Sous Vide London Broil (+ Secret Ingredient)

Tender and juicy Sous Vide London Broil recipe reverse seared for a beautiful brown crust. You won’t believe how incredibly tender and flavorful a London Broil roast can be. It’s as good as our popular Smoked London Broil.

Our secret ingredient? Better than bouillon! It adds a TON of flavor and leaves the meat with a nice brown coloring vs an unsightly pale coloring. We also use it when making Sous Vide Filet Mignon, Sirloin Filet and Sous Vide Chuck Roast.

You’ll notice how gorgeous and brown our roast is, as well as the leftover liquid, when finished cooking.

Cooked London Broil Roast on a silver baking sheet.

Plus, think of the beef au jus or gravy you can make with it. Or use the pan juices to make Mushroom Sauce.

More Sous Vide Recipes to check out: Sous Vide Prime Rib, Sous Vide RibeyeSous Vide Lamb Chops, and Sous Vide Tri Tip.

What Is London Broil?

London Broil isn’t a specific cut of beef, it refers to the preparation of select tough cuts of beef. The two most popular cuts for London Broil are flank steak and top round steak, which is the cut we’re featuring here.

London Broil is an inexpensive cut of beef as it’s a tougher cut with little marbling. As such it must be cooked low and slow to yield any edible results. Cooking a London Broil sous vide is the best way to cook London Broil as it turns a tough cut of meat into a tender steak.

London broil in a sous vide water bath.

How to Cook London Broil

Sous Vide London Broil is remarkably easy to master. Only a few short steps stand between you and your perfect roast beef.

Step 1 – Pre-heat the sous vide water bath to your preferred temperature (consult the internal temperature of London Broil chart below) using a sous vide immersion circulator.

Step 2 – Prepare the roast by rubbing it with whatever seasoning you’re going with. Options are below! Once seasoned, add the roast to the sous vide bag and vacuum seal.

Step 3 – Transfer the London Broil to your sous vide machine and set the timer to the proper length (7-9 hours).

Step 4 – Reverse sear the Sous Vide London Broil in a very hot pre-heated cast iron pan for 45 seconds per side to develop a nice brown sear.

Slices of rare beef.

Timing

This top round recipe requires a water bath of at least 7 hours up to a max of 9 hours. We’ve seen other sites list a maximum time of up to 24 hours, but you will be VERY disappointed with the outcome. We tested it for you, and here’s the results:

Overcooked top round with text saying "Look at how dry it is at the 24 hour mark."

Internal Temp of London Broil

Our preferred temperature is 132°F. It’s warm and pink throughout at this temperature. Reverse searing will only increase the temp by 1-2° max, so keep that in mind when picking your level of doneness.

  • Rare: 125°F (Do not recommend)
  • Medium-Rare: 135°F
  • Medium: 145°F
  • Medium Well: 155°F
  • Well Done: 160°F +

We highly recommend you don’t cook it past 145°F as it will be tough and not enjoyable. If well-done is your thing, you may want to skip London Broil altogether.

Reference our Beef Temperature Chart if you’re unsure of the temp. you should go with.

* The USDA recommends cooking steaks and roasts to a minimum of 145°F for safety.

Rare roast on a black cutting board.

London Broil Marinade

There are a ton of London Broil seasoning options to use, so go with what you love. The best marinade for London Broil is what you personally enjoy. Here are some ideas:

Steak Dipping Sauces

We have some amazing dipping sauce recipes, perfect for sous vide London Broil: horseradish for prime ribhorseradish aioliprime rib gravycajun sauce and garlic butter sauce. Take your pick!

Make a beef au jus with the leftover juices in the bag. Just sub the juices in for the beef stock. Look how pretty the juice is thanks to the bouillon.

clear bowl full of brown liquid.

Aromatic Ideas

Throw some aromatics in the vacuum seal bag for a boost of extra flavor. Here are a few ideas: thyme, rosemary, oregano, onion, shallots, etc. Sous vide does bring out the concentration of the herbs, so use sparingly.

Equipment Needed

  • Sous Vide Immersion Circulator – Any brand will work! We use the Anova Immersion Circulator.
  • Vacuum Sealed Bags – You can always use a Ziploc bag and use the water displacement method vs a vacuum sealer with a sous vide bag, if desired.
  • Sous Vide Food Container – We use this sous vide food container for our sous vide beef recipes, but you can use any large stock pot.
  • Cast Iron Pan – Use a large enough cast iron pan, or griddle pan, to accommodate a large beef roast. A stainless steel skillet will work as well, but it’s imperative you pre-heat and use plenty of oil and/or butter so it doesn’t stick.

