Thankfully, we have never been big meat eaters, but in these lean times (ar-ar), there are two types that are in the budget — ground beef and London Broil. When I get a hankering for steak, it’s the latter to my rescue — and still only less than $1 a serving!

Farmer’s Wife has been asking me for months to post how I cook London Broil, so after I just prepped mine for tomorrow night’s dinner, I was inspired to share.

First, the stores will call it “London Broil,” but that’s actually a cooking method. Most times, it’s flank steak, so you may look for that term when seeking recipes. My “buy” price is $1.77 a pound for the “family size” packages. Now, let me tell you for two-person households, it may seem intimidating when buying those large packages, but I finally figured it out a couple years ago — you cut the meat in half and freeze the other. Normally you are left with a neat 1-1.25 pound of meat. Perfect for one or two people (and with a little leftover). A 2+ pound cut I think is perfect for four people.

Another secret? I use it for beef stew meat. I normally cut it into pieces, and then freeze it. It’s ready to go later and it’s much cheaper than traditional beef stew meat, which is usually $2.99 a pound plus. I’ve also pre-cut it very thinly and used for stir-frys. It’s fantastic!

Now here’s the dirty secret about London Broil — it’s a tough piece of meat. This is not rib eye. But if you treat it right, you can get your steak fix for a fraction of the cost.

I did some research tonight on how to cook London Broil. The big warning is not to poke or stab it (because it lets the juices out). You can massage it or hit it with a mallet. But I’ve never been one to beat my meat (heh-heh).

It really comes down to three tips:

I normally broil mine (on foil to make cleanup easy) for 7 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second — this is medium/medium rare. Then I remove it to the serving platter and wrap it in a blanket of foil to rest for 5-7 minutes. This helps keep it juicy (and continues the cooking process). For rare, about 6 minutes on the first side, and then 5 minutes on the other side. And for medium, I would suggest cooking it medium rare, and then microwaving till medium (about a minute or two).

After cutting it very thinly with a sharp knife, serve. I like A1 steak sauce, Worcestershire or horseradish sauce on the side. Add smashed potatoes and a veggie, and you have a great, inexpensive dinner.

Try London Broil — it’s a great budget saver and delicious, too.