An easy London Broil recipe for your oven. Get spectacular results from an inexpensive cut of meat. All you need is time to marinate. And this recipe.
I hate waste. To me, waste represents the absolute worst thing we can do to the environment. After all the work of production, all the energy that’s been used in creating something to eat or wear or use . . . to then see it thrown away is just a terrible shame. That’s where this Easy London Broil recipe comes in.
I like to save money, too. So when I’m shopping at my local market, I always check the markdown bins for items that the store has decided to move along for some reason or other. The meat bin is one I check every time. With a little discretion, you can find some great bargains if you’re ready to take it home and cook it immediately.
London Broil is Flank Steak
The other day I came across a large flank steak that looked great, and I immediately thought of an Easy London Broil recipe.
Where the “London” came from is anyone’s guess, because it’s an American dish – ask for it in London and you’ll get a laugh or a blank stare.
Flank steak is perfect for a London Broil. It can be a tough piece of meat if not cooked properly. It’s a lean meat, which means it’s protein fibers aren’t broken up by fat marbling. So you need to use some specific techniques to make it work for you. And a marinated London Broil is just perfect.
Marinating meat is an age-old technique for tenderizing and adding flavor to a normally tough cut. There are health benefits to marinating as well – a marinated cut is protected from the very harsh flames of a broiler or grill, and the meat doesn’t form the unhealthy burned compounds that can be created without an oil coating.
Marinades are as varied as there are spices in your cupboard. You really just need oil + acid. In this case, the acid is lemon juice or vinegar – two of the most common. But any fruit juice will do, as well as any high-heat oil. And the spices are really up to you.
Time to Marinate
You want to give it time to do it’s magic, and you need to do what you can to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. I show you a piercing technique here, which works well. Or, if you don’t have all night, you can get one of these quick marinators. Some are just good-quality containers that are made to flip easily. Others use a vacuum to lower the pressure inside the container, which draws the marinade up into any fissures or holes in the meat. I like this style because you can set them in the refrigerator. They have other tumbler styles which require you to leave the meat outside the fridge, which I don’t think is such a great idea.
This recipe is my most popular recipe on Baking Naturally, so I can confidently recommend it to you. But I have many other kitchen-tested recipes that I’m sure you will enjoy. Try this Oven-Baked Country Style Ribs recipe the next time you find them on sale. You’ll be glad you did.
Easy London Broil Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs London Broil cut or thick flank steak 3/4″ to 1″ thickness
Marinade
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tbsp Ketchup I use Annie’s Naturals
- 1 tbsp Oregano fresh, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp Pepper ground
- 1-2 tbsp Lemon Juice or Vinegar optional, your choice
Instructions
- The trick is in the scoring of the meat. Flank and/or broil is less expensive because it tends to be tough. But you can fix that easily by marinating the meat overnight or longer before broiling. But you have to get the marinade into the meat. You do that by scoring liberally.And I mean LIBERALLY. I lay the meat on a cutting board, take a fork and start punching the meat all the way through to the board, turning the fork 1/4 turn every so often. When you’re done with one side, flip the meat over and do it all again. Your meat should look like the photo.
- Some people need more acid in the marinade, so you could throw in a few tablespoons of lemon juice or some version of vinegar, but I haven’t found it necessary.
- I have a meat marinade container that I inherited from my mom via some age-old Tupperwear party, but you can use a simple ziplock-style baggie or a glass baking dish as a marinade container. Place all the ingredients in the container and set it in the fridge overnight. With all the scoring, you’ll find most of the marinade will be drawn into the meat, requiring little “flipping” during the process.
- When you’re ready to cook the meat, preheat your oven broiler and the broiler pan for about 10 minutes. Place the meat on the pan and slide under the broiler – about four inches from the flame. Depending on the thickness of your cut, London broil only needs four to five minutes of cooking time on each side. I use a timer to help me keep track of flipping. DO NOT OVERCOOK – this isn’t a cut you can serve well-done, sorry! It will be tough as shoe-leather. It should be warm, but bright pink in the middle for medium rare; fainter pink for medium.
- Let the meat rest for five minutes before carving. When carving, cut across the grain of the meat . (Try pulling the meat apart with your fingers from different directions – when you see it beginning to separate, you’ve found the grain direction. You need to cut across those cracks) . You’ll know you’re doing it right if the slices cut cleanly and the meat doesn’t tear.
Notes
Check out these alternative marinades – there’s a little something for everyone!
Huli Huli Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 3/4 cup Ketchup
- 3/4 cup Soy Sauce Reduced-sodium
- 1/3 cup Sherry or Chicken Broth
- 2 1/2 tsp Fresh Gingerroot minced
- 1 1/2 tsp Garlic minced
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Northwoods Marinade
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Honey-Garlic Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Orange-Spice Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate thawed
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Ranch Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sour Cream
- 1 env Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
- 4 tsp Lemon Juice
- 4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Celery Salt
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Heavenly Greek Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 tsp Lemon Zest grated
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Southwest Chili Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Balsamic Mustard Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Balsamic Vinegar
- 4 tsp Ground Mustard
- 2 1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Ginger-Peach Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Peach Preserves
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Crystallized Ginger finely chopped
- 2 tsp Lemon Zest grated
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
Tangy Barbecue Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 cup Barbecue Sauce your choice
- 1/2 cup Burgundy wine or Beef Broth
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Combine all and use as marinade. Discard after use.
I’ve made this twice. The first time I didn’t let it marinate long enough, but the second time I used a portion that I had frozen previously, and marinated for a full day. It turned out amazing!!
Nice! Yes, if you have more time, you can marinate even two days. Glad you enjoyed it.
Hey Don:
Thank you for reminding me of this. Less-tender cuts of meat do, indeed, taste delicious when they’re tenderized and marinated overnight.
My other favorite is slow-cooking, turning the temperature down way low (300 to 350 degrees) and letting everything cook slow, slow, slow until the tough bits turn melt-in-your-mouth.
The only problem with that one is that it tends to drive everybody crazy. The smells emanating from the oven are hard to take. (Is it done yet?)
Haha! Oh yes, I’ve had that happen. We tend to eat at 4:30 when I’ve been baking all day. And yes, slow-cooking for tough cuts is the way to go – it’s amazing how good they can turn out with just the right prep work.
This looks really good. I like the idea of taking a fork and puncturing the London Broil. It looks like you put quite a few holes in it. I am going to have to try this technique. The Broil looks amazing and I actually think I am going to go out and buy some just so I can try this. Looks fantastic and easy to do. Thank you for the instructions, I promise not to over cook it.
Haha! Yeah, you don’t want to over-broil this bad boy. And you’ll find punching with the fork is a good way to drive out your aggressions. 🙂