I have a Safeway "Rancher's Reserve London Broil" not sure if it's

[NMDemDist2]

flank steak or top round, but it's been marinating for about 30 hours.

Grill? Oven Roasting Bag? something else?

I was thinking Oven Roasting bag, but all the recipes call for grilling

it's about 1.25 inches thick...

[The empressof all]

1. I'd broil or grill it

Slice it thin against the grain. It's probably not a flank steak-those are usually clearly marked. I think if you cook it in an oven bag you'd get something more like a pot roast and cooking it in the marinade like that may really give you more flavor than you want.

Definitely grill or broil.

[NMDemDist2]

2. thanks Your Worship, hope I've got enough fuel in the BBQ tank

:hi:

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Grill outdoors or broil in your oven

'London Broil' is an often misued term. The classic london broil is, in fact, flank steak, but as our Empress has stated, it is almost always clearly marked and is also a unique cut instantly identifiable as a flank steak, it is unlike any other cut.

What gets sold as london broil is often top round, a cut that broils well after marinating.

Be sure to cut across the grain.

[NMDemDist2]

4. I know you are a Safeway shopper too, have you tried the new

Rancher's Reserve beef they are selling? I have been very pleased with the few cuts I've tried so far.

I'll let you know how this one turns out. I really think it's a top round, it doesn't have the "tendony" look of a flank steak.

[The empressof all]

5. I absolutely love Flank Steak

I think it's my favorite cut for "reasonalbly priced" steak. When it hits below $4.99 a pound I stock up. I have two in my freezer now. I find that it's one of the only steaks than doesn't lose flavor when frozen.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. I agree completely

Flank steak and, of all things, chuck eye steak. I almost always marinate the flanks and grill the chucks. Very flavorful.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Here's a flank steak (Warning - LARGE pictures)

Sorry about the huge image, but it is the only to show the detail.

Here's a flank steak (partially cooked).

Notice that the meat fibers (grain) run lengthwise, along the length of the meat. This will weigh between 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 lbs and is about 9 to 12 inches long.

Now here's a top round (sirloin) steak.

Notice that the meat fibers are cut off, meaning they run in line with the thickness of the steak. This is often sold as 'London Broil'

[Stinky The Clown]

7. The rest of my post re: Ranchers Reserve

So as NOT to force you to open the huge pictures)

As to Safeway's Rancher's Reserve, I have tried it and have liked every piece I bought so far. Mind you, with Sparkly being a veggie head, I don't eat all that much red meat anymore, but what I've bought in the last year or two has all been this.

Here's a lift for their website, with my comments .......

Q: Where does Rancher's Reserve® come from?
A: Rancher's Reserve® steaks and roasts are sourced exclusively from the richest cattle-growing regions of the Great Plains. Beef sold under the Rancher's Reserve® trademark is processed by an exclusive supplier under the strict Safeway Companies guidelines to promote tenderness, juiciness and flavor.

I thought it was imported, but I guess it isn't.

Q: Why can't I find Rancher's Reserve® in my store?
A: Rancher's Reserve® is only available at Safeway Companies. If your locally owned Safeway store does not currently offer Rancher's Reserve®, please be patient because it is coming soon.

Q: Do I have to pay more for Rancher's Reserve®?
A: No, Rancher's Reserve® is a great "everyday value" providing you with a consistently juicy, flavorful and tender beef.

Q: Is Rancher's Reserve® choice?
A: We do not sell Rancher's Reserve® beef as being exclusively choice except in selected markets. Rancher's Reserve® beef is a combination of select and choice grade. Grade can be an important factor in marbling and insuring good flavor and all Rancher's Reserve® beef is hand selected to insure we meet our specifications for proper marbling. However; grade only accounts for a small portion of achieving overall tenderness. Our top priority with Rancher's Reserve® is to offer consistently tender, flavorful and juicy beef at our everyday low prices.

