Cooking a Round Steak

From 1922:

In our part of the world porterhouse and sirloin steaks are getting clear beyond the reach of honest, thrifty folk who pay their debts and live religiously within their means. They must, perforce, make cheaper cuts serve their turn. Try this way of making the best of the situation.

HOW TO COOK A ROUND STEAK
While getting your steak, buy a nice bit of suet, and while you are preparing your steak, fry the suet in the pan and have it well tried out, but hissing hot, by the time the steak is ready to go into the frying pan. To make it ready, lay it upon a board and pound it from end to end and on both sides with the potato beetle or a mallet. This done, sprinkle with salt and pepper lightly and flour upon both sides, covering the meat almost out of sight. Then put into the hot fat and cook quickly. Turn when half done. When done take it out of the pan and keep hot over boiling water while the gravy is making. Pour a little boiling water into the pan and stir in with the fat and the flour that has dropped from the meat. If there is not enough of this fat, add a little boiling water. Stir in a teaspoonful of lemon juice and the same of onion juice with a quarter teaspoonful of French mustard. Boil up once and pour over the steak. Cover, and let it stand in the open oven three minutes that the gravy may soak into the meat. You will be surprised to find that your cheap steak is equal to an expensive cut.