London broil… the term has confused me for years. Being a steak-lover only in recent years, I’ve leaned mostly towards the popular tasty cuts everyone knows and loves. Rib-eyes, NY’s, skirt steak… all those goodies. So when Whole Foods told me London broil was the One Day Sale item this week (I create recipes using the sale items each week), I was a bit perplexed, I must say. Is it an English thing? Is it always broiled? I know I’ve seen it, but what is London about this usually inexpensive cut of meat??
So I researched. Turns out it has nothing to do with London, or even England for that matter, like at all. It’s a total North American thing. Also turns out it’s just a fancy name we’ve given to a very unfancy cut of meat… the top round. It’s lean. Oh man, is it lean. Which is why, I learned, a London broil is made a very particular way. Typically, it’s marinated for about 8 hours- a must given how lean and tough this meat would be otherwise, then is either broiled or grilled, and sliced against the grain- a must to help break down the tough fibers. There’s absolutely nothing fancy about this steak, but as I learned not once, but twice this week, it can be damn delicious when done right.
I started off with a simple marinade I came up with- an herby vinaigrette of sorts- and then attempted my first London broil. Because I’m stubborn, and more importantly, my oven is a brat, I refused to just broil the thing as suggested. I wanted to incorporate my ever-so-loved Alton Brown method of giving it a good sear in a very hot cast iron, then finishing it in the oven… that always works for me! And it did, kinda, but not as well as I’d wanted. I could tell what I’d made was no true London broil. So I gave it another go the very next day. I perfected my marinade, let it sit for 8 long hours, and then broiled the steak, simply and quickly. I was certain it wouldn’t work.. not in my jenky little oven. I watched it like a hawk, my face growing incrementally sadder by the lack of browning coming from the electric red bulbs above. But then, like magic, I flipped the thing, and just four little minutes later, I had myself a perfectly browned, plump, tender London broil steak. Turns out this whole LB method really does work. And man, it’s freaking delicious. Plop a little herbed ghee over the top, serve it up with some sides, and you’ve got yourself a meal.
There are plenty of options for sides along with a steak like this; I played with a few. One night, I made the sweet mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach from THIS recipe, along with a pile of garlic-sautéed assorted mushrooms. It’s a delicious combo. The next plate was made with a spin-off of those sides- some garlic and herb mashed potatoes and some sautéed kale. Also delicious. Like freakishly so. 🙂
INGREDIENTS
for the steak…
1 1.5 – 2 lb London broil steak
3 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
2 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
for the herbed ghee…
2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
1 tsp finely chopped herbs (I like basil, oregano, and parsley)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Add all of the marinade ingredients to a small bowl
A note about worcestershire…
It can be tough to find it with good ingredients- read those labels!
If you aren’t doing sugar or for any reason, just don’t want it in there, you can skip it,
but I find this brand is both affordable and
made with high quality ingredients AND it adds a good little burst of flavor 🙂
Stir the marinade, taste, and adjust as you may want
Add the steak to a large sealable bag, then pour the marinade over it
Massage it in there to really soak that steak, then plop the bag in the fridge for 8-10 hours
Remove the steak about 30 minutes before cooking…
meat should be at room-temp so it cooks evenly and deliciously
Preheat the broiler
Line a baking sheet with foil, then set the steak on a rack over the top
(Easy cleanups are the best!)
Place the steak under the broiler for approx 4-5 minutes, then flip for the remaining 4-5 minutes
Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the steak…
for a 1.5 lb steak, 8 minutes should be rare, while 10 is closer to medium
I usually use the finger test to see if my steaks are ready 🙂
Let your steak rest…
Steaks need about 10 minutes to chill before being cut into
Please, pretty please, don’t hack into it before then… you’ll lose so much goodness 🙂
(If you’re making the herbed-ghee, scroll down and whip that up while the steak is resting!)
Slice the steak into thin pieces against the grain
Plate the steak with whatever sides you like
I love it with the mashed sweet potatoes and spinach from THIS recipe 🙂
If you’d like to make the herbed ghee…
Finely chop the herbs
Add the herbs, salt, and pepper to the ghee
Stir it all together, then refrigerate until use
Serve a little scoop of herbed ghee over the steak …
it should melt on its own, but you can heat it up to melt it if you’d like too
That’s it- dig in and enjoy!
