Sous Vide London Broil is the best way to cook the lean but budget-friendly top round steak, turning it to a tender and flavorful dinner! Marinated with balsamic and honey based sauce, and sous vide cooked to juicy perfection by controlling the temperature precisely, then finished in the skillet for a beautiful brown crust! 

WHAT IS LONDON BROIL?

London Broil originally referred to a steak dish made by marinating and broiling a lean cut such as flank steak or top round to medium rare, and then slice it across the grain into thin strips. However, through the years butchers have been selling a cut of beef that is called a London Broil, which is typically a top round.

WHY SOUS VIDE LONDON BROIL?

Sous vide is a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bathLondon broil or top round is a lean and tough cut of beef. When cooking it using traditional methods such as pan-frying, baking, or grilling, the meat can easily turn tough and dry if you miss the small window of the the perfect doneness. Sous vide method eliminates this issue by controlling temperature precisely and you can leave the meat in the water bath for a wide range of time. In addition, it produces the steak with an even doneness edge to edge. Try it once, and you’ll never look back!

HOW TO SOUS VIDE LONDON BROIL

• Start with marinating the steak with balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl or zip-top bag for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  • Set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 133°F (56°C).
  • Place the marinated steak in a zip-lock bag. Seal the bag using the water displacement technique.
  • Place the bag in the warm water bath and cook for 6-8 hours (covered by foil to minimize water evaporation).
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  • When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water and transfer it to an ice bath or refrigerator.
  • Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
  • Remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Grill or sear for about 1-2 minutes per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed.
  • Slice against the grain and serve.

  SOUS VIDE LONDON BROIL MARINADE

  The marinade helps to boost flavor and tenderize this lean cut. Marinating for about 30 minutes to 2 hours will make the steak more tender as well as adding great flavors.

  It’s important to marinate your steak BEFORE cooking it in the sous vide machine.

  

  SOUS VIDE LONDON BROIL TEMPERATURE

  I like my London broil medium-rare, so I set the sous vide machine to 133°F/56°C. Top round is a very lean cut, so don’t cook it past medium doneness, as it will become tough and chewy.

  If you’d like to try other doneness, follow the chart below:

  Steak Doneness	Temperature
  Rare	130°F (54°C)
  Medium Rare	135°F (57°C)
  Medium	145°F (63°C)

  HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SOUS VIDE LONDON BROIL?

  There are a wide range of cooking time, but I find cooking it at 133°F/56°C for 6-8 hours gives me the best result.

  • If you cook it 12 hours, it will become softer, but can also be very dry with less flavor.
  • 2-4 hours make slightly chewy meat but better flavor.
  • 6-8 hours give you a good balance between tenderness and flavor.

  

  CAN YOU OVERCOOK LONDON BROIL IN THE SOUS VIDE MACHINE?

  Although you cannot “overcook” a steak with sous vide method (you can leave the meat in a warm bath for an extra hour or two), the texture can become mushy if the steak is left in the water for too long.

  SEAL THE BAG WITHOUT A VACUUM SEALER

  For this recipe, you don’t need a vacuum sealer. I find Ziploc Freezer Bags are perfect for sealing the food, either wet or dry. The trick is called the “water displacement method” by using the pressure from the water to force all the air out of the bag.

  Just place your food in the bag, seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.

  CAN I SOUS VIDE FROZEN TOP ROUND STEAK?

  Yes, you can sous vide steak straight from frozen. For this recipe, the cooking time is the same as cooking the fresh top round steak.