Barbecue Tricks

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What Is London Broil

london broilYou may have wondered what London Broil really is.  It’s not really a special cut of beef or from a particular part of the cow.  It’s actually a STYLE of cooking or grilling a piece of beef.  Typically London Broil is Flank steak but not necessarily.

Many times (like in the above London Broil video) the supermarket will use or label a top round steak/roast as London Broil.

So Just What Is A London Broil?

In North America London Broil is basically an affordable cut of beef – marinated – grilled and sliced thin.

In Canada London Broil is thought of as a ground meat patty wrapped in flank or round steak is known as a London broil.

Ironically, the dish is unknown in the English city of London.

In general the meat will be a tough cut, but generally affordable.

You can go from tough to tender by following a few general tricks and tips for the BBQ.

First pound it with a meat mallet.  In a way – not to be gross –  it’s almost pre-chewing it.  Break up the tough fibers a bit.  Don’t worry about the meat looking mashed.  In the end your BBQ will still look pristine.  If it’s a larger cut just hit it harder!   Good stress relief.   Tip:  wrap the meat in plastic wrap to avoid splatters.

Next, use a  marinade like this Steak Marinade to soften the newly damaged fibers.  Any high acid marinade will aid the tenderizing effects.

Then use what’s called the reverse sear – cook it slow to an internal temp of about 120 — then pull it off until the the center just starts to lower and finish the cook with a fast sear direct over red hot heat.

Finally, let the cooked meat rest for five to ten minutes or so before slicing AGAINST the grain of the meat fibers or perpendicular to the strands of beef in pencil thin slices.

For more on tenderizing check out 3 Tips For Tenderizing HERE.

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Three Tips For Tenderizing

Three quick tricks for London Broil and tenderizing beef. Step through the process of preparing this easy and fantastic grilled feast.

London Broil Can be a tough cut of beef.  Here are three simple tricks to maximize tenderness in the beef for your next barbecue with friends.  It always starts with a nice clean looking London Broil.  This method and recipe below also works great with a flank steak or skirt steak for Fajitas.

Tip/Trick 1 – Whack It

First use that hammer thingy you’ve seen around kitchens for years.  The good old fashioned way to beat the raw beef into “submission.”   You’re almost pre-chewing it… but in the end your BBQ will still look pristine.   The thicker the cut the more you can

London Broil

hammer it.  Another trick  I show in the video is to wrap the slab in plastic to avoid shirt staining splattering.

Tip/Trick 2 Marinate

Secondly, use a nice marinade to soften the newly damaged fibers.    Some grillers may choose to use a high acid marinate to boost the tenderizing effects.

Tip/Trick 3 Go Against The Grain

Third, let the cooked meat rests for ten minutes or so (it’s pretty important but usually people get in too much of a hurry).  Carve your London Broil AGAINST the grain of the meat fibers or perpendicular to the strands of beef in pencil thin slices.     It’s another level of  jaw grinding your guests don’t have to deal with and the presentation is awesome.
The Not So Secret marinade here relies on a dose of smoke but it’s super easy.

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Three Tricks For London Broil

London Broil – Three Keys to a Most Economical and Flavorful Meal

By Bill Purkins

London Broil

London Broil is probably one of the best kept secrets of the budget minded cook and grocery shopper. Consider that ground beef currently runs about $2.99 a pound on sale (prices last checked May, 2010), while London Broil can be had on sale and with a store shopper card for just $1.69 a pound! That’s just 42.2 cents a serving, which makes it a star baby in our show, truly one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can find.

Yes, you’ll probably have to wait for it to go on sale to get a deal like this, and you’ll also likely have to buy a several pounds, but a price like that, it’s well worth it, and the obvious thing to do is to cut it up into meal sized pieces and freeze them. One key to a successful London Broil experience is to tenderize it. This cut can be tough by nature and if you spend a few good minutes pounding it with a mallet it helps break up some of the muscle. Avoid scoring the meat or stabbing with a fork though. This will result in too much of the good juices being lost to the cooking pan.

Another key to making this cheap cut of beef shine is to marinate it. And there are a million London Broil marinades out there on the web, so here at Dollar a Day Gourmet we’re not going to try to shove one down your throat. Ideally, if you come to enjoy London Broil and make it a frequent feature at your dinner table, you will try different marinades until you find one or two you like best, and after a couple of successes we advise you to be adventurous and modify one until it becomes your very own.

Many recipes call for you to marinate 4 to 6 hours or so, but strongly advise you to marinate your London Broil overnight. In either case, in the refrigerator. But please heed the overnight advice. The extra time is well worth it for a more flavorful dish. Use a gallon sized ziploc bag. It’s simple, economical, super easy, and there’s no mess to clean up. Just toss the bag afterwards and there’s no pan to wash.

Finally, before serving be sure to cut into thin slices, across the grain. This will contribute to more tenderness. So, three secrets for a good London Broil:

1) Tenderize

2) Marinate overnight

3) Cut across the grain

Otherwise? Follow your recipe and enjoy this economical and flavorful dish.

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