How To Re-heat Beef London Broil

The best way to re-heat London Broil is to heat it back up in a water bath! Heat the water to just below the cooking temperature you used the first go round. It should take about an hour to re-heat.

Beef in a sous vide water bath.

Expert Tips

  • Take the added step of pounding the meat with the ridged side of a meat mallet. It will break down the tough connective tissues to add tenderness.
  • Make sure the meat is fully submerged in the sous vide bath. If the meat isn’t fully submerged it won’t cook properly. Do not even attempt as food safety would not be guaranteed.
  • If your sous vide bag floats, try to re-seal or utilize something to weight it down in the sous vide bath. You can always add a few heavy spoons, or pie crust weights, to the bag before sealing or invest in sous vide weights.
  • Cap the temperature at medium. London broil has minimal fat therefore will toughen up after a certain temperature.
  • Reserve searing beef creates a LOT of smoke. Turn on the oven fan or open the windows, before turning the oven on, to get ahead of it a bit. Expect it.
  • Make sure to do a thorough job patting dry the cooked London Broil roast with paper towels. To get a good pan-seared crust, the roast needs to be dry.
  • Slice thin and against the grain. I repeat. Slice thin and against the grain.

Close up shot of rare meat.

Leftover Ideas

If you have leftover sous vide London Broil, here are a few beef recipes to consider using it in:

Tri Tip Sandwich
Prime Rib Sandwich
Steak Fajitas
Hunan Beef

Wine Pairings

Wine – Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Tempranillo

Sous Vide London Broil

Slices of sous vide london broil on a silver baking sheet.

Sous Vide London Broil

Tender and juicy Sous Vide London Broil recipe reverse seared for a beautiful brown crust. You won't believe how incredibly tender and flavorful a London Broil roast can be. It's as good as our popular Smoked London Broil.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 149kcal
Author: Darcey Olson
Cost: $10

Ingredients

  • 2-3 Lb Top Round Steak, Any Size
  • 1-2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon, Beef Flavored ((*Note 1))
  • 2-3 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning ((*Note 2))

Instructions

SEASON THE LONDON BROIL:

  • Pat dry the roast with paper towels and rub Better Than Bouillon generously over the roast. The larger the roast, the more you'll need. Start with 1 Tbsp and move up from there.
  • Rub the roast with Montreal seasoning (or your preferred dry rub). The larger the roast, the more you'll need. Start with 1 Tbsp and move up from there.
  • Transfer the roast to your Sous Vide bag of choice.

COOK THE ROAST:

  • Pre-heat the water bath to your preferred doneness (*Note 3) using a sous vide immersion circulator.
  • Transfer the vacuum bag to the water bath and cook for 7 hours minimum up to 12 hours. (*Note 3)
  • Carefully remove the bag from the water bath with tongs. Remove the roast from the bag and pat dry.

REVERSE SEAR:

  • Add enough oil (approx. 1-2 tbsp) to cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet and pre-heat over high heat until it's scorching hot (it will start to smoke when ready). This will take approx. 3-5 minutes. (*Note 5)
  • Sear each side of the roast for 45 seconds.
  • Turn off the stove and transfer the roast to a cutting board. Slice against the grain. No resting necessary.

Notes

Note 1 – Feel free to omit if you prefer. 
Note 2 – Use your favorite dry rub or just salt and pepper.
Note 3 – Sous Vide Tri Tip Temperature
Reverse searing will only increase the temp by 1-2° max (if any), so keep that in mind when picking your level of doneness. 
    • Rare: 125°F (Do not recommend)
    • Medium-Rare: 135°F
    • Medium: 145°F
    • Medium Well: 155°F
    • Well Done: 160°F +
We highly recommend you don’t cook it past 145°F as it will be tough and not enjoyable. If well-done is your thing, you may want to skip London Broil altogether.
Note 4 – How Long To Cook Tri Tip
This top round recipe requires a water bath of at least 7 hours up to a max of 9 hours. We’ve seen other sites list a maximum time of up to 24 hours, but you will be VERY disappointed with the outcome. We tested it for you, and here’s the results. 
Note 5- Reserve searing creates a LOT of smoke. Turn on the oven fan or open the windows, before turning the oven on, to get ahead of it a bit. Expect it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @foodieandwine or tag #foodieandwine!

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