The Finer Points of London (Broil, that is)

In my quest to live every day to the fullest and to live well, I learned early about the expression "has champagne taste and a beer budget." So I made it somewhat of a mission to make the less choice cuts of meat taste as good as the stuff going for 19.99 per pound. I have been surprisingly successful in this endeavor. Allow me to introduce you to the London Broil. It's ultra-healthy, amazingly inexpensive, and show-stoppingly good.

The term London Broil is totally confusing. As far as I know, it has nothing to do with London, England and you will achieve far better results, hands-down, if you grill it rather than broil it. To add to the confusion, London Broil also means different things to different people. In some areas, it refers to a beef-wrapped sausage. When I first started cooking, someone told me it was the same thing as flank steak, which again is a regional thing...in some areas flank steak and London Broil are interchangeable terms. But as far as I can tell, here in sunny Cleveland, the term "London Broil" usually refers to an over-sized top-round steak.

The term "top round" probably doesn't tell you much either, unless you know a lot of butchers. But the cut I am describing is from the muscular part of the cattle's hind leg. This muscularity means it is packed with a lot of healthy protein and very little fat. In addition to being healthy, it is also very affordable. (Mine was 5.99 per pound, in contrast more highly-prized cuts of beef that can go for upwards of 19.99 per pound).

London Broil is always cut thick. Really, really thick. Almost TOO thick. For this reason, I butterfly my London Broil to create two thinner pieces of beef. It can then be marinated, but I find that just seasoning it, drizzling the surface with oil, and allowing the meat to come to room temperature before you cook it is also a very nice preparation, and allows the natural beef flavor to stand out (rather than showcasing the marinade).

The most important thing to remember with London Broil is to avoid overcooking it. If you must have well-done beef, then choose another cut of beef. No, really. This is not an edict of food snobbery mandating that you eat your meat rare to medium-rare, this is an empirical fact: the longer you cook London Broil, the tougher it gets. Since this cut does not have the texture of, say, Filet Mignon, to begin with, the longer you keep it on the heat, the more likely you are to have an un-chew-able piece of shoe leather on your plate. I cook it for a scant 3-4 minutes a side on a searing-hot grill or grill-pan.

Finally, when you slice it to serve or eat, cut it just as thin as you can, going against the visible grain of the meat. Somehow, this magically relaxes any muscle fibers that were still trying to stay tough after cooking. It sounds strange, but it really works to make the meat tender on the fork.

And since I like everything with just a little sauce, I will also tell you that a little chimichurri, or light sauce of fresh green herbs and citrus, was positively symphonic on London Broil.