Okay ... this statement's a bit weaselly. They say it is 'a combination of select and choice grade', but neither the words 'choice' nor 'select' are capitalized. I am assuming they mean the USDA grades of 'Choice' (second highest) and 'Select' (third highest), but by common convention, meat grades are capitalized. I suspect what's going on here is they're grading their own meats and allowing some USDA Select meat in with the USDA Choice. Now, grade is not an indication of wholesomeness. It is all fit to eat and perfectly safe. One is NOT safer than another. Rather, grades are an indication of quality. Up until a very few years ago, almost all th meat sold in stores that was graded was Prime or Choice. After that, you got down to 'house grades'. In the end, I suspect that's all this is. A private grade system.

Q: How do I get my money back if I am not satisfied?
A: If you are dissatisfied with any beef purchase, simply return your receipt to your meat department and speak with your meat cutter. You will receive your money back and another cut of the same product at no charge. We are very confident of the tenderness, juiciness and flavor of our Rancher's Reserve® product.

Q: Can I freeze Rancher's Reserve®?
A: Yes, all Rancher's Reserve® beef is fresh and has never been frozen. When freezing meat, please be sure to utilize proper freezer wrap or freezer bags to insure product quality. Once meat has thawed, do not refreeze.

This is a good thing.

Q: Is Rancher's Reserve® different than the beef Safeway Inc. used to carry?
A: Yes, all Rancher's Reserve® beef is now guaranteed to consistently deliver tender, juicy meats because it is quality controlled at every step, employing a combination of cutting-edge production technologies unmatched by any beef producer in the world. Rancher Reserve® is exclusive to Safeway and it's subsidiaries.

This pretty much confirms my supposition .... private grading.

Q: What makes Rancher's Reserve® better than other stores' beef?
A: Rancher's Reserve® undergoes a Verified TenderTM process to ensure its tenderness guarantee. Some of the steps include: grain feeding, hand-selection of the final product, hand trimmed, middle meat cuts are aged 14 days for optimal tenderness. Rancher Reserve® is tracked to ensure each cut meets strict standards for quality and tenderness. Foremost, Rancher's Reserve® beef is guaranteed to be tender or we will refund your money and cut you another steak at no charge.

I also think it has been jacquarded. A scary name, it is nothing more than piercing the meat (after it has been cut into whatever it is sold as ... steak, roast, etc.) with slender knife blades. The blades are maybe a 1/16" wide - more like needles. They pierce the meat all over and the cuts are closely spaced. If you look **really** close, you can sometimes see the result. The effect is to sort of 'prechew' the meat a bit. It is an excellent way to tenderize meat and is totally safe (it is just a mechanical process). It also aids marination and does nothing whatever to change the taste. Used to be, you had to pay more for meat processed this way.

Q: Is Rancher's Reserve® Grain fed?
A: Yes, Rancher's Reserve® beef is grain fed. Grain feeding produces marbling which helps to ensure a tender, juicy, and flavorful cut of meat.

Q: Is Rancher's Reserve® USDA inspected?
A: Yes, Rancher's Reserve® beef is inspected by USDA inspectors.

Q: If I have additional questions, how can I get them answered?
A: Please feel free to call (877) SAFEWAY or ask your friendly meat cutter.

[grasswire]

8. interesting, h2s

I have avoided Safeway beef (and pork) for a number of years after some bad experiences. Getting sick several times a few hours after eating their meat made me assume that it was filled with some kind of hormones or got-knows-what. Then, too, there were the times that it was just so tough that clearly it came from a poorly raised animal. So I haven't tried the Rancher's Reserve.

I wish that supermarkets displayed the USDA codes on packaging still. It was such a useful indicator.

[NMDemDist2]

12. I agree grass, I had some issues previously with Safeway beef too

but they had a great sale one day so I took the plunge on this new brand and have been pleasantly surprised.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Funny you mention that

We'ved always found Safeway's Select branded stuff to be very high quality vis a vis store brands in general. Meat was another story. I've never been a big red meat eater, and now that Sparkly and I are married, I eat even less. I used to buy my meat from a local butcher and it was always excellent. The Rancher's Reserve is sort of on a par .... but not quite.

