I learned how to sous vide steak in culinary school and then decided to give sous vide London broil a try – after all, this is an affordable cut and I wanted to see how well it could be prepared. It turned out great and I can now share the recipe with you!
In this post I will give you the recipe and show you how to DIY certain parts of this sophisticated cooking method. Let’s begin!
The first thing that I need to do is clear up the term London broil. Contrary to what the name of this recipe would have you believe, London broil actually refers to a method of cooking. Nevertheless, there are many who also use this term to describe certain steaks.
In the beginning, the name was bestowed to a flank steak. These days, however, you will find it also being given to top round steak, an inexpensive steak, which is what we will be using for this recipe.
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The next thing that I need to address is the sous vide method. Although it used to be primarily used by chefs, it is now becoming a popular cooking method at home. So, what is it?
It is the process where you place your food – in this case – top round steak – in airtight container or vacuum seal bag. Then, it is placed in a water bath where the temperature is carefully maintained at a single point.
The main benefit of this method of cooking is that it is impossible to overcook your meat as the temperature doesn’t go beyond your desired point.
The only issue with sous vide London broil is that your steak doesn’t exactly come out looking appetizing. This is why we give it a quick sear at the end, ensuring that it will look as good as it tastes!
Here is what you will need for this method of cooking:
The key component of the souse vide cooking method is the sous vide machine, also known as an immersion circulator. This machine does two things – it ensures that the water is maintained at a set temperature and ensures that there is a continued circulation of water, preventing hot or cold spots.
In case you would rather not buy one, I will show you a method that can use what you already have at home. You should be warned that this can be a rather time consuming process, though.
These are thick bags that when used alongside the sealer can create an airtight environment for the steak. This ensures that absolutely no water seeps into the meat, compromising the cooking process.
If you don’t want to invest in this, that is fine, I will also be showing you how to get the job done with just a good quality freezer bag.
Set your sous vide water bath to your desired level of doneness. London broil is best medium rare or medium. The medium rare temperature is 130 – 140°F and medium is 140 – 150°F.
Sprinkle one teaspoon of salt on either side of the flank or top round steak. Let the steak for up to 90 minutes in the refrigerator.
In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
Add the London broil and the sauce to the vacuum seal bag and seal with a vacuum sealer. Place in the water bath and cook.
If you don’t have one, place the London broil and sauce in a heavy duty freezer bag. Then, seal the bag, leaving one corner opened. Slowly lower the bag into the bath. Just as the water line reaches the seal, close the other corner.
This should create a tight enough seal.
Cook for 7 hours.
Just before are going to take the London broil out of the machine, prepare an ice bath.
Then, once it is cooked sous vide, take the bag out of the machine and place in the ice bath for up to 10 minutes.
Take the London broil out of the bag and pat dry.
The sauce in the pan should be poured into a small pan. Heat and simmer until reduced – this should take about 4 minutes.
Add some olive oil to a cast iron skillet and place on high heat. When the pan is smoking, place the London broil and sear the steak on each side for one minute.
Take off the cast iron pan and plate.
Drizzle the sauce over the London broil.
For this, you are going to need a large pan, thermometer, and a clamp of some kind.
Clamp or tape the thermometer on the inside of the pot. Then, fill with water and heat to your desired temperature.
Next, place the freezer bag with the top round steak and sauce in the pot.
The tricky thing is that with this method, you have to manually keep the heat up – the temperature can’t be allowed to go more than two degrees below or above the desired temperature.
This means that you will have to monitor the temperature carefully and turn the stove on whenever you find it dipping. Continue to do this until the meat is cooked.
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You should sous vide London broil at the temperature that is comparable to your desired level of doneness.
Yes, when you sous vide London broil, it will leave meat tender.
You should cook this steak for about 2 to 4 hours.
Yes, cooking with a water bath followed by pan frying can sound overwhelming but there isn’t anything to worry about! Simply follow the steps and guidelines here and you will get the hang of things in no time at all. Go ahead and give this a shot!
