Cook London Broil in the Oven

While many grocers package and sell cuts of steak labeled “London broil,” the term actually refers to a type of cooking method in which a tough cut of beef is marinated and cooked in a manner that prevents it from drying out. For best results, you should always marinate the meat first before broiling or baking it. Here are a few different ways you can prepare London broil steak in the oven.

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

• 1 1/2 lbs (675 g) top round London broil
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) dry red wine
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5 ml) honey

Steps

Marinating

1. Combine the marinade ingredients. The garlic, salt, red wine, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and honey need to be combined into a thick liquid.
   • Use a blender or food processor to mince the garlic cloves and salt into a paste.
   • Add the red wine, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and honey to the blender. Continue pulsing until the ingredients are evenly combined into a thick liquid.
2. Pierce the steak. Poke a few holes in the meat using a sharp fork or knife.
   • The acidic vinegar will break the meat down even if you do not pierce it beforehand. Poking holes in the steak helps the marinade soak deeper into the meat sooner, however, and is especially useful if you cannot marinate the meat for a long period of time.
3. Let the steak marinate 4 to 24 hours. Pour the marinade into a large, heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Add the meat to the bag and seal. Place the bag in the refrigerator as the steak marinates.
   • Turn the bag every few hours to ensure even distribution of the marinade.
   • The longer you allow the meat to marinade, the more flavor it will absorb. Allowing it to soak past 24 hours could cause it to become tough, however.

Broiling

1. Preheat the broiler and the broiler pan. Allow the broiler to heat up for 10 minutes.
   • Most broilers only have "on" and "off" settings. If your broiler has "high" and "low" settings, preheat it on high.
   • Make sure to use an actual broiler pan, rather than a baking pan. A broiler pan has a rack built in that prevents the liquid, rendered fat from becoming too hot and becoming a fire hazard.
   • Do not use aluminum foil in the broiler pan.
2. Transfer the steak to the broiler pan. Remove the broiler pan from the broiler and carefully transfer the steak from the marinade bag and into the pan.
   • For best results, allow the steak and marinade to return to room temperature before adding it to the hot pan.
   • Reserve the marinade for basting, if desired. Only use the marinade for basting if you plan on adding it during the middle of the cooking process. The raw meat may have contaminated it, and it will not be safe to use on fully cooked meat.
3. Broil the steak for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once. Put the broiler pan on the top rack of the oven and cook the steak four to six minutes on each side.
   • A London broil that goes for 8 minutes will cook to rare, while a steak that cooks for 10 minutes will cook to medium-rare to rare. For a medium-well steak, a full 12 minutes may be necessary. Broiling the steak for too much longer will likely dry it out, however
   • If desired, baste the steak with a small amount of your reserved marinade when you flip the meat halfway in the middle of the total cooking time.
4. Serve warm. After pulling the steak out of the oven, allow it to rest for five minutes before carving and serving it.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
   • If you do not have heavy duty foil, use a double layer of standard foil.
2. Transfer the steak to the aluminum foil. Position the steak in the middle of the foil and fold the sides of the foil together, creating a packet for the meat to cook inside.
   • Folding the foil over the meat traps heat inside, lessening the overall cooking time while trapping more of the marinade and juices inside.
   • Make sure that the packet is loose. While you want most of the heat to stay trapped inside, it is also important for air to circulate inside the packets, as well.
   • If desired, you can also add a few chopped vegetables to the packet before folding it up. Sliced bell peppers and sliced onions make good choices.
3. Cook the steak for 50 minutes. You do not need to turn it or do anything else to the steak while it cooks.
4. Remove the steak and serve warm. Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
   • Exercise caution when unfolding the foil packet. The steam that escapes will be hot, and could burn you if you are not careful. Unfold one corner of the packet, pulling the foil toward you so that the steam escapes in the opposite direction. Wait until the majority of steam escapes before unfolding the rest of the packet.
   • Cut the meat in 1/2-inch (1.27-cm) slices to serve.
   • Use a serving spoon to drizzle the juices that accumulated in the packet over the slices of steak.

Mixed Method

1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet and the oven. The skillet should be preheated over medium-high heat for 5 minutes and the oven should be preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
   • Note that this method works especially well for thicker cuts of steak, since it minimizes overall cooking time. The less amount of time the steak spends inside a warm oven, the juicier it will be.
   • Make sure that the cast-iron skillet is well-seasoned beforehand. A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will not need to be greased before you add the meat to it.
2. Brown the steak in the skillet. Let the steak cook in the skillet for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
   • Use tongs to flip the steak and verify that it has browned nicely on both sides.
   • For best results, remove the steak from the refrigerator 2 hours in advance to allow it to come to room temperature.
3. Transfer the steak to the oven. Remove the cast-iron skillet from the stovetop and transfer it directly into the oven. Cook for roughly 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches desired doneness.
   • Cast-iron cookware is safe to use in the oven, but many other types of pans are not.
4. Serve warm. After removing it from the oven, let the steak rest for 5 minutes. Carve it into thin slices, cutting against the grain.
5. Finished!

Warnings

• Note that the USDA specifies that the internal temperature of steak should reach a minimum of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius). Check the internal temperature by sticking a meat thermometer into the center of the steak.

Things You'll Need

• Large sealable plastic bag
• Blender or food processor
• Broiler pan
• Baking sheet
• Cast-iron skillet
• Aluminum foil
• Tongs
• Serving spoon

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Sources and Citations

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• Cook French Beef Stew
• Make Beef Stew Subs
• Prepare Fillet of Beef Wellington
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• Prepare and Eat Strawberries
• Make Biltong (South African Beef Jerky)
• Reheat Rice
• Cube Sweet Potatoes

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