I’ve never been into grilling; yet despite my stance on it, we’ve owned three. Our first one was a small electric that we had purchased for our small terrace in our New York studio apartment. We used it three times. When we moved to a downtown-San Diego one-bedroom condo, with a considerably larger terrace, we bought a medium-size gas grill and used that no more than four times before we gave it away when we moved to New Jersey. So last year, now situated in a rural suburban townhouse, with quite a large deck that’s fitted with a natural-gas hookup, we bought an even larger grill and, as you might have already guessed, we used it maybe five times. This year, however, we decided it was time to join the grilling craze and began our outdoor grilling season with a huge ginger-soy London broil.

Although London broil may not be the best choice of steak for grilling (most aficionados suggest a strip or porterhouse), it’s what was in the fridge. A search through my cookbook collection yielded only one recipe for this cut, which I found in Steven Raichlen’s How to Grill, a holdover from our time in San Diego. Having all the ingredients on hand swayed me to stop my search and go with it.

Other than using a zip-lock freezer bag rather than a baking dish to marinate the steak, I pretty much followed the recipe as written; however, I opted to use the recipe’s suggested alternative for cilantro, fresh parsley, since I thought that it might overwhelm the other flavors in the dish. Also adhering to the recipe’s cooking times for medium rare, I went for 8 minutes a side, which yielded the steam closer to medium So, next time, I’ll probably reduce the time by a minute or two per side. Nevertheless, perhaps owing to the 6-hour marination, the steak was tender and perfectly juicy. The rich beef flavors were perfectly complemented by the ginger and soy as well as by the garlic and onions, which lent a subtle sweetness to the steak.

After dinner, considering my successful grilling venture, we decided that we’ll be grilling a lot more than we have in the past.

Ginger-Soy London Broil (adapted from Steven Raichlen’s How To Grill cookbook)

Ingredients

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger ; peeled and thinly sliced
½ red onion; cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic; chopped coarsely
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley; chopped
¼ cup dry red wine
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.5 to 2 pound London broil, 1-inch thick

Directions

For the marinade:

1. Place the ginger, onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and process until a smooth paste forms.

2. Add the wine, soy sauce, oil, and pepper and process to combine.

3. Place the steak in a one-gallon freezer bag and pour the marinade over it being sure to cover both sides.

4. Let the steak marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours, ideally 6 hours, or even overnight (12 hours) if time permits, turning the steak a few times. (I chose the 6-hour option.)

To Grill the steak:

1. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high, about 15 minutes. (See your grill’s instruction book on how to do this.)

2. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Remove the steak from the marinade and drain well. (I used a wire cooking rack to drain the steak.)

3. Place the steak on the hot grate and grill until cooked to taste, 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare, 2 minutes more per side for medium.

4. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. Using a sharp knife, carve it into broad thin slices, hold the knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Serve immediately on warmed plates.

Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot