Cheap Eats: What's the Deal with London Broil?

Perusing the meat section at the grocery store this weekend, we spotted an inexpensive package marked "London Broil." It looked like a flat skirt or flank steak with long muscle fibers and very little marbling. We've definitely heard of london broil before, but had trouble placing it. What do you usually cook with london broil?

After doing some research at home, we discovered that we definitely aren't alone in our confusion! The main debate seems to be whether this is an actual cut of meat or if it is, in fact, a cooking technique.

In the United States, the consensus seems to be that a London broil is usually a cut from the top round. But it can also sometimes refer to flank steak or any other cut that isn't from the loin region (where T-bones, Porterhouses, and filet mignon are from), but isn't large enough to call a roast (which are usually 4 pounds or more).

The cooking method "London broil" involves marinating flank steak and then grilling it or broiling it. The cooked steak is then thinly sliced across the grain so that it's easier to chew.

If you see a cut labeled "London broil" at the supermarket, it's a good candidate for this marinating and grilling cooking method. You could also use it for stews or smaller braises. London broils, flank steak, and top round steaks are all generally less expensive because they are tough and lean. On the plus side, they have a great beef flavor!

Are you familiar with London broil? How do you cook it?

(Image: Flickr member adactio licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (30)

When I was growing up, I rarely knew of any steak that was not London Broil. We never marinated it, just brushed it with some worchester sauce and into the broiler. These days, I do use some marinade to soften it up and add flavor, but it still goes under the broiler and gets cut into thin slices. Very tasty main dish!

I bought one of these for a special dinner with my boyfriend! The purveyor at the farmer's market told me to sear it briefly and finish it off under the broiler. The result was incredibly tough, almost inedible meat. I'm not knockin' the cut; surely it's delicious when cooked properly. But it has the potential to be very tough and needs to be sliced thin against the grain.

I sear the meat in a pan then finish it off in the oven. Flank steak should be cooked only to medium rare and sliced thinly across the grain, otherwise it would be too tough. Any leftover slices are stir-fried to make beef and broccoli.

I purchased a London Broil about two months ago because it was really cheap and I wanted to test it out. I marinated it and then threw it on the grill and cut it like a flank steak. We served it with beets and something else. The leftovers were then used to make tacos and it was SO good! It's on sale again and on my grocery list.

We had this about every other week when I was growing up!

Take a bottle of Italian salad dressing and dump enough in a ziplock bag along with the steak to effectively coat/cover it. Let it marinate for at least 4 hours (my mom would put it in the bag in the morning, cook it off for dinner).

Then put the steak on a broiler sheet, under the broiler on high...and WATCH IT. You're only going to cook it 15-18 minutes or so. Cut it thinly across the grain (like in the above photo) and tah-daaa! Yum yum yum...

London broil has long been my family's holiday family meal, instead of pot roast or a leg of lamb or another turkey or something. It's one of my favorite things. We just marinade it in something for one to two days and slap it under the broiler. Usually have it with twice baked potatoes or something. I always have to sneak the seared corner pieces while carving.

The dining hall in my college dorm used to serve London Broil once a week, and it was one of my all time favorite meals. (Yes, my dorm actually served great food...probably a little TOO good, juding from the extra pudge that some people gained, ha.) They always served it with mint jelly and au jus, with roasted new potatoes on the side, and it was incredibly tender and flavorful.

This post brings me right back--I'll have to give it a whirl in my own kitchen and see how it turns out!

London Broil was the beef option at our wedding - it was delicious and very inexpensive.

My mom cooked London Broil all through growing up on Long Island (she's from Ohio). She used to marinate it in bottled Italian dressing way back in the day and then progressed to using olive oil, lemon juice, s p, and some herbs before grilling or broiling it. I broil it myself (no grill) about 8 minutes per side and then let it rest before slicing across the grain (my dad's the best at this). London Broil has always been a very plentiful cut here on the south shore of Long Island.
Nancy
http://testkitchentte.wordpress.com

my family (also from Ohio) always marinated it in a mixture of essentially bottled italian dressing with Worcestershire sauce for a little kick, topped off with mushrooms that had been pan cooked in lots of butter. As an adult now, I've been using olive oil, garlic & herbs, vinegar or lemon juice, Worcestershire & soy sauces. I still love the mushrooms!

I prepare London broil by method often, but because it's such an inexpensive cut, I also use it for things like beef and broccoli, stir fries, and steak sandwiches! Such a versatile piece of meat for the money.

I slice a pattern of diamonds about a 1/4 in. deep all over both sides. Then I season with a good salt and cracked pepper - ONLY! Let it rest while the grill get REALLY HOT. Grill it fast and hot alternating sides until both sides get two shots at the grill face [try to mimic those slice marks from before]. To me a good London Broil will be caramelized well on the exterior while rare inside. Let it rest under foil for at least 8 mins, slice it against the grain and if cooked properly, on the juices from the meat will be needed [and available] for a sauce.

London Broil should be about the beef and the beef alone.

Very familiar, this was one of my mother's staples. She'd never marinate the same way twice. A ginger teriyaki one night, or soy sauce and sesame oil, or a simple Worcestershire (thanks, spell-check) and onions...any salty marinade works well. Slice thin. Not a fancy meal, good suburban mom meal with simple potatoes and a veggie. Makes excellent sandwiches the next day. Yummm.

**sorry, forgot cooking. As the name implies, broil on high! A fast cooker, and the richer and blacker the outside, the better!

Stickyheels! It's like we're longlost sisters! (or siblings. the heels threw me off. Now if it was tarheels...)

