Tender Sous Vide London Broil (Top Round Steak)
on Oct 18, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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Sous Vide London Broil is the best way to cook the lean but budget-friendly top round steak, turning it into a tender and flavorful dinner! It’s marinated with balsamic and honey based sauce, and cooked to juicy perfection, then finished in the skillet for a beautiful brown crust!
What Is London Broil?
London Broil was originally referred to a steak dish made by marinating and broiling a lean cut such as flank steak or top round to medium-rare and then slicing it across the grain into thin strips.
However, through the years butchers have been selling a cut of beef that is called a London Broil, which is typically top-round steak.
What Is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is a French cooking method that cooks the food low and slow in a warm water bath. It vacuum-seals food in a plastic bag first and then immerses it in a water bath at a controlled temperature.
This technique ensures precise and even cooking, resulting in perfectly cooked and tender dishes.
Why Sous Vide London Broil?
London broil or top round is a lean and tough cut of beef. When cooking it using traditional methods such as pan-frying, baking, or grilling, the meat can easily turn tough and dry if you miss the small window of the perfect doneness.
The sous vide method eliminates this issue by controlling temperature precisely and you can leave the meat in the water bath for a wide range of time. In addition, it produces the steak with an even doneness edge to edge. Try it once, and you’ll never look back!
Tools You’ll Need
- Sous Vide Immersion Circulators
- Vacuum-sealer / Sous vide bags: or Zip-loc Bags
- Sous vide container or a large pot
- Kitchen Tongs
- Skillet
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Marinate the steak
Start with marinating the steak with balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl or zip-top bag for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Step 2: Vacuum seal the bag
Place the marinated steak in a zip-lock bag. Vacuum seal the bag using the water displacement technique. In the meantime, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 133°F (56°C).
Step 3: Sous vide
Place the bag in the warm water bath and cook for 6-8 hours (covered by foil to minimize water evaporation).
Step 4: Sear and serve
- When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water and transfer it to an ice bath or refrigerator.
- Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Grill or sear for about 1-2 minutes per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed. Slice against the grain and serve.
Tips And Tricks
- Set the sous vide temp based on your desired doneness. For example set it to 130°F for rare, 135°F for medium rare, etc.
- Cover your water bath to reduce evaporation during cooking.
- Marinating is not required but will enhance the flavor of the meat.
- Sear the meat after the sous vide process is complete. Only sear for one minute per side and no more to avoid further cooking the meat.
Sous Vide London Broil Marinade
The marinade helps to boost flavor and tenderize this lean cut. Marinating for about 30 minutes to 2 hours will make the steak more tender as well as add great flavors.
It’s important to marinate your steak BEFORE cooking it in the sous vide water bath.
Sous Vide London Broil Temperature Chart
I like my London broil medium-rare, so I set the sous vide machine to 133°F/56°C. Top-round is a very lean cut, so don’t cook it past medium doneness, as it will become tough and chewy.
If you’d like to try other doneness, follow the chart below:
| Steak Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 130°F (54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 133°F (56°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
Time To Sous Vide London Broil
There is a wide range of cooking time, but I find cooking it at 133°F/56°C for 6-8 hours gives me the best result.
- If you cook it for 12 hours, it will become softer, but can also be very dry with less flavor.
- 2-4 hours make slightly chewy meat but better flavor.
- 6-8 hours give you a good balance between tenderness and flavor.
Serving Sous Vide London Broil with Delicious Sides
Make It Ahead
You can make London broil ahead of time using sous vide. Once the sous vide process is complete, skip the searing and bring it to room temperature.
Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat using a sous vide machine set to 133°F for about an hour. Then sear and serve!
How To Store Sous Vide London Broil
You can store sous vide London broil by placing it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to 4 days.
How To Reheat London Broil With Sous Vide Machine
You can reheat London broil using a sous vide machine. Reheat using a sous vide machine set to 133°F for about an hour (depending on the thickness of the cut).
FAQs
What’s the best cut for London broil?
London broil is more of a cooking method than an actual cut of beef. Flank steak is the preferred cut with top round steak being an alternative.
Can you overcook London broil in the sous vide machine?
Although you cannot “overcook” a steak with sous vide (you can leave the meat in a warm bath for an extra hour or two), the texture can become dry and mushy if the steak is left in the water for too long.
Can I sous vide frozen top round steak?
Yes, you can sous vide steak straight from frozen. For this recipe, the cooking time is the same as cooking the fresh top-round steak.
How to vacuum seal the bag without a vacuum sealer?
For this recipe, you don’t need a vacuum sealer. I find Ziploc Freezer Bags are perfect for sealing the food. The trick is called the “water displacement method” by using the pressure from the water to force all the air out of the bag.
Just place your food in the bag, seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
Do I have to marinate the steak before sous vide cooking London broil?
No, marinating is not required, since the sous vide already produces extremely tender meat. However, marinating will enhance the flavor beyond the seasoning you add to the sous vide bag.
Can I sous vide London broil in the marinade?
As this recipe uses vinegar in the marinade, you’ll need to remove the steak from the marinade before sous vide cooking the meat. If you want to cook the steak in the marinade, use a marinade without acid or alcohol.
