Tender, juicy, and budget-friendly, my Marinated London Broil is just the thing to make when you’re craving a steak dinner but don’t want to shell out the big bucks. Serve with your favorite sides for the full steakhouse experience!
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A Simple Marinade Inspired by The Elbow Room
Situated on the east end of Long Island are a family of steakhouses known for their no-frills food and decor, and their iconic marinated steaks. The marinade at Cliff’s Elbow Room and Cliff’s Elbow Too is one I’ve been replicating at home for years, and is the marinade I use for my marinated grilled London broil. It’s a simple one that’s loaded with onion and soy sauce that perfectly complements the beef.
And London broil, being the budget-friendly cousin to more expensive cuts of beef, is the perfect vehicle for the Elbow Room marinade!
I love to recreate the full steakhouse experience whenever I make my marinated London broil by serving it alongside a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, creamed spinach, and garlic mashed potatoes, but since it’s made on the grill, it’s equally excellent with warm weather sides, such as macaroni salad, potato and green bean salad, and grilled zucchini.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Beef. Where I live in the New York area, London broil almost always sold from beef top round, but you could also use flank steak or skirt steak, though cooking times may vary.
- Soy sauce. You can use either regular soy, or low sodium depending on your tastes and dietary needs. Low sodium soy sauce contains about 40% less salt than regular soy sauce.
- Onion and garlic. These give great flavor to the London broil marinade!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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Marinated London Broil Process Pics
- Marinate the London broil in a Ziploc bag or other container that allows maximum surface area of the beef to be in contact with the marinade.
- Heat your grill and begin to cook the London broil on one side.
- Flip the London Broil and grill on the other side and continue to flip each minute until it reaches your desired doneness.
- Thinly slice the London broil against the grain and serve with your favorite sides.
Top tips
- Let the steak marinate. Allowing the London broil to sit in the marinade for at least 6 hours will yield superior results. I almost always let it marinate overnight.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. For accuracy and best results, I recommend using an instant-read probe thermometer to ensure the London broil is cooked to your liking.
- Grilling method. The 1 minute flips ensure that the beef is pink on the middle with little amount of grey on each side. It’s a great technique to use on any type of grilled beef.
- No grill, no problem! You can make the London broil under the broiler in your oven. See the instructions in the recipe card notes for the broiler method instructions.
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Marinated London Broil (Easy 3-Ingredient Marinade)
Ingredients
- 1 2 pound (900g) London Broil
For the marinade
- 1 cup (240ml) soy sauce see notes below
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
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Instructions
For the marinade
- Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
For the London Broil
- Place the London Broil in a ziplock bag along with the marinade then place into a dish. Every few hours turn the bag to achieve even marination. It's best to marinate overnight, but a minimum of 6 hours will work.
- Take the London Broil out of the fridge 1 hour before grilling. Pat the London broil very dry and heat a grill to 450-500°F.
- Place the beef onto the hot grill and let sit for 1 minute. Flip it every minute until medium-rare (130°F), is achieved. This will take about 8-12 minutes of total grill time but check with an instant-read thermometer for accuracy.
- Place the London broil onto a cutting board and tent with foil for at least 10 minutes before slicing against the grain. Enjoy!
Notes
- About London Broil. Most Butchers will sell a 2-inch thick cut of top round beef as “London Broil” but some will also sell other cuts. Any lean cut of beef marinated overnight and cooked at high heat will work.
- Broiler method. Preheat the broiler to high and place the rack 3-4″ below the element. Place the dried off London Broil in a broiling pan and cook for 5 minutes on the first side and flip and cook for another 4 minutes to achieve a 130°F internal temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer to verify.
- Accuracy. Use an instant-read thermometer placed into the center of the beef while cooking to ensure a juicy perfectly cooked London broil.
- Soy sauce sodium. For a lower salt version sub low-sodium soy sauce. Low-sodium soy sauce has 35-50% less salt depending on the brand.
- Leftovers. London Broil can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Is it possible take a frozen london broil and put it in a zip lock and add the marinade and leave it overnight in the refrigerator? Or should it be thawed first?
Hi Kathleen, you can give it a try. It might not fully defrost (marinating it in a frozen state will prevent it from taking on some of the marinade), but it should be ok.
Thanks for the recipe I can’t wait to try it. I would like to know what is the maximum time I can marinate?
Hi Karen, 24 hours, though you could probably go a little beyond that for this cut of meat.
Thank you Tara
muy Buena y sabrosa yfasil grasias
We’re so happy you liked it, Rolando!
Hi
When grilling or broiling in the oven, do you keep the lid / door open?
Hi Mary, if broiling, use a broiling pan and keep an eye on it. You can leave the lid cracked if need be so you can watch it to prevent burning.
Hi James… what does “clip” and cook mean?
Hi Elyce, it’s “flip and cook”. That was a typo that’s now corrected.
Do you think it would be feasible to cook this on an outdoor griddle??
Hi Jon, yes, you can make on an outdoor griddle.
Cliffs Elbow Room my favorite restaurant sibce 1973
Paul
Happy to hear that, Paul, and glad you enjoyed the recipe!
How are we supposed to handle the onion and garlic? Chop, slice, grate for leave them whole?
Thanks.
Hi Stephen, all the ingredients for the marinade, including the onion and garlic, get placed in the blender and are blended until smooth (see step 1 in the recipe card under “for the marinade”).
Thanks, Tara