My mom also marinated in italian dressing (the come that comes in a dry seasoning pack and that you mix with water, oil and vinegar) then grilled it. SO GOOD

Great on it's own with vegetables, really good leftover on a salad (warm or cold), great sandwiches the next day. Tacos sounds amazing but we never did that when I was little.

haha @percent - the heels actually does stand for tarheels! sticky=tar! Born & bred, educated, and still living in my wonderful state of NC :) and yes - we can be sisters...especially since you mentioned the cold steak on a salad...it was my FAVORITE leftovers!

this was something i grew up eating, one of my favorites always buy it when i see it at a good price, i usually have to look for smaller cuts since its just for me and i dont think it freezes well, best made fresh!

Just put some salt, pepper, maybe garlic powder on it. Or marinate in a bit of olive oil and mushed fresh garlic before grilling (or in the colder months, sticking under the broiler) for a few minutes on each side. should be pretty rare

Goes great with just some bruschetta

Like Ponjeng and bethany I always use the leftovers for stirfry as it never reheats well.

I grew up eating London Broil and love it. Don't overcook it, but so good with a marinade either grilled or under the broiler. I love it with Bernaise Sauce and sauteed mushrooms & onions.

I typically marinate and broil or grill this very tough cut, and yet, cut it on the bias across fibers in very thin pieces.

In my house, it was the way the flank steak was made that made it London Broil. I'm not sure my mum's exact recipe, but I know it has a base of soy sauce and marmalade. London Broil is a classic camping dish for me - mum would stick the steak in a giant freezer bag with the marinade a couple of days before we left on our trip, and then transfer it to the cooler before we left, so that it was well marinated and delicious for our first night in the woods!

We cook this just as we would flank steak: a nice marinade (soy based or otherwise) overnight, at high heat on the grill or under the broiler, let it rest for a bit, then sliced thin on the bias. Leftovers go in a salad or fajitas/tacos later in the week. It's quite economical and makes an appearance regularly at our table.

Ordinarily, I make everything from scratch. However, Allegro marinade (you can find it online or in some grocery stores) is perfect for London broil (or flank steak). Everyone we serve it to loves it, and it makes me sometimes wonder why I make anything from scratch...It always gets rave reviews from our dinner guests.

We marinade ours for about 24 hours. Then we grill it (in summer) or I sear it (colder months) on the stove and then finish it off in a HOT oven (450-475-500, whatever your oven can handle). Takes about 15-20 minutes, start to finish. We serve it medium rare (sometimes rare, if we have some adventurous folks at our table). The middle will be the rarest, the outside edges the most done, so there is usually a "doneness" for everyone. Like against the grain in thin slices, and you're good to go (obviously, let it rest after cooking--I feel like I should mention this, but I'm sure this is a "duh" technique I don't need to remind everyone of in this community!) :) Usually, we serve it with roasted red potatoes (with fresh herbs like rosemary that we fry in oil and then sprinkle over top, or fresh dill or thyme), and a big salad or wilted greens dish.

Leftovers (if there are any--we plan for it, but often it all gets eaten at dinner!) make incredible steak sandwiches. We make them on crusty rolls from the bakery with homemade mayo, grilled onions, a little horseradish, and a tomato for my husband, as I'm not a tomato fan. Soo good!

I haven't eaten meat for three years, and I never ate that much red meat, but suddenly I miss the steaks my dad used to grill when I was little. Maybe this is worth looking at! They sell a good brand of ethically/sustainably/etc-raised beef at the grocery store~

"London Broil" has always been one of those confusing terms for me too. It's not really a cut of meat as far as I can tell. I think most of the time they sell cuts from the round as london broil so I avoid it. I will use flank steak or flat iron steak in the same style (broiled medium/med. rare and sliced thinly against the grain).

i haven't had london broil in a long time, and now i'm suddenly craving it. i marinate it in a mixture of balsamic, soy, worcestershire, a little olive oil, and dried basil and oregano. i got the recipe off foodnetwork.com. i think it was either a bobby flay or tyler florence creation.

i can often find the meat for $1.99 or so/lb, and after an 8 hr soak, the flavor is amazing. for sure, though, anyone who likes meat cooked past med-rare will not dig it.

Aw, my grandma used to make this once a week while I was growing up. I never really differentiated it from flank steak (she seemed to interchange the names, although maybe they were actually different and sometimes she made one, and other times the other). Anyway, I always liked it a lot. I should ask her what she says the difference is.

The London Broils I have always bought were much thicker than a Flank steak. 1 - 1.5 inches thick. We always cooked them in the crock pot. Simply rub with a chili powder mix and add a can or two of tomatoes and green chilis maybe a tablespoon of vinegar and a chopped onion. Then you just cook it on low all day long and come home to a wonderful smell. To serve simply shred the meat over rice (or other grains) or you can roll in a tortilla with cheese and refried or black beans. Very much like a chipotle burrito. One of my favorite quick crock pot meals.

My mom loves reading all the grocery circulars, and buys too too too much london broil when it goes on sale. She marinates them in olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic, and then freezes it right in the marinade. She and my dad will grill 365 days a year (in Boston!!!) so they'll take one out in the morning, let it defrost for 8 hours or so, grill it til just med rare and all of us adult kids will just mysteriously show up for dinner. The only way there are leftovers is if they cook 2!

Oh, so yummy, but so not on my cooking repertoire -- London broil, for some strange reason, always leaves my stomach in AGONY.

Score it and marinate in soy sauce, a little honey, garlic, ginger and oil overnight. Grill to medium well. Delicious.