Always-Tender London Broil

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.