Do I have to sear sous vide steak before serving?
A sous vide steak will be very pale on the surface and therefore will become more attractive and flavorful with a quick sear in a hot skillet. While you could technically skip this step, it only takes a few minutes and will result in a more enjoyable steak.
How do you cook London broil so it’s not tough?
If you prefer a tender and juicy London broil, set the temperature to 133°F (medium-rare). Cook the London broil for 2 to 4 hours and your steak will be nice and tender.
How long does it take to sous vide a 2 lb roast?
It will take about 2-4 hours to sous vide a 2 lb roast. Adjust the time if you prefer a different level of doneness – longer for more tenderness, or shorter for less tender texture.
More Sous Vide Steak Recipes
Sous Vide London Broil Recipe (Top Round Steak)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds top round steak, or flank steak
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 teaspoons mustard, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the steak: In a zip-lock bag or mixing bowel, add balsamic vinegar, honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and mustard. Mix well.
- Add top round steak to the bag, close the bag and coat the meat thoroughly. Let it marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Sous Vide the steak: In the meantime, add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 133°F (56°C).
- Remove the steak from the marinade and place it in a new zip-lock bag (discard the marinade).
- Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Keep the bag in the sous vide container. Make sure the steak is fully submerged while the seams of the bag is above the water.
- Cover with several pieces of aluminum foil and sous vide cook for 6-8 hours.
- Sear the steak: When your steak is cooked in the sous vide machine, remove the bag from the water bath and transfer it to an ice bath or refrigerator. Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the ziplock bag and wipe off the moisture with paper towels.
- Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Brush the steak with oil.
- Place the cast-iron skillet or grill on medium-high heat. Once very hot, add the steak and sear about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes and veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
Looking forward to trying this. I have a shoulder London broil which from what I understand is tougher. Should I sous vide for longer?
Hi Shaya, you can cook your shoulder london broil for about 8-10 hours. Hope this helps. Izzy
Hello. I was looking for a simple way to to cook a (2.5 pound) London Broil to make French Dip. I set my sous vide device to 130 degree F and cooked for 4 hours to achieve rare to medium rare result. I salted and peppered the meat before vaccum baging. The result was perfect. After patting dry I seared the meat in a cast iron pan with a little duck fat. While not as good as thin sliced roast beef, I found this to be a good alternative. Toasting on a nice roll with a slice of Provelone cheese and Au Jus: Mmmmm.
Hi Larry, thanks for sharing your experience!
just did my first sous vide, with your recipe. i wanted it rare so i set it to 130° and let it go for six hours.it was pretty good,but still came out medium rare. next time i’ll be doing a frozen one (i’m by myself so i divided the 2lbs in four and froze three after marinating) should i set it to 128° to get rare?
Hi Elithea, you can definitely set it to 128°F (or as low as 125°F) if you’d like to get a more rare doneness.
Does the time for the sous vide change if you are making more than a 2lb London Broil? I am making this tomorrow and don’t want to ruin it.
Hi Michael, the time doesn’t change if your london broil is more than 2 lb. Just make sure that your bag is big enough.
For a birthday party with 16 attendees, I purchased two packages of top round totaling more than 9 pounds. Being new at this it took me nearly three hours to make the marinade and get all the meat into sealed Ziploc bags. Peeling the garlic took most of the time. The meat was in the marinade for 2-1/2 – 3 hours, and cooked at 131 degrees for 5-1/2 hours; Each piece of meat went on the Jenn Air grill for two minutes or so each side. There were many, many compliments, even from my son, who introduced me to Sous Vide. Having spent so long making teh marinade, I saved what was left. Is it OK to reuse it on another piece of meat, or should it be discarded? Generally marinades are discarded because they have seasoned raw meat. This marinade seasoned raw meat, but then cooked with the meat in the Ziploc bags. So is it safe to reuse?
Do you know if the time should change if I’m doing a frozen 1lb London broil?
Just me unknowing but, personally I wouldn’t reuse it. FYI most grocery stores now sell peeled garlic under $4 and you get a lot. It’s not in water or oil so it’s dated. Next time get your son to help…just kidding. Mine is a trained fine dining chef and lives with me and never cooks. I love him anyway haha.
Growing up the only steak we ever had was top round or london broil, just as the Sunday roast was top round roast. It was all we knew and we loved all of it. When I went looking for Sous Vide instructions I realized others had a quite different perspective on this cut of meat. I gave the steak 3:30 at 130F and even though I messed up the searing a bit it was fine to me. I think I’ll cut back a bit of time and see how it changes things. I should note that I always slice such steak very thin, and usually against the grain.
Thank you! I’ve been running my baths way too long. I wish I could post a photo of my bottom round @ 6.5-hours. After chilling it, I finished it in a countertop oven set to “Air Roast” 450F. It browned up quite nice in about ten minutes without affecting the edge-to-edge pink color.
Thoughts on freezing after Sous Vide for a few days, for transporting to campsite (thawing on the way), and searing at campsite? Thanks!
What if I have two 1 pound top round steaks. Do I still cook for the same amount of time if they are thinner than a 2 pound?