London Broil

Your memory of London broil is a story told to housewives in the 1950s. A tough, cheap cut dressed up with an English name it had no right to — London broil has never been made in London, was almost certainly invented in Philadelphia, and spent most of the 20th century as the American kitchen's answer to the question of what to do with a lean, economical piece of beef that nobody particularly wanted. The acid marinade tradition that followed it everywhere was partly practical, partly cover. It worked well enough that the name stuck for a century.

Ours is a different product and deserves a different conversation.

What you are getting is grass fed, grass finished beef from the top round — a large, clean, deeply flavorful cut that carries none of the shortcuts that made the original reputation. The leanness that made London broil difficult for generations is exactly what makes it worth paying attention to on grass fed beef. There is no fat to hide behind, which means the beef itself has to be good. 

The grill is not the right tool here. Save the grill for the fattier cuts that can take the heat. London broil wants patience. Score the surface lightly, season generously with salt the night before, and bring it fully to room temperature before it sees heat. Sear it hard in a well heated cast iron pan to build a crust on both sides, then transfer to a 275°F oven and finish low and slow until it hits 120°F internally — roughly 45 minutes to an hour depending on thickness. Then rest it, and we mean rest it. A full 20 to 30 minutes on the board. The lean muscle fibers need that time to relax and reabsorb their juices. Cut it too soon and the plate tells the story.

One more thing worth knowing. Slice it thin against the grain and consider serving it at room temperature rather than hot off the board. Beef this lean and this clean reveals its full depth of flavor as it cools slightly — the character of well-raised grass fed beef is more present, more complete, and more worth appreciating when it is not competing with heat.

Sold by weight. Select the size that best suits your needs.

If the grill is where you want to be, our flank steak, bavette, or skirt steak are built for exactly that — bold flavor, high heat, slice against the grain. And if you want to explore what patient cooking does to another lean cut from the same part of the animal, our eye round roast is worth your time.