Alternatives to Turkey

We had a sale on London broil roasts at the Lloyd Farmers' Market last week. It seems like the roasts don't sell quite as well as the smaller cuts of beef and lamb. I wonder if this is because people are intimidated by a large chunk of meat and are unsure how to prepare it. So for the promotion, along with a special price, I was asked to find a recipe to print on half sheets and distribute to our customers. Both Sage and I were happy that we moved a few more London broil cuts that day.

And I helped myself overcome the reluctance to cook a big roast that I described above. I thought that I had better try to prepare the dish that I was selling, so I followed the recipe and made London broil for a small dinner that I hosted over this past weekend. The cooking time stated is for a medium rare roast with red blood dripping from the middle of the slices when the meat is served. Now with all due respect to my mom, to whom I am very grateful for all the food she made, the fact is that where I grew up we learned to cook things until they were three shades of gray. So it was empowering to find out that I can actually make something that is medium rare, like I like it at a steak house. My kind guests said how nicely done the meat was, and not one of them has called to complain of food poisoning.

Meadow Harvest London Broil

London Broil is a method of preparation rather than a cut of meat. Top round, crossrib roast, flank steak, sirloing tip, i.e. the more muscular sinewy cuts, can be used to make the dish. Our London Broil cut is a top round roast. Traditional preparation involves marinating the meat, broiling or grilling at high heat, and slicing diagonally to serve. We offer below a basic recipe and encourage you to experiment with your marinade using ingredients that you like such as ginger, soy sauce, chipotle pepper, etc.

Ingredients:


1/2 cup olive oil


1 tablespoon lemon juice


1/2 cup red wine


3 cloves garlic; smashed


1 tablespoon salt


1 teaspoon coarse-cracked black pepper


1 1/2 top round “London broil” roast

In a mixing bowl or sealable plastic bag large enough to fit roast combine oil, lemon juice, wine, garlic, salt and pepper. Add roast and marinate 4 hours, turning once after 2 hours. Drain meat, pat dry and place on a broiler pan. Broil under preheated broiler, 10 minutes per side, until well-browned. Transfer to cutting board and slice against the grain. Save leftovers for sandwiches.

BTW, I am eating leftover sandwiches right now, along with T-Bone's homemade BBQ sauce, which is bomb, and which I will share in another post.