Easy, Tender London Broil Recipe

By Zaynab Issa

4.7

(12)

In the mood for steak but don't feel like shelling out the big bucks for a rib eye or New York strip? This London broil recipe is your answer.

While most typically a flank steak, London broil can also be used to label other large, lean, and often tougher cuts of beef, including top round steaks and top sirloin steaks at grocery stores or butcher shops. More generally, it refers to how these steaks are prepared: first by marinating to tenderize, broiling or grilling to cook, and finally, thinly slicing against the grain to serve. Here's how to cook London Broil our way, to ensure a juicy, tender result every time.

Our first secret weapon is baking soda, which gets mixed in with a few other simple marinade ingredients. It may seem unorthodox, but it plays a crucial role in tenderizing the steak by relaxing its protein network, which keeps it nice and juicy while it cooks. Pricking the steak all over with a fork before it marinates helps the flavors penetrate quickly, so there's no need for an overnight soak if your prep time is limited.

Though most recipes call for the broiler, we found a stovetop-only sear yields a more tender—and faster—result. Just keep your meat thermometer handy to test for your preferred doneness. (For medium-rare, we aim for an internal temperature of 125°F; it will climb as it rests.)

While the cooked steak rests, transform the deeply savory marinade into a pan sauce. Don't be alarmed if it foams as it boils—that's the baking soda. Once the foaming subsides, quickly whisk in the butter to create a velvety sauce.

Slice the steak thinly against the grain with a sharp knife and serve with mashed potatoes, twice-baked potatoes, or other carb of your choice, plus green beans and a wedge salad for steakhouse vibes.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Check out best steak recipes for mains worthy of a special occasion like hangar steak with mushrooms in red wine sauce, brown-sugar-crusted skirt steak with chives, or strip steak with spring vegetables and Dijon.

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Instant-Read Thermometer

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Cast Iron Skillet

$30 At Amazon

Tongs

$21 At Amazon

Cutting Board

$10 At IKEA

2–4 servings

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Whisk together 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp. good-quality balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl or baking dish; season with freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in ¾ tsp. baking soda (don't worry if marinade fizzes; that's the baking soda working).

Prick one 1½–2 lb. London broil all over with a fork and add to marinade; turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour or cover and chill up to 12 hours.

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into bowl, and pat dry with paper towels; reserve marinade. Season steak generously with kosher salt and cook, turning once, until deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125° for medium-rare, 8–12 minutes. Using tongs, stand steak on its sides and cook until lightly browned, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer reserved marinade to a small saucepan, add ⅓ cup water, and bring to a boil (mixture will foam up). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid overflow, until foaming subsides, about 3 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and whisk vigorously to emulsify sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Thinly slice steak against the grain and arrange on a platter. Spoon sauce over; sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

How would you rate Always-Tender London Broil?

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Absolutely delicious! I haven't tried to make a London Broil in at least 15 years because no matter what I did they were tough and chewy. When my local grocery store had them on sale for $1.99 a lb it seemed worth trying again. The results were spectacular. The steak was flavorful and tender even though I overcooked it by a minute or two, it was much closer to medium/medium well. So easy to cook on the stove instead of the usual broiler method. This will absolutely be in my regular rotation. I followed the recipe as written, stabbed the steak all over and let it marinate about 6 hours. It was a huge hit!

Mary Ellen

Connecticut

5/26/2023

I'm wondering if it is okay to use a marinade that has had raw beef soaking in it as a the base for a pan sauce? Would it not be better to double the recipe and use half for marinade and the other half for pan sauce? Is it just chicken and pork marinades that should not be reused or is beef marinades not an issue?

Lori

Tampa, Fl

5/4/2023

Can I double the marinade if I want to have more sauce? If so I assume I would just double all the ingredients?

Oscar

4/24/2023

Baking soda is alkaline. Vinegar is acidic. Aren't they going to react with each other, instead of the beef ?

