5 Steps To Cook London Broil in Oven Without Broiler Pan

London broil is a delicious meal that is easy to prepare and not as expensive as some other steaks. If you want one and you don’t have a broiler pan, don’t worry. If you cook it in an oven, your London broil will have the same fantastic taste and juiciness. Let’s see what the steps are to cooking tasty London broil.

Broiler Pan Substitutes

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If you don’t have a broiler pan, it is not very difficult to improvise one with the things you already have in your kitchen. The most similar item that you can use is your oven rack. First, make sure to clean it thoroughly.

Dry it, and use a kitchen brush to apply oil or shortening, so your steak doesn’t stick. Put a baking tray beneath the oven rack to imitate the bottom part of a broiler pan. That will allow the steak’s juices to drip into it and prevent your oven from getting ruined. Set your oven to the broiler setting so the heat comes from the top.

Some other alternatives you can use are a grill pan, cast iron pan, and an aluminum tray. You can get creative and put a wire rack or several skewers above the cookware you choose to use so the oil can drain from the steak.

If you decide to go with the skewers, you should put them in water for around half an hour before using them. If you don’t mind meat marinating in its own juices while getting cooked, you don’t have to put anything above a pan or a tray but remember to put the oven in the broiler setting.

5 Steps To Cook London Broil in Oven

Steak can be tricky to make, especially if the meat cut is not the tenderest, but following these steps carefully should allow you to prepare a great, juicy, tasty steak. Let’s go through the steps of making a good London broil easily and quickly. 

Step 1. Choose the Right Meat

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London broil originated in the middle of the past century. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with London or England as it originated in Philadelphia. The term ‘London broil’ refers to a process of cooking meat rather than a specific meat cut or a recipe.

It is supposed to turn less expensive parts of beef into juicy, tender steaks. London broil is usually made out of flank steak. It is a part of meat taken from the lower chest or abdominal muscles of a cow. Another option is to use round steak, which is taken from a rear leg of a cow. The steak that you choose to broil should not be too thick because it would be more challenging to tenderize it.

 

Step 2. Marinate the Steak

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Marination is probably the most important step when it comes to making London broil. If you marinate the steak properly, it will be tender, soft, and moist. You can choose marinade according to your taste, but you should include some acidic food like lemon juice or vinegar.

The acidity changes the texture of meat, making it more delicate. The marination time differs depending on the thickness of the steak. If it is thinner, it will be fine marinating it for four or five hours. If you chose a thick steak, it’s best that you leave it in the marinade overnight – for around eight to ten hours.

The longer you marinate it, the stronger the taste of the ingredients you chose, so keep that in mind. You can put the steak in a semi-deep dish and pour the sauce over it. Another option is to mix it all together in a sealable freezer bag. When the meat is done marinating, let it sit at room temperature for around an hour. It’s better to avoid putting meat from the freezer directly to heat. 

Step 3. Sear the Steak

When your steak is all marinated and ready to be cooked, it’s time to preheat the oven. Set the temperature to around 400 degrees and wait until the oven reaches it. You should put your oven in the broiler setting, so the heat only comes from above.

Put the steak in the previously oil-coated preferred cookware and place it in the center of the oven. Sear the steak for around five minutes. Turn it over and sear the other side for another five minutes. Searing will create a crispy, brown surface.

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Step 4. Cook the Steak

When you have turned the steak over, turn down the temperature of the oven to 300-350 degrees. While the other side is searing, the temperature will be dropping just enough so you can continue cooking the steak right away.

When the five minutes have passed, turn off the broiler setting of the oven. Turn over the steak again and cook it for ten minutes. The same goes with the other side – when ten minutes have passed, turn it over and cook for another ten minutes.

You should oversee the steak while it is cooking if your oven tends to overheat. The temperature and the cooking time also differ depending on how rare or well-done you want your steak to be. Check if the steak is cooked enough according to your standards by cutting it with a small knife. If it is, that is pretty much it! Your London broil is ready to be served.

 

Step 5. Serve the London Broil 

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You should leave the steak to rest for around ten to fifteen minutes. Cut it against the grain and serve it. Depending on your choice of marinade, rice, roasted, or mashed potatoes could be a great choice as a side. 

Additional Tips for Cooking London Broil

There are a few other things that you should know about when cooking London broil. According to your preferences and equipment, some of the steps can be done a bit differently. 

Arrange Meat Evenly

no broiling pan

If you are broiling more than one piece of meat simultaneously, make sure that they are arranged evenly. Put the pieces in the same line to expose them to the same amount of heat. If they are not in line, some portions of meat may be raw, while the others can burn. Place the pieces of meat according to the position of the broiler in your oven. 

Adjust the Temperature and the Cooking Time

Although most recipes will tell you how much time you should sear and cook the steak, use those numbers as an approximate timeframe. You should adjust the temperature of your oven and the cooking time depending on a few factors.

Some ovens overheat very quickly, so you should lower the temperature if yours is one of them. If you like your steak well-done, you should increase the cooking time for a few minutes on both sides. If you like your steak to be more on the rare side, decrease the cooking time accordingly. Check on the meat regularly to make sure that it doesn’t burn.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing the temperature and the cooking time is the equipment you use. If you decide to use an aluminum tray or oven rack, you should decrease both the temperature and the cooking time. This is because the oven rack and aluminum tray are very thin and the heat can spread rather quickly.  

Use Shortening or Butter

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Even if you are using non-stick cookware, make sure to coat the surface with non-stick spray, shortening, or butter. This will prevent the meat from sticking, and it will allow you to turn it over once or twice without any problems.

If you don’t want to use any of these options, you can always put the aluminum foil on the surface of your cookware. That will also save you some time because you will have nothing to clean once you have finished cooking the steak. 

Cut the Steak Before Marinating

If you want your steak to be particularly juicy and if you want to feel the marinade ingredients better, you can cut the raw steak before covering it in the marinade. It will allow the sauces to get through the fibers and get soaked better. This technique will also make it more tender.

Dry the Marinated Steak

When you are ready to cook the steak, and while the oven is preheating, you can dry the surface of the marinated steak using paper towels. This step is optional according to your preferences, but drying it will allow the steak to get crispier when seared.

Conclusion

London broil is a great option for a low-budget, tasty meal, though keep in mind that proper preparation requires advance marinating time. Following these five steps and additional tips, you will get a perfect dish that you can also freeze and save for later use. The most important step of cooking London broil is marinating it well, so make sure that you have enough time to do that, and enjoy your meal!

 

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