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You may say to yourself-”Self-I thought London Broil was a method of cooking, not a cut of meat.”

I’m right there with ya.

Being a mostly health conscious person concerned about getting the most nutrition for my caloric buck, I like to learn about food. And I like to eat. And I like to eat food that is both good for me, and tastes good. The two are not mutually exclusive, despite what you may have heard. Promise.

Photo credit: julosstock

According to recipetips.com, “Although the top round steak is flavorful and a bit more tender than other round cuts, it should still be marinated first if it is to be grilled or broiled. It is sometimes referred to as a London Broil, which is also a name given to a flank steak.”

Top round is a lean cut of beef, and is also fairly inexpensive. I use it a lot. I actually consider top round to be separate from flank steak, despite what recipetips and others call it. Flank in these here parts is a little more expensive, and to me, a little more flavorful and tender. I’ll tell you about my favorite way to cook flank steak in another post.

For now-the london broil AKA top round. As per Wikipedia (is there any other source of information-really?) “London broil is a North American beef-based food dish usually made by broiling or grilling marinated flank or round steak and then cutting it against the grain into thin strips…Although many American butchers will label a cut of meat “London broil”, the term does not refer to a specific cut.”

And yet-there are cuts of meat at the butcher labeled London Broil, no?

Anyhow-semantics. Just know that although London Broil technically is a pan-frying and strip-cutting preparation method, you sometimes see it as meat-which is round or flank steak.

Who cares, how do you eat it, right?

The other day I saw what looked like an awesome recipe at EatingWell.com. London Broil with Cherry Balsamic Sauce. All things I like. I’m in.

From EatingWell.com :
Ingredients

* 1/3 cup dry red wine
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 2 tablespoons cherry preserves (I had a jar of strawberry open-so that’s what I used)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* 1 1/2 pounds London broil, trimmed (see Ingredient note)
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons butter

Preparation

1. Whisk wine, vinegar, cherry preserves, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Pour the marinade over the meat and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, turning several times, for at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours. (Yeah-I let it marinade for 2 days-it’s been my experience longer is better for this cut of beef. YMMV)
2. Remove the meat from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan; add shallot and set aside. Brush a ridged grill pan (see Tip) or heavy skillet with oil; heat over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness, or until it reaches desired doneness. (It may appear that the meat is burning but don’t worry, it will form a pleasant crust.) (I put it under the broiler-12 minutes per side) Transfer the meat to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes.
3. While the meat is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil; cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove from the heat; add butter and whisk until melted.
4. Slice the meat thinly against the grain. Add any juices on the cutting board to the sauce. Serve the meat with the sauce.

Nutrition

Per serving: 216 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 41 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 0 g fiber; 260 mg sodium; 429 mg potassium.

Yeah buddy! This is the picture from Eating Well-I was so hungry I forgot to take one of mine.

I’ve had leftovers of this beef on top of salads, and it’s really flavorful and tasty. The balsamic marinade ties it in well with a balsamic dressing-whisk together some dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, and you have a simple, low fat, no-unpronoucable ingredient salad dressing.

For information on how this food (among many others!) can fit into a healthy and gluten free eating plan, click here.

What’s your favorite way to prepare round steak? Share in the comments below!