Tough London Broil

[mozart]

Why does London Broil (top round roast) get tough if cooked beyond medium rare?

 

[Andy M.]

It comes from a muscle that does a lot of work for the steer so can be tough. /The best you can do is cook it properly and slice it across the grain.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Marinating also helps a lot. I always marinate London Broil for at least several hours if not overnight & have never had a problem with toughness.

 

[kitchenelf]

I gave up on London Broil. I now prefer a flat iron steak. I know that didn't answer your question - just thought I'd throw in another option for you. Again, not cooked over medium/medium rare.

 

[Andy M.]

Flat iron steak is not sold around here. We get shoulder steak for London broil. I marinate it overnight if I can. Cooked to med. rare and sliced, it's not bad at all.

 

[kitchenelf]

Flat iron steak is VERY tender! What about....mmmm....what is that name....dang...I'll have to think about it for a bit. Not London Broil, but...oh, skirt steak? Not quite as tender as flat iron. Can you get skirt?

 

[Andy M.]

Skirt is less common than flank. Supermarkets don't carry it but a butcher will.

 

[Chicks]

Skirt steaks are great if marinated and cooked quick and hot. Flanks are great and London broils should be thrown in the garbage before wasting any energy cooking them.

 

[GrillingFool]

London broil meat makes great jerky!
Whenever it goes on sale for 50% off, I stock up.

Before I marinate my flank steak, I perforate it with my handy skewer...
many times. It doesn't "let the juices run out" when cooking it, either.
Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting, and be sure to cut across the grain,
on an angle. Thin is tender!

 

[buckytom]

marinating is a good way to go, but imo the secret is slicing, very thin, across the grain as andy had mentioned.

that doesn't always mean slicing from the shorter end of a "rectangular" cut of meat. sometimes, you have to slice the long side to get the grain right.

in that case, i hack it in half for more manageable pieces.