First Cut London Broil Top Sirloin

Today I barbecued my first London Broil.  The package said it was a "1st Cut London Broil Top Sirloin".  It was a 2 lb piece of lean beef.

I prepared the meat by marinating it for 8 hours to infuse flavor deep in this 1 1/2 - 2 inch thick London Broil.

Sometimes this can be difficult. A simple rub might work, but it won't penetrate the meat deeply enough to really get the flavor throughout the meat. With a rub alone, you might end up with a few bites of flavor and several bites of dry and plain tasting beef.

So, I chose a simple marinade to help improve my chances (and flavors).

London Broil Barbecue Recipe

Marinade mixture:

· 2 TBSP garlic powder
· 1 TBSP sea salt or kosher salt
· 1 TBSP black pepper
· 1/4 cup red wine
· 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
· 1 TBSP soy sauce
· 1 TBSP honey

Pierce the meat with a Jaccard meat tenderizer tool or a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate deeper inside the meat.

Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (I recommend marinating overnight for better results.)

Prepare the grill for high heat grilling using lump charcoal.

Coat the grate with olive oil to help reduce tendency for the meat to “stick” to the grate. Grill using indirect heat (coals banked to the side, not directly underneath the meat). My grill temperature ranged between 400 - 450 degrees.

Cook the meat to an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees maximum (about 45 minutes for me).

London Broil is a very lean piece of beef and will have a tendency to dry out if overcooked.

Let the meat “rest” for 5 minutes after removing from the grill prior to slicing. Slice the steaks perpendicular to the grain and enjoy.

BBQ Beef Tenderloin and Rib Eye

Smoke & Spice, by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, has a nice looking recipe for beef tenderloin I thought I'd try.

Not knowing anything about beef tenderloin, I went to the local grocery store and asked at the meat counter. The butcher pointed to the display of filet mignon in the meat case and said, "Right there." I was speechless for a few seconds, but finally said, "Wow, that's expensive."

I had to pass on the $18.99 / lb. filet mignon, but the butcher suggested that I try rib eye steak as a substitute for $5.99 / lb. I specifically asked for two pounds, but before I could stop him he sliced off two 1 lb. slabs. I'm going to try them anyway.

The Drunk and Dirty Tenderloin is on page 115 of the Smoke & Spice book and calls for a marinade of soy sauce, worchestershire, sour mash whiskey, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic cloves. The rub is a very basic mixture of black pepper and white pepper applied just prior to putting on the smoker.

I'll let you know how the Drunk and Dirty Rib Eye turns out and post some pictures later today.

Akaushi Beef and Akaushi Brisket

Akaushi brisket will set you back $60 for a 14 pounder, or to save on shipping you can buy up to three for $180.

I haven't tried it yet, but Akaushi beef originates from Japanese cattle. The largest heard of Akaushi beef in American is located in Texas (read more about it here).

This herd of beef cattle was brought to America in the early 1990's and safeguarded from American bulls for more than 10-years to preserve the Japanese bloodlines.

The largest provider of Akaushi beef in America is Heart Brand Beef, a natural, hormone free beef that is high in monounsaturated fat.