Why is a flank steak called a London Broil in the US?
The cut of meat’s not, formally. The prep, cooking, and cutting is what turns flank steak into London Broil.
It’s not. I buy both on a regular basis. Flank steak comes from the back lower stomach area, London broil comes from the chuck or neck area of the cow. I prepare and cook each differently. Flank steak is cooked over high heat for a short period of time, London broil is cooked low and slow. I also tenderize London broil with a needler, flank steak doesn’t need it.
That’s all very well but why the name ‘London Broil’.
It’s neither from London, nor a style of cooking peculiar to London, nor is it broiled - I grill it.
Because it sounds better than “needler-tenderized not-flank steak”?
No one knows why it’s called a London broil. This website suggests that maybe it was named that by some New York restaurant because it sounds pretentious:
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/london_broil/
You may grill it, but many people broil it.
The London Broil I know comes from the back area of the cow: either flank or (more usually) top round. Perhaps this is a regional difference, I don’t know, but a quick Google scan seems to say top round roast is the norm for London Broil.
One cite:
I found another site which does say top blade (which would be the chuck area of the steer) is sometimes called London Broil:
In my experience, I’ve only seen flank and top round labeled as London Broil.