# Why 'London Broil'.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 18, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387 "2010-01-18T03:17:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/1 "2010-01-18T03:17:24Z")
Why is a flank steak called a London Broil in the US?
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### Author:  [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/2 "2010-01-18T03:35:59Z")
The cut of meat’s not, formally. The prep, cooking, and cutting is what turns flank steak into London Broil.
> **[How to prepare London Broil - oChef.com](https://www.ochef.com/how-to-prepare-london-broil)**
>
> How dop I prepare London Broil?
> **[London broil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_broil)**
>
> London broil is a beef dish made by grilling marinated beef, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. Despite "London" in its name, use of the Americanism "broil" makes clear that the dish and the terminology are American, not British.
> "London broil" originally referred to grilled flank steak, although modern butchers may label top round, coulotte, or other cuts as "London broil", and the term has come to refer more to a method of preparation and cookery than to a specific cut of meat....
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/3 "2010-01-18T12:45:36Z")
> [@MrFloppy](#):
>
> Why is a flank steak called a London Broil in the US?
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.
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### Author:  [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/4 "2010-01-18T18:07:57Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/5 "2010-01-18T18:18:29Z")
Because it sounds better than “needler-tenderized not-flank steak”?
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/6 "2010-01-18T18:53:34Z")
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/](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/london_broil/)
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/7 "2010-01-18T18:54:46Z")
You may grill it, but many people broil it.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-london-broil/525387/8 "2010-01-18T19:09:07Z")
> [@racer72](#):
>
> 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.
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](http://www.askthemeatman.com/london_broil.htm):
> [@](#):
>
> Let’s get it straight, London Broil is a Cooking Method -
> NOT a cut of beef!!
>
> But, many grocery store meat departments and butcher shops sell a cut of beef labeled London Broil.
> What cut of beef is it usually?
>
> It is usually Top Round Roast.
I found another [site](http://www.foodsubs.com/MeatBeefRound.html) which does say top blade (which would be the chuck area of the steer) is sometimes called London Broil:
> [@](#):
>
> London broil Notes: This is the name of a finished dish, not a cut of meat, but butchers sometimes assign the name “London broil” to the following cuts: flank steak, top round steak, or top blade steak. Each would work well in a London broil recipe.
In my experience, I’ve only seen flank and top round labeled as London Broil.