Filipino-Style London Broil

By vail28

Ingredients

• 2 medium-size lemons
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 flank steak or piece of sirloin or top or bottom round steak (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds; see Note below)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse the lemons. Cut each in half and squeeze out the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into 1/4-inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.

2. If using flank steak, score it on both sides in a crosshatch pattern, making shallow cuts on the diagonal no deeper than 1/8 inch and about 1/4 inch apart. This will keep the flank steak from curling as it cooks; you don't have to score sirloin or top or bottom round.

3. Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon juice mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The beef can also be marinated in a resealable plastic bag.

4. When ready to cook, drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Cook the beef, following the instructions below for any of the grills, until cooked to taste. To test for doneness, use the poke method; when cooked to medium-rare the meat should be gently yielding.

5. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut the meat into broad thin slices, holding a sharp knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Spoon the reserved sauce over the slices and serve at once.

GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the beef in the hot grill pan. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 8 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 4 to 6 minutes per side.

FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there's no need to oil the grate. Place the beef on the hot grill. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 6 to 9 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 7 minutes per side.

NOTE: You won't find London broil on a meat cutter's chart — it can refer to any of four beef steaks that ordinarily tend to be on the tough side: flank steak, sirloin, top round, or bottom round. When thinly sliced against the grain on a sharp diagonal, all of these give you tender ribbons of meat. To make London broil with a flank steak, pick one that's about 3/4 inch thick. If you prefer sirloin or top or bottom round, it should be between 1 and 1 1/2 inches thick.