Contrary to popular belief, the term "London broil" actually refers to the method of cooking, not the type of meat. Preparing London broil means marinating a tough piece of beef (usually the flank or top round) before you bake it in the oven on high heat. This will result in a meat that is tender and juicy in every bite.
Ingredients
- 700 grams of flank meat or top round
- 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
- cup (60 ml) unsweetened red wine (dry red wine)
- cup (60 ml) balsam vinegar
- 1 tbsp. (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) honey
Makes 6 servings
Step
Method 1 of 4: Marinating Meat
Step 1. Mix the marinade ingredients
Use a large bowl to mix the garlic, red wine, salt, balsam vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. Whisk all ingredients until it forms a thick liquid.
- Chop the garlic with a sharp knife, or use a blender or food processor to grind it into a paste.
- To save time, place the liquid ingredients and salt in a blender along with the garlic, then run the blender until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
- You can replace the marinade ingredients with any seasoning you like. For an average-sized cut of meat, you should make approx. 240 ml of marinade.
Step 2. Pierce the steak with a meat fork or knife edge
Make a few small holes using the tool in the thickest part of the meat. By piercing it, the marinade will penetrate deeper into the meat, season it and make it tender from the inside out.
- This is especially useful if you don't have much time to marinate the meat.
- Making holes in the meat before adding the marinade is not a must. The acid in the vinegar will gradually break down the tough meat, even if you don't poke holes in it.
Step 3. Cover the steak with marinade
Place the steaks in the bottom of a large bowl, or in a plastic ziplock bag. Next, slowly pour in the marinade, making sure it hits all of the meat. When you're done, seal the plastic bag or wrap plastic wrap over the bowl to seal it.
For best results, the entire steak should be submerged. If you can't, put the meat in a smaller container, or add enough marinade to season it
Step 4. Marinade the steaks in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours
Ideally, you should leave it on for one night. If you can't do this, allow about 4-5 hours for the spices to soak into the meat, especially if you have holes in it. The longer the meat is marinated, the more the spices will seep into it.
- If you're marinating meat in a plastic bag, turn the bag over every few hours to allow the marinade to spread evenly.
- Don't marinate the meat for more than 24 hours as this can make it tough or the outside texture will become mushy and unappealing.
Method 2 of 4: Using a Toaster (Broiler)
Step 1. Heat the grill
Preheat the grill element while you are preparing the meat. Most ovens only have "On" and "Off" settings on the toaster. If your oven has a "High" and "Low" temperature setting, set the setting to "High".
- Always use a real baking pan, not a cake pan when you cook with the toaster element. Most baking pans have built-in racks to prevent dripping of the grease that could cause a fire.
- Coat the roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line the bottom with aluminum foil to prevent the meat from sticking.
Step 2. Drain the marinade that is sticking to the meat
Remove the steak from the refrigerator and drain the marinade. Alternatively, you can save the marinade to use as a glaze when the meat is cooked.
Do not apply marinade that has been used on cooked meat because it can contaminate the meat with harmful bacteria
Step 3. Transfer the steaks to the roasting pan
Carefully arrange the marinated meat on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the steaks so that they are level to prevent them from shifting, and ensure that the meat cooks evenly.
Step 4. Bake the steaks under direct heat for about 4-6 minutes
Place the baking sheet in the oven just below the grill. In order for the meat to cook evenly, you must heat it at the same time on both sides.
- If you like the meat to be rare (rarely raw), broil for 8 minutes (4 minutes on each side). Steaks grilled within 10 minutes will produce medium-rare meat (cooked on the outside, but raw on the inside). If you want medium-well (almost cooked) meat, cook London broil for 12 minutes.
- Set a timer so that you can limit the amount of cooking time.
Step 5. Flip the steak and continue cooking for 4 to 6 minutes
Remove the pan from the oven and turn the meat over with a fork or tongs and put it back in. Next, reset the timer in the same time as the first side.
- This is a good time to apply the remaining marinade to the London broil (if desired).
- Always hold the roasting pan with a napkin so your hands don't get hot.
Step 6. Check if the meat is done
Slice the thickest part of the meat and see what color is inside. The dark red color in the middle indicates that the meat is rare, while the pink color indicates that the meat is medium-rare. The meat is fully cooked when the center is dry and brown.
- To get a more accurate result, and to see if the London broil is actually ready to serve, use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature of the inside. As a guide, red meat should reach a temperature of around 65°C.
- Don't overcook London broil. The longer it cooks, the drier the meat becomes and loses its flavor once you take it out of the oven.
Step 7. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes before you serve it
Remove the pan from the oven and place on the stove or other heat-resistant area. This is to give the juices a chance to soak and make the meat reach a safe temperature for consumption. Do not handle the baking sheet or meat during this time as it can get very hot.
