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How’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 280,205 times. What exactly is a London Broil?
Culinary pundits agree that the dish isn’t even from London! What’s certain is this: London Broil is a flank steak dish that, when cooked correctly, is filling, flavorful, and nutritious. Though the London Broil can be cooked several different ways, marinating and slow-grilling the meat is an easy way to impart delectable texture and flavor. While good chefs can make a tasty London Broil from a cheap piece of meat, this can be challenging, so opt for a high-grade piece of beef whenever you can. If you’re unsure of which cuts of flank steak are the best, talk to your local butcher.
Note that some butchers may label a cut of meat called top round steak as London Broil, rather than flank steak. Flank steak sometimes has an unfair reputation as a tough, chewy, and flavorless cut of meat. However, this is only true if the meat is poorly-prepared. A number of ways can make flank steak tender before you even begin to cook it.
Hit it with a tenderizing mallet on a clean cutting board. This breaks up the meat’s tough muscle fibers, giving it a softer texture. Don’t use powdered meat tenderizers or tenderizing compounds containing extracts from papaya or pineapple fruits. Banging your flank steak with a hammer isn’t the only way to make it more tender.
We’ve included a few sample marinade recipes above. Finally, leave it in the fridge for at least a few hours. Usually, about half a day of marinating will allow the meat to absorb as much flavor as possible. To help the flank steak absorb its marinade, score the meat before marinating it.
Use a sharp knife to make a few X-shaped cuts on the surface of the meat about a half inch or so deep before applying the marinade. When the meat has marinaded a sufficient length of time, remove it from the refrigerator and let it start to warm to room temperature. While you wait, start your grill. Let it reach a medium heat before you cook your meat — you want the grill hot enough to give the meat an initial “searing”, but not so hot that it dries out your meat during cooking.