SV & sear London Broil?

[jjdbike]

Hey folks,

I'm looking for some input here. An acquaintance gave us a small piece of London Broil. He raises steers and shared a few odds and ends w/ us. This is more of an experiment or trial run than anything else.

I'd like to try to rub & Sous Vide till nearly to temp, then touch up rub and sear all sides over white hot coals, or cast iron.

I may pound it a bit w/ tenderizing hammer. I'm looking to tenderize and retain moisture, while maximizing flavor.

Anyone here do anything like this? Any suggestions for time & temp?

If I like how it turned out, I'll try it w/ a larger piece for guests.

Thanks in advance!

JD
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[DaveD]

I can't see any reason why this wouldn't work. My only thought would be to let it ride at your pre-sear temp for a few hours to allow for some more tenderization - you can't overcook it that way at least. And from the experimental point of view, I'd skip the pounding step on the first attempt, just to introduce as few variables as possible on this first go. Free piece o'meat, you got nothing to lose! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

[Skip]

I Agree with DaveD to skip the pounding. I'd dry brine at least overnight and SV @ 134 or so for 4-6 hours, then sear. IMO the SV step is pretty forgiving. Good luck jjdbike and let us know how it turns out.

[jjdbike]

Thanks Skip.
I'll let you know.
JD

[jfmorris]

Well, I'm going to point out that London Broil is a *METHOD* and not a cut of meat. But so many stores label leaner cuts of steak as "London Broil" that it can be confusing. Just surprised someone in the beef industry would call it that!

I've done Meathead 's recipe for London Broil on the free side, and it is VERY good. Family really likes it, and I highly recommend it. No SV. Just a long marinade and then cook indirect on the grill.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...il-done-right/

If you followed that recipe, but instead SV it at 125F for an hour after the marinade process, then sear, I would think it will come out similar to the results from doing it indirect for an hour, then searing it. It won't have the smokiness of one grilled indirect for that hour though. And cooking it indirect on the grill, you get browning and color and it doesn't need too long a sear.

Most times I make this, I let it marinate overnight. The recipe says 4 to 24 hours. I think once our plans changed and I left one in the marinade for 2 days, and it was just fine.

Anyway - go read the recipe. I think you might want to give that a whirl versus a dry rub and SV/sear.

[jjdbike]

Interesting recipe.
For this, I'm particular interested in trying the SV and sear method.
JD

[Jim White]

What he said.

[HotSun]

Thanks for pointing us in this direction, jfmorris . I have some lean chuck under blade which seems like the perfect application for Meathead 's recipe.

[gboss]

When I make LB, I typically sous vide a top round for ~7-9hrs@130F then give it a good sear.

[jjdbike]

Yup, this is pretty much what I'll do.
Thanks.
JD

[jjdbike]

I also have a a small flank steak. Any reason I couldn't do that in the same vessel w/ same technique?
JD

[jfmorris]

Nope, no reason at all. Flank steaks also are good with a marinade.

[DaveD]

I have done that exact thing, flank steak in the SV for ~8 hours, then sear. It was fantastic. Funny thing was, I'd ordered a 3-pack of tri-tip and thought that's what I was cooking, but noooo... still came out great. It's how I'll do the flank I still have left from that order for sure...

[jjdbike]

Thanks again everyone!
JD