Louis Wu

Kalama, WA

2/21/2023

This recipe was very easy. I made it exactly as specified and it came out great. The meat had a tasty char and was, for a london broil, very tender. I usually don't care for marinades; a skillet or grill and salt and pepper is all I usually want. I always thought I just want my meat to taste like meat, and have ruined nice pieces of beef in the past trying various marinades. The balsamic flavor of the marinade and the sauce was excellent and did not hide the beef flavor of the steak. And for once my jaw didn't get tired endlessly chewing a tough piece of london broil. I made sure to put lots of holes in it with a fork, and let it marinade a longer then the hour suggested, so that probably helped tenderize it. I'll be keeping an eye out for whenever this relatively inexpensive cut goes on sale and stocking my freezer. I had purchased a large steak, 2+ pounds and cut it in half, saving the other half in case this turned out bad. Instead I'll be making it again later this week.

Mike

Rocky Hill, CT

2/18/2023

Would be a good sauce and method for skinless chicken breasts?

Anonymous

montclair, nj

2/13/2023

Keep in mind the thickness of your cut. My 1.85 pound London Broil was 2 inches thick or greater in sections, and after sitting outside the fridge for at least 90 minutes before cooking, after six minutes per side nearly charring its exterior on my cast iron, the inside never cracked 105. Sliced and cooked the pieces as best I could, but this trial run was less than successful. Steak and pan sauce still tasted good, I'd try this one again with a thinner cut. Alternatively, reverse sear with an oven/smoker at 200-225F for an hour or so until it gets nearly to temp, then sear it in cast iron for the good crust.

DS

IN

2/13/2023

My wife uses Good Seasons Italian dressing to marinate our London Broils. Do you think adding the baking soda to this would do the same thing, re the surface proteins?

jim murphy

Windham NH

2/10/2023

Yes you can grill it, but it'll taste better if done in the pan. Contrary to popular belief not everything is better grilled.

Doug

Reno, NV

2/10/2023

This was absolutely Amazing! I cheated on marinate time because it was a last second decision but with the pan sauce it was Perfect! One question though, is nutritional information available for the marinade?

Tony

San Diego

2/1/2023

The pan sauce is bomb! I sometimes have trouble with sauces like this breaking, but this one came together quickly with no effort at all. As far as the steak, unfortunately it was pretty tough even after 2.5 hrs of marinating at room temp and cooking to medium-rare. This was my first time making London Broil, and next time I would use a hanger or skirt steak instead. Serve with a wedge salad!

lasagnaqueen

Portland, Oregon

2/1/2023

This was soooooo good. This will be something I return to time and time again. It is lovely that its this cheaper cut of steak that you can still cook to medium rare with results that felt super elevated. I did a cobb salad with it and it was a hit. The dark marinade is so pretty too, would be great to host a little steakhouse dinner party with friends and have a wine night, or a small dinner at home.

gmckenzie

Seattle, WA

1/31/2023

Followed the recipe as written, put in marinade in the morning and cooked that night, and it turned out delicious. So juicy and tender! Roasted some potatoes and Brussels sprouts to soak up the tasty pan sauce. Will definitely make again.

Anonymous

Washington, DC

1/29/2023

This was delicious and converted my husband who is not a beef eater! I followed the recipe other than using a stainless steel pan instead of cast iron, adding 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce to the marinade, and used closer to 1tablespoon of butter. Internal temp of 125 and then 10 minutes standing came out a nice medium rare with the ends being a bit more medium (and a very dark, almost blackened exterior). A 1.8 lb. London Broil made 4 generous dinner servings (2 nights) and 2 small lunch servings. The second night, I used the marinade ingredients to make another quick pan sauce and warmed the leftover piece in that. This didn't overcook it at all and was as good as the first night. This is going in my regular rotation. Note: this came out to under $2.50 a serving and was "restaurant quality" per my husband!

Anonymous

Raleigh NC

1/24/2023

Question: Can this be cooked on a grill?

Anonymous

ATL, GA

1/3/2023