London broil is a beef dish made by broiling marinated beef, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. Despite its name, the top round steak london broil and the terminology are North American, not British.
London broil” originally referred to broiled flank steak, although modern butchers may label top round, coulotte, or other cuts as “London broil”, and the term has come to refer more to a method of preparation and cookery than to a specific cut of meat. The preparation of London broil typically involves marinating the meat for several hours followed by high heat searing in an oven broiler or outdoor grill. It is then served in thin slices, cut across the grain. In parts of central Canada, a ground meat patty wrapped in flank or round steak is known as a London broil. Some butchers will wrap the flank steak around a concoction of seasoned and ground or tenderized flank steak.
Others sell a pork sausage patty wrapped in flank or top round steak labeled as London broil. London broil – Definition of London broil in English by Oxford Dictionaries”. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Beard on food: a Feast of Gastronomic Inspirations, Cooking Ideas, and Irresistible New Recipes.
Once upon time, flank steak was considered a lowly cut of beef, often discarded or ground into hamburger. While flank steak had a loyal fan base in Tex-Mex and Southwest cooking styles, home chefs in other parts of the United States were puzzled over how to prepare it. Toss it on the grill and you’d end up with a tasteless, chewy hunk of meat. Make the mistake of cutting it with the grain and you may as well be serving shoe leather. In the case of flank steak, we learned how to marinate and slice the bargain-priced cut of meat to make sizzling fajitas and overstuffed burritos.
Fast forward a few decades and that once lowly cut of meat with an equally low price point is now one of the most popular beef cuts in the United States. In most major markets, you’ll find it priced at, or near, the cost per pound for grill-favorite sirloin strip steak. It’s good to know you have options when it comes to buying meat that’s affordable and tastes great. And in a pinch you can follow this guide with 10 worthy swaps for flank steak that cook up and taste just as good. It comes from the plate of the cow, which, as Texas Monthly says, is located in the center of the steer just below the ribeye. Although it has a higher fat content, skirt steak still has a tendency to get tough when it’s prepared.
