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There are doubtlessly a great many people reading this and thinking, "What exactly is a London broil?" Perhaps this is something we should therefore look at in the first instance, prior to looking at how we set about cooking one.

In the original and truest sense of the expression, a London broil is a means of cooking meat and not exactly a specific type of meat or dish. Traditionally, it was a cheap piece of steak, usually flank steak, shallow pan fried to rare or medium rare. This was because cooking the meat any more would cause it to be so tough it would be virtually inedible. The steak was then rested for a few minutes and sliced against the grain to sever the fibres which could yet cause it to be tough.

As time has gone by, however, various other types of beef steak have been prepared in this fashion and labelled London broil. It has also become fashionable to marinade the meat beforehand to make it less tough and to either grill or broil it as opposed to frying it. Common substances used for marinating meat in this way are such as red wine, honey, soy sauce and endless blends of herbs and spices.

The way I like to prepare a London broil could perhaps be referred to as a blend between the traditional and the modern. I first of all place the flank steak in a shallow dish, add a tablespoon of orange blossom honey, a pinch of thyme, a pinch of sage, some freshly ground black pepper and enough red wine to cover the steak. Please do not add salt at this stage, as salting any red meat prior to cooking will draw the moisture from it and cause it to become tough. This is the last thing we need when preparing a London broil!

Cover the dish and leave for at least two hours. Remove the steak from the dish and pat dry with a clean tea towel or some paper kitchen towels. I have seen a lot of recipes which at this stage call for the meat to be "scored," to help make it less tough, but this simply leads to more juices being lost and the opposite effect being achieved. It is better to gently bash the steak for a few minutes on both sides with your knuckles, just to break down a few of the toughest fibres.

Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan and bring it up to a very high heat before adding the steak. Cook until the steak appears to have cooked one third of the way through then turn it and repeat. At this stage, turn off the heat and push the pan to a cooler part of your cooker or hob. Leave it for five minutes.

Place the steak on a chopping board and with a very sharp knife, cut it in to slices, diagonally through the meat and against the grain. Serves with some mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables of your choice.

Learn more about this author, Gordon Hamilton.
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