London Broil Steak

London Broil is not a type of meat or a cut of meat; the name refers to the technique used to cook it. It can be flank steak or almost any other cut. But it usually is a cut of meat that is not too tender, and requires marinading and quick cooking.

Try to avoid marinating it in processed foods like prepared salad dressing. They usually contain sugars and other things that are not necessary in a marinade. You simply need an oil and an acid (olive oil, or regular vegetable oil, and the acid can be red wine, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar). I would suggest maybe 4 parts oil to 1 part acid. You could put the meat into a ziploc bag, add enough marinade to cover it, and let the meat thaw in that all afternoon.

Heat a skillet to quite hot, with a little oil in it. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Cook the meat in the hot skillet about 3 minutes per side, until it's nicely browned. If your London Broil is an inch thick, that should be enough. If you have a London Broil that is 2 inches or so, put the meat into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

But whether you use the oven or not, let the meat sit, covered in foil, for at least 5 minutes after cooking, before you slice it. And don't use a fork to turn it or transfer it to a platter. Use tongs so you don't lose any of those juices. Then slice it thinly on a diagonal, against the grain (slicing the meat on the short end, not the long side).

Yup :) All the time.

I usually use a bottom round or medallion.

I make a garlic, salt, herb paste (thyme mostly, with a little bit of parsley) with olive oil. Rub it all over and let it sit for a few minutes to an hour. ((I almost never do it an hour ahead of time, but I usually get the paste on, peel the potatoes and get them boiling, then grab the LB)).

I sear the bejeebers out of it in a cast iron skillet that was heating up while I messed with the potatoes. Sear all sides, including ends. Then I broil in the cast iron skillet for 11-22 minutes (until internal temp = 125). I usually make sauteed greens; broccoli raab, chard, whatever) and those take about 10 minutes, so the time works out.

Pull it out at 125, and let it rest for 15 minutes (this is when I'm messing with the potatoes, yet again, mashing etc. Then I cover the potatoes and take a 10 minute break and go sit and read a book.) After 15 minutes it's heated up to 135/140 and is med-rare.

Leeky Potatoes: ((Goes REALLY well with red meat and osso bucco, the potatoes have this light vibrant note that pairs with red meat in a different but similar way to chimichurri))

-Do the potato peel and boil thing
-Wash leeks to a faretheewel. (I cut mine in half *almost*, or cut in quarters, and feather to get out the dirt)
-Chop said leeks, and rinse in a collander
-Heat up a little bit (or a lot) of butter in a pan and saute until nearly translucent but DO NOT CARAMELIZE. Aka, sautee on lowish and stir a bunch.
-Add about 1cup of chicken stock (enough to cover... but it really depends on how many potatoes you're cooking, I usually do 5-7lbs)
-Let simmer until leeks are totally translucent and soft.
-Mash potatoes in pot w/ butter... they should be kind of dryish
-Pour in leeks and chicken stock
-Mash some more
-If they aren't quite perfect, add a little more chicken stock. ((It's dicey adding stock to potatoes, though, too many and they switch from perfectly moist / fluffy to soupy. There's no coming back from soupy -I've tried-, so add stock only a little at a time)).
-Cover w/ pot lid until you're ready to eat. They'll stay hot/warm for a good 30-40 minutes

Sauteed Greens: My son prefers milder ones like chard or brocolli raab, so that's what we usually have, but any green works. The garlic in the greens does a great "blend". The garlic pairs with the garlic in the meat, the greens pair with the vibrant note in the potatoes. Anyhow, it ends up being a great combo.

Wash, devein greens, or chop the woody stalks off the raab.
Ring pan w/ olive oil a couple times
Add some chopped or sliced garlic
Add greens
Toss once to distribute the oil, garlic, greens
Stir occasionally after that. The less you stir, the more volume you get, but a giant overflowing pan of greens shrinks to one small plate very quickly
Season with rather a lot of kosher salt and pepper. I serve mine at room temp, so there's no rush on them.

Some other good combos are baked white or orange carrots (so easy; wash, don't peel, bake until skooshy, about 30min... beets take about the same time and add a sweet note), fresh radishes w/ salt, fresh peas w just a little olive oil.

Honestly, if you haven't even thawed it yet.... (it happens ;) ) I would consider saving it for until tomorrow. I really think waiting would be worth it. You can still pull it out at lunch, and when it is thawed this evening put the spice rubs that the other ladies mentioned. Cover it, and let it sit over night.

As for recipes, I agree with the other answers, and for the cut, typically not too tender, I usually crock pot it.

Great tips and recipes, ladies!
KATIE

We have london broil a lot. I use Lawry's Steak and Chop marinade! Love it!

I've also used ketchup, minced garlic and soy sauce. Sounds weird but it is really good!

We use Italian dressing sometimes too.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

As long as you marinate it for several hours in something acidic (a marinade made with lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar, or some will just use a can of stewed tomatoes), it will come out tender.
Use your microwave to thaw it quick at lunch so it can soak in a marinade till supper time.

The most important part of cooking a london broil is the marinate. I always cross-score the meat and marinate at least 4 hours... usually overnight. After cross-scoring (making shallow cuts in the meat diagonally, then across the other diagonal, on both sides of the steak), I combine a little olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag and include the scored meat, covering the whole steak with the marinate. Back in the fridge for a few hours, then broil for about 10-12 minutes per side... more or less, depending on size of the steak and your preference. The scoring and marinate make for a tasty, tender meal. Enjoy!

The last time I cooked it I used this recipe and it came out soo soo good!
http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/174584/karls-london-broil

Just use whatever spices you have on hand, can't go wrong with this one. Now I want to get a london broil, LOL.