This recipe shows you step-by-step how to cook a London Broil steak in the oven using a very budget-friendly cut of beef that is full of flavor and a red wine, garlic, and chile flake marinade to make it succulent and tender.
{Recipe first posted March 12, 2010. Last updated with new video on February 28, 2024}
This London Broil recipe takes a fairly inexpensive, but very flavorful piece of meat, and gives it a good soaking in a marinade of red wine and garlic. I love to make London Broil for special occasions but this simple cooking method makes it just as doable for a weeknight dinner.
Originally London Broil referred to a flank steak that was marinated and well, broiled. These days the term is more commonly used for a boneless cut of beef that’s also referred to as top round steak or top round roast.
It could be labeled as London Broil at the meat counter or not. London Broil isn’t a specific cut of meat, it is the way it is cooked and, by the way, has nothing to do with London.
Why we love it? It is an ultra-delicious steak at a fraction of the price and only requires a few minutes per side to cook. All that’s required is a long soak in a flavorful marinade.
The Proof Is In The Marinade
What’s that phrase? The proof is in the pudding?
That might be fine for pudding, but if you are cooking what can be a rather tough piece of meat, the proof is going to be all about it’s marinade.
Tougher cuts of beef used to make London Broil don’t have much fat, which often results in a tough, chewy steak.
The white marbling of fat throughout any piece of meat melts as it cooks, which gives it a tender, toothsome quality. That being said, if there’s not a lot of fat, you have to make it tender in some other way.
For best results we are using red wine in the marinade which breaks down the tough muscle fibers of the meat, recreating the same qualities of tenderness.
The trick here, however, is to make sure the roast has plenty of time to soak up the wine and let it work its magic. It’s best to let this marinate for at least 4 hours or even better, overnight for a super flavorful steak.
Ingredients
See recipe card for exact amounts.
A short and sweet list of ingredients combine for phenomenal results. Here’s what we’ll need:
- Garlic
- Soy Sauce
- Red Wine. I usually have a leftover bottle of something we didn’t finish in the fridge and that’s what I use. If you are buying specifically for this recipe, get something you’d also like to drink—you’ll only be using 1/4 cup for the recipe. If you are staying away from alcohol, you can substitute balsamic vinegar.
- Olive oil
- Red Chile Flakes or black pepper if you don’t like the heat.
- Brown Sugar
- Kosher salt
- 2 pound Top Round Steak. That is about 2 inches thick. At your local grocery store it could be labeled “London Broil” but not always. Ask your butcher if you don’t see it. If you can’t find it, use 2 pounds of Flank Steak instead.
How To Cook A London Broil Steak In The Oven
Although many recipes call for a London Broil to be broiled, I think the two-step method we use to cook steak in restaurant kitchens works best. You start the steak with a quick sear on the stove and then finish it in the oven. Here’s how it goes down:
Step One
Make marinade. Combine all the 2 tbsp olive oil, the 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and all the other marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
Step Two
Marinate the steak. Place the steak in a large resealable plastic bag, baking dish or an airtight container and pour the marinade over the steak. Seal the bag, cover with plastic wrap or put the lid on the container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but best overnight. Turn the steak in the marinade once or twice.
Step Three
Heat oven. When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 425°F and remove the meat from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook it so it has a chance to come to room temperature. Take steak out of the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Step Four
Start the steak on the stove. Heat an oven-safe frying pan that’s big enough to hold the London Broil over medium-high heat (I use a grill pan). Add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add meat and let cook, undisturbed until it has formed a nice brown crust on the bottom. At least 5 minutes.
Step Five
Cook London Broil in the oven. Flip and transfer to the top rack of the oven and cook to your desired doneness. This is going to depend on how you like your meat and how thick the roast is. It could be anywhere from 8 minutes to 15 minutes. Start reading the internal temperature after 8 minutes and see the temperature chart below for when to take it out of the oven. I think it is best served at about 130 degrees f or medium-rare.
Step Six
Let the meat rest. Remove the steak from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. This allows the juices to distribute themselves throughout the steak instead of running all over the cutting board once you start slicing. Slice the steak against the grain with a sharp knife into thin slices and serve.
Plan Ahead
This tough cut of meat really needs an overnight bath in the marinade to tenderize, so plan accordingly.
How To Know When It’s Done
My best advice when cooking large pieces of meat is to have an instant-read meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer horizontally through the middle of the roast to get the most accurate temperature.
If you’re unfamiliar with the varying temperatures of doneness the USDA recommends the following:
- 125°F for rare
- 135°F for medium-rare
- 145°F for medium
- 150°F for medium-well
- 160°F for well done
What To Serve With It
Once the meat has rested it is nice to finish it off with a little something. It can be a simple squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, some fresh chopped rosemary, or as fancy as a homemade herb butter made with any number of herbs like fresh parsley or oregano.
As far as sides go, here are a few of my favorites to serve with tender London Broil:
- Sofrito Black Beans
- Roasted Mexican Street Carrots
- Green Chile Mac + Cheese with Chive Breadcrumbs
- Lemon-Thyme Twice Baked Potatoes
- Caesar Salad
- Veracruz-Style Hominy
- Papas con Chile {Crispy Potatoes in Chile Sauce}
Top 5 Most Popular Beef Recipes
- Carne Deshebrada {Mexican shredded beef for tacos}
- Carne Picada {Chopped beef with chipotle}
- Easy Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
- Tangy Green Tomato Chili with Beef
- Classic Grilled Steak Fajitas
Now You Know How To Cook A London Broil Steak In The Oven
The keys are marinating for a long time and a hot oven. When you make it, snap me a pic and tag me @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno on Instagram so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Red Wine and Garlic Marinated London Broil Recipe
A very reasonable cut of beef, full of flavor and tenderized with red wine, garlic, and a bit of chile flakes. Adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 pounds London broil (from top round; 1 1/2 to 2-inches thick)
Instructions
- Make marinade. Combine all ingredients except steak in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Pour over steak and cover. Refrigerate overnight, turning steak occasionally.
- Heat oil. Remove steak from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile heat oven to 425°F.
- Cook steak. Heat a grill pan or cast iron skillet large enough to fit the steak over medium-high heat. Once hot, place steak in pan and cook until dark grill marks have formed, about 5 minutes. Flip and transfer pan to oven. Finish cooking in oven until meat registers 130°F on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, about 5-8 minutes more. Check meat with the thermometer every 5 minutes or so and see the temperature chart above for desired doneness.
- Rest. Transfer meat to a cutting board, cover with foil and let meat rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.
Notes
- Marinating: If you're short on time, marinating for at least 2 hours can still yield tender results. However, the longer it marinates, the more flavorful and tender the steak will be.
- Doneness: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness level, as cooking times may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the steak and your oven's temperature.
- Red wine: If you don't have red wine, you can substitute it with an equal amount of balsamic vinegar.
- Serving suggestions: This dish can be served with a variety of sides, such as calabacitas, crock pot borracho beans or homemade flour tortillas.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 513Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 1249mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 46g
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