FILIPINO-STYLE LONDON BROIL

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the lemons. Cut each in half and squeeze out the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into 1/4-inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.
• 2. If using flank steak, score it on both sides in a crosshatch pattern, making shallow cuts on the diagonal no deeper than 1/8 inch and about 1/4 inch apart. This will keep the flank steak from curling as it cooks; you don't have to score sirloin or top or bottom round.
• 3. Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon juice mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The beef can also be marinated in a resealable plastic bag.
• 4. When ready to cook, drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Cook the beef, following the instructions below for any of the grills, until cooked to taste. To test for doneness, use the poke method; when cooked to medium-rare the meat should be gently yielding.
• 5. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut the meat into broad thin slices, holding a sharp knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Spoon the reserved sauce over the slices and serve at once.
• If You Have a...
• CONTACT GRILL: When cooking on a contact grill, you're best off using a thick cut of steak, like sirloin or round (flank steak will most likely turn out well-done). Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Place the beef on the hot grill, then close the lid. A thick slab of sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 7 to 10 minutes; flank steak will be cooked to medium after 3 to 5 minutes.
• GRILL PAN: Place the grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over medium heat. When the grill pan is hot a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Place the beef in the hot grill pan. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 8 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the beef on the hot grate. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 8 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• FREESTANDING GRILL: Preheat the grill to high; there's no need to oil the grate. Place the beef on the hot grill. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 6 to 9 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• FIREPLACE GRILL: Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a hot, 2 to 3 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the beef on the hot grate. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 8 minutes per side; flank steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• TIPS:
• • Rodolfo Lagua uses a marinade like this one when preparing tri-tips. To do this, start with a tri-tip that's between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds. Make the marinade following the directions in Step 1, then let the meat marinate for 12 to 24 hours.
• • You can grill the tri-tip in the rotisserie following these steps: Step 1: When ready to cook, place the tri-tip in the rotisserie basket. Place the drip pan in the bottom of the rotisserie. Attach the basket to the rotisserie, then attach the spit to the rotisserie and turn on the motor. If your rotisserie has a temperature control, set it to 400°F. Step 2: Cook the tri-tip until it is darkly browned on the outside and cooked to taste, about 40 minutes for medium-rare. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read meat thermometer through the side of the tri-tip but not so that it touches the spit. The internal temperature should be about 145°F for medium-rare. If your rotisserie has a pause button, after the tri-tip has cooked for 30 minutes, stop the spit so that a flat side of the tri-tip faces the heating element and let the meat brown for 5 minutes. Then, advance the spit a half turn and brown the other side for 5 minutes.
• You can also use one of these alternative tri-tip grilling methods:
• If You Have a...
• CONTACT GRILL: The smaller and thinner the tri-tip, the better the results you'll get on a contact grill (thick pieces of meat tend to burn on the outside before becoming fully cooked in the center). Preheat the grill; if your contact grill has a temperature control, preheat the grill to high. Place the drip pan under the front of the grill. When ready to cook, lightly oil the grill surface. Arrange the tri-tip on the hot grill, placing pieces of aluminum foil between the grill plates and the meat; this will slow the burning process. Close the lid. The tri-tip will be cooked to medium-rare after 8 to 10 minutes.
• BUILT-IN GRILL: Preheat the grill to medium-high, then, if it does not have a nonstick surface, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the tri-tip on the hot grate. It will be cooked to medium-rare after 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• FREESTANDING GRILL: If you like your tri-tip very rare, you can cook it on a freestanding grill. Preheat the grill to high; there's no need to oil the grate. Place the tri-tip on the hot grill, then place a heavy skillet on top of the meat to keep it flat. The tri-tip will be cooked to rare after 10 to 12 minutes per side (it takes forever to get to medium or well done).
• FIREPLACE GRILL: Tri-tip is great in the fireplace, especially over red oak or post oak. Rake red hot embers under the gridiron and preheat it for 3 to 5 minutes; you want a medium-high, 4 Mississippi fire. When ready to cook, brush and oil the gridiron. Place the tri-tip on the hot grate. It will be cooked to medium-rare after 8 to 10 minutes per side.