Good Monday everyone. Today I would like to tell you about the London Broil.

I guess it all started on Friday evening when I was thinking about dinner for the weekend. On Saturday my mother, grandmother and I were going to see the production of Billy Elliot, and I thought that a UK themed dinner would be a grand idea. So off I went in search of something interesting to cook after seeing the spectacular play. The London Broil popped up in my searches, so I dug a little further. It would appear that this dish is not from across the pond at all, but a North American invention of marinated Flank Steak, grilled and sliced thin across the grain.

Canadians have this thing where they like to make stuff their own. The London Broil is no different. We have taken the flank steak and butterflied it, then wrapped it around ground meat. The filler meat depends on the area, Toronto uses ground Flank Steak mixed with herbs and spices etc., St. Catherines prefers to use a pork sausage (sans casing), you can even find your London Broil stuffed with veal in some areas.

For more information on the London Broil, visit the Wiki page.

METHOD

1. Using a sharp knife, trim any excess fat and sinew from the flank steak. Butterfly the flank steak by slicing horizontally almost through the middle of the narrow side of the flank. Unfold the flank steak to make a rectangle or square, about ½–inch thick. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the butterflied flank steak, and lightly pound with a meat mallet until  the flank is a uniform thickness. Set aside.
   Here is a video with a similar way to butterfly your meat, or just ask your local butcher.
2. Pour Sleeman Fine Porter into a glass dish large enough to hold the open flank steak. Add the garlic, dijon mustard, herbs and pepper. Stir. Add flank steak, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.

London Broil Filling

1. The next day, combine ground beef, garlic, onion, olives, herbs, mustard, Bone Dust, salt, Worcetershire sauce,and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
2. Remove your flank steak from the Porter marinade; discard the leftover marinade. Pat the flank steak dry with paper towel and lay flat on a cutting board.
3. Form the ground–meat mixture into a roll the same length as the flank steak. Place the ground–meat roll on the bottom ¹/₃ of the flank steak, running the full length of the flank. It should look like a log of ground meat about 2–3 inches in diameter.
   
4. Working form the bottom end, roll the flank steak around the ground–meat mixture, pressing firmly to preserve the log shape. Using the butcher’s twine, tie the London Broil snugly, but not too tightly, closed every 2 inches. Cover and refrigerate and rest for an hour.
5. Preheat the grill to medium–high heat. Remove meat from the refrigerator and slice between the strings to form 2–inch thick stuffed flank steak medallions.
   

   Evenly space the steaks on the wine–soaked plank and plank grill for 30 to 35 minutes, basting liberally with barbecue sauce durring the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time, until the ground meat is fully cooked but still juicy. Remove from the grill; cut away the strings and serve.

Bubble and Squeak

1. While you’re waiting for the London Broil to rest in the fridge, grill–bake the potatoes until they are soft all the way through.
2. When they are done cooking, remove from grill and allow to cool until you can peel them, but leave a little of the skin with charring on it. In a bowl, mash your potatoes however you usually do, milk, cream, butter, salt, pepper, garlic, whatever you like.
3. When your London Broils are on the grill, melt butter in a frying pan or the Cast Iron Frying Pan then toss in your onion and cabbage. If you have a side burner on your grill, it’s a good idea to use it while plank grilling, so you can make sure that the smoking plank does not light on fire.
4. Once the cabbage and onion are tender add the mashed potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Fry the potatoes until begin to get brown and crunchy.

What a delicious, not quite British, dish. Served with a little Bubble and Squeak – grill style! Do you have theme nights? What was your favourite theme night menu?

Happy Grilling!