Cooking Grass-Fed Beef: Episode 1 – Top Round "London Broil"
This video recipe for a London broil is the first in the series of videos I mentioned last week, focusing on cooking various cuts of grass-fed beef. In this recipe, using beef from Normanton Farm's, I focus on the main challenge to using this product – its very low fat content.
Statistics vary, but Grass-fed beef has about half the fat of conventionally raised beef. It's this low-fat content, along with high levels of Omega-3's that makes eating grass-fed beef so nutritionally advantageous.
Because of the lower fat content, grass-fed beef has the reputation for being tougher and drier that regular beef. It is if you don't handle it properly, which is the whole purpose of these videos. Generally, grass-fed beef cooks faster, probably 25% faster, so it's important to use a thermometer to check for doneness, and not rely solely on time and feel.
For this top round roast, a really flavorful, but very lean cut, there are two great options: a quick, hot, dry cooking method, served medium-rare – or a long, slow, braising method you'll see in the sauce video. Anyway, enough background info, on to the recipe!
The "London broil" has to be one of the most confusing recipes ever. Despite the name, it's not a dish that originated in London. They've never heard of it. It's like asking where to buy fortune cookies in China. It first appeared in America in the 1930's, although where, no one knows for sure.
Adding to the culinary haze is the fact butchers sell "London Broil" as a cut of meat, which it isn't - it's simply a method for cooking a thick, often tough piece of beef. When you buy a London broil, you could be getting top round, rump roast, flank steak, sirloin, or any number of other cuts.
Mysterious origins and poor terminology aside, it is a very nice way to cook this piece of beef. The meat first gets a marinade, and is then broiled medium-rare, before being sliced thin, and served with the natural juices. By the way, you can also cook this recipe on the grill, or in a pan, as long as you keep it medium-rare. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- grass-fed top round roast
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves sliced garlic
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- salt as needed