Here's a little meat secret ........ ever notice that good restauarnt steaks or roasts are always better than you can make at home even though both are, say, USDA Choice? The reason is there are two grades within each grade. Essentially there are heavy weight beef and light weight beef. Almost all heavy beef goes to restaurants and commercial outlets, while light weight goes to consumer outlets. Our local butcher sld the heavy weight stuff.

Sadly, he's now retired and his son didn't want to cut meat. So now the place is a deli selling chicken wings and sammiches ...... and dying.

[NMDemDist2]

13. it is a flank then. it's been marinating over a whole day, I'll let you

know!

[wryter2000]

21. Rancher's reserve

Rancher's reserve is very good beef. I have a friend who's a Safeway butcher, and he tells me it's a nice grade of meat and aged well.

I prefer Costco beef, but that's more expensive than RR. I bought some NY strip at Costco yesterday for $7.99/pound. It sure tasted good, though.

[wildeyed]

9. I have done london broil in a hot dry cast iron skillet.

I can look up the details of the recipe if you are interested and haven't already cooked the meat. I think the recipe was from Joy.

[NMDemDist2]

11. thanks, but I have the grill fired up and ready to go with my taters

already cooking.

I do have another one in the freezer for another day though.....

:hi: it's good to see you, I assume the A/C is fixed now?

[wildeyed]

14. Finally!

:hi:

Just in time for the hot weather to return.

I see you are modding for another term. Guess you will be too busy to post much, again :(

[NMDemDist2]

15. yeah, I stayed on in General Discussion-Politics. It's one of the forums

that keep you hopping!

I kinda have started to figure out this whole "mod" thing though, so I have more time than that first term, which was the learning curve from hell LOL

[wildeyed]

20. That forum is scary.

:scared:

You are a brave woman.

[NMDemDist2]

23. LOL I posted at one point early in the first term

"Skinner has thrown me to the wolves!"

one of the other mods said "No, Skinner has put you in charge of the wolves"


:rofl:

[wildeyed]

24. Stay strong!

Hey someone's got to do it.

:rofl:

[wryter2000]

22. Cast iron pan with the ridges on the bottom

The cast iron skillets with the ridges on the bottom cook steaks well. Plus, you get those nice brown lines on the steak.

[SW FL Dem]

16. Grill it Start with medium heat then turn it down to low

Be sure to slice the meat on the diagonal, it's yummy. We eat a lot of London Broil because it is one of the lowest fat cuts.

[NMDemDist2]

18. Well it came out great, pink in the middle and as H2S spoke about

upthread it did appear to have been jacquarded I could see the marks after it was cut on the diagonal. I grilled in on med-lo on my gas grill for 10 minutes per side.

what a great deal it was too, they were on sale buy one get one free! a great bargin too, since it is all usable meat, very little fat and no bones by weight.

I had a bit of horseradish sauce with mine and it was excellent!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

[Stinky The Clown]

19. Marinade for Flank Steak

All quantities to taste or as suggested:

Thin, thin, thin sliced onion - maybe a 1/2 large one
Thin, thin, thin sliced garlic - maybe 3 or 4 cloves
Fresh parsley, basil, oregano - chopped coarsely (you could also use dry)
Olive oil - maybe 1/4 cup
Balsamic vinegar - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Red wine - 1/2 cup
Worchestershire - tablespoon or so
Salt and pepper

Stab the flank repeatedly with a fork ... all over and have the stab wounds nice and close. Take out agressions. Stab it ... a lot.

Immerse the meat and 'massage' the marinade into it.

Put the meat and the marinade into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and force the air out. Seal the bag. Massage again to distribute the chunks and herbs.

Refrigerate overnight or longer.

Remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

Remove the meat from the bag and scrape some, but not all, the stuff off it.

Grill to taste (I like it really rare). Be cautious as the marinade will make rare seem more toward medium rare, medium rare more toward medium, etc.

Allow the cooked steak to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Slice on the bias very thin.

Eat.

Accompany by a nice, dry, red wine.