Balsamic London Broil

I recently decided to make my first London Broil at my family's house.  I had gone to the grocery in search of dinner ideas, and came across this beautiful piece of beef at a great price.  It was just before the freeze by date, so the fact I was looking to cook it that day was perfect.

Balsamic Vinegar is a wondrous ingredient--I keep trying it in different ways and am always in love with the results.  One of my absolute favorites was Balsamic Chicken, where I reduced the balsamic sauce into a glaze and used it both to cook on the chicken and to serve over pasta.



I made the sauce first, cooking down some balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder for a bit until it was thick.

I used a cut of meat that was just under 2 pounds.  Forgive my horrible pictures in this post. I was not cooking at home and made do with my cell phone!

First, I rinsed the meat off with water.  This is just something I like to do out of habit.  Then, I rubbed some salt and pepper into each side of the steak, then smothered the broil in the glaze.

I let it broil for about 3-4 minutes on each side - just enough time to cook the outside but leave the inside rare.  I haven't typically cooked steaks in this way - I am usually a medium cooked kinda gal, but after some recent steakhouse experiences I've discovered that some meats are just perfect when still pink in the middle.  Some say that if you cook meat well done, you are missing out on a ton of flavor.  Besides, with all the harmful bacteria cooked off on the outside, the inside is safe at a warm temperature.

Yum!  A simple sauce made the perfect topping for a steak.  The balsamic flavor was impeccable - it has this hint of sweetness and the crushed red pepper helped even it out. With this I made a bruschetta dip with some toasted french bread for an appetizer, and we had some vegetables to accompany the steak dinner.  I will likely cook it a minute or two more next time - the level a steak should be cooked is individual preference, and so medium rare is a good middle ground.  Either way this was a totally filling and satisfying meal, and learning new cooking techniques and flavors is, as usual, a total blast!

Balsamic London Broil Recipe

Ingredients:

1 2 pound London broil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, combine balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and brown sugar.  Simmer for approximately 30 minutes on low heat, until sauce has thickened.  Rinse steak with water, then season lightly with salt and pepper.  Lay in broiler pan and spread half of the balsamic sauce over it. Place under oven broiler with the oven door open for 3-5 minutes, until the outside is browned.  Remove from oven and flip, then return to cook the other side.
adapted from balsamic glazed london broil