly for use in tacos or fajitas. Top round is also commonly used to make roast beef for sandwiches. While these steaks might be a little on the thin side for that, they would still make an excellent steak sandwich.

An argument can be made, though, that ribeye is the best cut for steak sandwiches. And when you look at comments on the internet, folks also seem to prefer Aldi's ribeyes to the top round. They are, however, about twice as expensive as the top round, and it may just be that many home cooks don't know how to handle the leaner top round steak. You can easily turn the much less expensive top round steaks at Aldi into a tender, delicious steak dinner.