Here's The 1 Ingredient Secret To Tender London Broil
Don’t let the name fool you—London broil is a dish that’s American through and through. Most likely hailing from Philadelphia, this recipe calls for marinating and grilling or broiling a thick, lean cut of beef until it’s medium-rare, then slicing as thin as you can for a tender bite. The name is thought to come from an attempt to make a leaner cut seem more appealing and high-class, which is a pretty genius marketing feat. But honestly, London broil can hold its own. It’s affordable, easy, and a great blank canvas for adding flavor with a marinade before cooking and a little bit of roasted garlic and herb butter after cooking.
What cut of meat is best for tender London broil?
London broil isn’t a specific cut, but rather a general term for a thick, lean cut of beef that’s marinated and broiled. Lean cuts come from the back end of the cow, where the muscles put in a lot of work, meaning they’ll be tougher than cuts found in the center of the cow. London broil can be anything from top round to flank to flat-iron steak but in testing, we found flank steak to be the most tender.
What kind of marinade should I use?
You can let your imagination run wild as long as you remember one thing—the marinade needs acid. Tough, fatless cuts like the ones used for London broil need a good soak in some sort of acidic liquid to help break down some of the tougher muscle fibers on the outer layer of the meat. The marinade won’t penetrate the meat more than a few millimeters but it will help tenderize the layer that you’ll be sinking your teeth into first. Lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, and even mustard can serve as an acidic component to your marinade. The combination of vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce that we used lends the perfect blend of umami and tang with a touch of sweetness.
What temperature should you cook London broil to?
Since it’s on the tough side, London broil is at its best when it’s rare or medium-rare. The marinade takes care of tenderizing the outside but the only way to have a tender inside is to cook it to the right temperature. Knowing when to remove it from the heat is the key to getting your beef cooked just how you like it. As the meat rests, it will continue to cook with the temperature rising at least another 5°, so that means pulling it from the heat a little bit earlier than you might think. Check out the chart below to see what temperature your thermometer should read right before you pull the steak from the oven:
—Rare: 120°
—Medium-rare: 125°
—Medium: 130°
—Medium-well: Try this rib eye recipe instead 🙂
—Well done: 🥲
In truth, if you prefer your meat cooked medium-well or well done, London broil just isn’t the cut for you. Cooked anywhere past medium, the super-lean meat won’t be tender enough to balance the lack of fat, and no matter how thin you slice it, it’ll have the texture of wood chips.
Storage:
This lean cut of meat is best enjoyed right after broiling. It'd be tough to rewarm without drying out. But it can be marinated for up to 8 hours if you're planning ahead.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb.
top round, flank, or flat-iron steak (about 1 1/2" thick)
1 tbsp.
dark brown sugar
1 tbsp.
Dijon mustard
1 tbsp.
fish sauce
1 tbsp.
white wine vinegar
1 tbsp.
Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c.
plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4
cloves garlic
4 tbsp.
unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp.
chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tbsp.
thinly sliced chives
Directions
Place steak on a cutting board and pat dry. Using a fork, poke holes all over meat, 10 to 15 on each side. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag.
In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, mustard, fish sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire, and 1/4 cup oil. Pour into bag and seal, pressing out air. Refrigerate, flipping bag every few hours so marinade is evenly distributed, at least 1 hour or up to 8.
Place a rack in upper third of oven; heat broiler to high. Remove steak from marinade and wipe off any excess; season all over with salt and pepper. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; arrange meat on rack.
Broil steak 5 minutes, flip, and continue to broil, watching closely, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125° for medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes more. Let rest on cutting board 10 minutes, then slice against the grain.
While steak is resting, place garlic on baking sheet and drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Broil, watching closely, until garlic browns and softens, 2 to 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine roasted garlic, butter, parsley, and chives; season with salt.
Transfer steak to a platter. Serve with garlic butter alongside.
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