Marinated London Broil Steak w/Optional Herbed Ghee

London broil… the term has confused me for years.  Being a steak-lover only in recent years, I’ve leaned mostly towards the popular tasty cuts everyone knows and loves.  Rib-eyes, NY’s, skirt steak… all those goodies.  So when Whole Foods told me London broil was the One Day Sale item this week (I create recipes using the sale items each week), I was a bit perplexed, I must say.  Is it an English thing?  Is it always broiled?  I know I’ve seen it, but what is London about this usually inexpensive cut of meat??

 

So I researched.  Turns out it has nothing to do with London, or even England for that matter, like at all.  It’s a total North American thing.  Also turns out it’s just a fancy name we’ve given to a very unfancy cut of meat… the top round.  It’s lean.  Oh man, is it lean.  Which is why, I learned, a London broil is made a very particular way.  Typically, it’s marinated for about 8 hours- a must given how lean and tough this meat would be otherwise, then is either broiled or grilled, and sliced against the grain- a must to help break down the tough fibers.  There’s absolutely nothing fancy about this steak, but as I learned not once, but twice this week, it can be damn delicious when done right.  

 

I started off with a simple marinade I came up with- an herby vinaigrette of sorts- and then attempted my first London broil.  Because I’m stubborn, and more importantly, my oven is a brat, I refused to just broil the thing as suggested.  I wanted to incorporate my ever-so-loved Alton Brown method of giving it a good sear in a very hot cast iron, then finishing it in the oven… that always works for me!  And it did, kinda, but not as well as I’d wanted.  I could tell what I’d made was no true London broil.  So I gave it another go the very next day.  I perfected my marinade, let it sit for 8 long hours, and then broiled the steak, simply and quickly.  I was certain it wouldn’t work.. not in my jenky little oven.  I watched it like a hawk, my face growing incrementally sadder by the lack of browning coming from the electric red bulbs above.  But then, like magic, I flipped the thing, and just four little minutes later, I had myself a perfectly browned, plump, tender London broil steak.  Turns out this whole LB method really does work.  And man, it’s freaking delicious.  Plop a little herbed ghee over the top, serve it up with some sides, and you’ve got yourself a meal. 

There are plenty of options for sides along with a steak like this; I played with a few.  One night, I made the sweet mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach from THIS recipe, along with a pile of garlic-sautéed assorted mushrooms.  It’s a delicious combo.  The next plate was made with a spin-off of those sides- some garlic and herb mashed potatoes and some sautéed kale.  Also delicious.  Like freakishly so.  🙂

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

for the steak…

1 1.5 – 2 lb London broil steak

3 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)

2 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp finely minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

for the herbed ghee…

2 tbsp ghee (or butter)

 1 tsp finely chopped herbs (I like basil, oregano, and parsley)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Add all of the marinade ingredients to a small bowl

A note about worcestershire…

It can be tough to find it with good ingredients- read those labels! 

If you aren’t doing sugar or for any reason, just don’t want it in there, you can skip it,

but I find this brand is both affordable and

made with high quality ingredients AND it adds a good little burst of flavor 🙂

 

Stir the marinade, taste, and adjust as you may want

Add the steak to a large sealable bag, then pour the marinade over it

Massage it in there to really soak that steak, then plop the bag in the fridge for 8-10 hours

Remove the steak about 30 minutes before cooking…

meat should be at room-temp so it cooks evenly and deliciously

Preheat the broiler

Line a baking sheet with foil, then set the steak on a rack over the top

(Easy cleanups are the best!)

Place the steak under the broiler for approx 4-5 minutes, then flip for the remaining 4-5 minutes

Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the steak…

for a 1.5 lb steak, 8 minutes should be rare, while 10 is closer to medium

I usually use the finger test to see if my steaks are ready 🙂 

Let your steak rest…

Steaks need about 10 minutes to chill before being cut into

Please, pretty please, don’t hack into it before then… you’ll lose so much goodness 🙂

(If you’re making the herbed-ghee, scroll down and whip that up while the steak is resting!)

Slice the steak into thin pieces against the grain 

Plate the steak with whatever sides you like  

I love it with the mashed sweet potatoes and spinach from THIS recipe 🙂

 If you’d like to make the herbed ghee…

Finely chop the herbs

Add the herbs, salt, and pepper to the ghee

Stir it all together, then refrigerate until use

Serve a little scoop of herbed ghee over the steak …

it should melt on its own, but you can heat it up to melt it if you’d like too

That’s it- dig in and enjoy!