I like to save money. 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.The other day I came across a large flank steak that looked great, and I immediately thought of an easy London Broil recipe.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Marinade1 dayd
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, British
Keyword: Easy London Broil Recipe, London Broil in the Oven
Servings: 88 oz servings
Author: Don Herman
Ingredients
4lbsLondon Broil cut or thick flank steak3/4" to 1" thickness
Marinade
1/2cupSoy Sauce
3clovesGarlicminced
2tbspVegetable Oil
2tbspKetchupI use Annie's Naturals
1tbspOreganofresh, or 1 tsp dried
1tspPepperground
1-2tbspLemon Juice or Vinegaroptional, 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
Where the “London” came from is anyone’s guess, because it’s an American dish. I like it because it’s crazy-simple, but you do need one night to make it tender.We enjoy this with some organic green beans which were also on sale. Delicious!