- When the London broil is ready to serve, slice it into thin strips against the grain of the meat. You can also cut it bit by bit as you would a regular steak.
- Place the remaining meat in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. If stored properly, meat can last for 3 to 4 days.
Method 3 of 4: Using a Conventional Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C
Set the oven to the " Bake " or " Convection " setting to reduce the overall cooking time by 5-10 minutes. To make the most of the time, preheat the oven while you prepare the meat.
If you choose the convection setting, reduce the oven temperature to 190 °C for more efficient heating. This way, the outside of the meat will not cook ahead of the inside
Step 2. Wrap the marinated meat in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet
After draining the marinade, place the meat in the center of the aluminum foil sheet. Fold both sides of the foil up to seal it. This will form a small package that will trap the heat and prevent the juicy juices of the juicy meat from escaping when you cook it.
- Make sure the package you make is not too tight. Even if you want to prevent the heat from escaping, the air inside the package must still circulate.
- If desired, add chopped greens to the package before you close it. You can add sliced bell peppers, onions, and other types of vegetables that cook quickly.
Step 3. Cook the meat for 45 to 50 minutes
Place the pan on the middle oven rack. Close the door and set a timer to let you know how long the meat is cooking.
- Because conventional ovens circulate heat more evenly than broiler elements, you don't need to turn the meat over when cooking it.
- After 45 to 50 minutes of cooking, you can get London broil of medium doneness. Reduce the time by 12 to 15 minutes to get the meat a little rare. You can increase the time by 10 to 15 minutes to get the meat close to perfectly cooked.
Step 4. Remove the London broil from the oven and unwrap the aluminum foil
Carefully unwrap the package from the corner with it facing you so that the steam escapes in the opposite direction. Once the steam is gone, open the package completely.
- Be careful when unwrapping the aluminum foil as the steam escaping is very hot. If necessary, use tongs or thick oven mitts to protect your hands.
- At this point, you can cut the steak into the size you want.
Step 5. Let the London broil sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving
Once it has cooled down a bit, cut the meat into thin slices against the grain. Sprinkle the liquid that has pooled at the bottom of the foil wrap over the meat for added flavor.
Store the remaining meat in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. Meat stored in the refrigerator will last for 3 to 4 days
Method 4 of 4: Cooking London Broil with the Pan-Searing Method
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C
In this method, you'll need to fry the outside of the London broil until brown in a skillet, then finish the process in the oven. It's a good idea to preheat the oven to get it to the right temperature when you're frying the meat.
- If the meat is more than 4-5 cm thick, raise the oven temperature to 180 °C.
- Cooking with these two methods is perfect for thick cuts of meat because it reduces the total cooking time. The less time it takes to cook the steak in a hot oven, the more juice it will contain.
Step 2. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet
Pour the oil into the skillet, and tilt the pan in all directions so that the entire surface is coated with oil. Turn on the stove and heat the skillet for 3 to 4 minutes until hot. When the oil starts to boil, you can add the meat.
For cooking methods such as pan-searing that use high heat, we recommend using an oil that has a high smoke point, such as virgin olive oil or canola oil. Remember, extra virgin olive oil or EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) does NOT have a high smoke point
Step 3. Fry the steaks until brown for 2-3 minutes on each side
Place the marinated meat in the hot skillet, pressing it flat against the surface of the pan. Two or three minutes later, peek at the underside of the meat to see if it's browned. If it has turned reddish-brown and appears slightly crusty from burning, flip the meat over and continue frying for another 2 to 3 minutes.
To prevent the oil from splattering, let the meat come to room temperature before you fry it and place it in the skillet with tongs or a fork
Step 4. Place the fried steak in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes
Remove the skillet from the stove and transfer it to the middle oven rack. Cook the meat until it reaches the desired level of doneness. It doesn't take long because you've already cooked it on the stove.
- Before adding the pan, make sure the pan you are using is safe to use in the oven. Not all cookware can withstand the heat of the oven.
- Make a shallow cut in the center of the meat, or use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature of the inside. If the temperature is below 60 °C, you will get rare done meat. Meat with a temperature of 68–71 °C means medium, and meat with a temperature of 74 °C or more means it is perfectly cooked.
Step 5. Let the London broil sit for 5 minutes
Turn off the oven, take out the skillet, and place it on the stove or other heat-resistant surface to cool it down. After a while, the meat will reach the ideal temperature to enjoy, with a crunchy and caramelized exterior and a soft, juicy inside.
- Always wear oven mitts or towels whenever you take something out of the oven.
- Food cooked by the pan-searing method is best enjoyed fresh. However, you can still store leftover London broil in an airtight container and refrigerate it. To get the best taste and texture, try to consume it within 3 to 4 days.
