This marinated London Broil recipe uses a very budget-friendly cut of beef that is full of flavor and uses a red wine, garlic, and chile flake marinade to make it succulent and tender. {Recipe first posted March 12, 2010. Last updated, February 22, 2022}
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. 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. It could be labeled as London Broil at the meat counter or not. London Broil isn’t a cut of beef, 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.
In this London Broil recipe, the red wine in the marinade breaks down the tough 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.
Ingredients
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.
- Olive oil
- Red Chile Flakes
- Brown Sugar
- Kosher salt
- 2 pound Top Round Steak. That is about 2 inches thick. This is sometimes 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
Although many recipes call for a London Broil to be broiled in the oven, I think the two-step method we use to cook steak in restaurant kitchens works best. Here’s how it goes down:
Step One
Make marinade. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
Step Two
Marinate the steak. Place the steak in a large resealable plastic bag or container and pour the marinade over the steak. Seal the bag 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. Take steak out of the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and 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 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.
London Broil recipe: oven. Flip and transfer to 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°F or medium-rare.
Step Five
Let it 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 and serve.
Plan Ahead
This cut of meat can be pretty tough and 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 they are as follows:
- 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, a splash of Worcestershire sauce or as fancy as a homemade herb butter.
As far as sides go, here are a few of my favorites:
- Sofrito Black Beans
- Roasted Mexican Street Carrots
- Green Chile Mac + Cheese with Chive Breadcrumbs
- Lemon-Thyme Twice Baked Potatoes
- Slow-Cooker Borracho Beans
- Veracruz-Style Hominy
- Papas con Chile {Crispy Potatoes in Chile Sauce}
The Marinade Is Where It’s At
Don’t shy away from trying other cuts of beef, they can be just as delicious as the more well know steak cuts at a fraction of the price with a soak in a tenderizing marinade. When you do, 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 12 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.
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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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