No more dry, tough pepper steak! This method is moist, flavorful and delicious!

Pepper steak was one of the first “fancy” meals I tried to make after I got married, and by fancy I mean something other than chicken on the bone or meat bolognese. But the problem was that whenever I made it, the meat was always extremely tough and unpleasant to eat. I followed my friends’ tried-and-true methods, tried recipes from cookbooks, and bought pre-marinated pepper steak from the grocery store, all to no avail. Coat it in cornstarch, cook it for a long time, undercook it, bake it, fry it — I tried every trick. So I eventually gave up and deleted the idea of pepper steak from my brain. Until one day someone told me (I wish I could remember who!) that the problem was that I was buying the sliced “pepper steak” from the butcher. They use inferior meat for that cut, which is very tough and doesn’t cook well. Instead, she advised, buy a piece of good-quality meat and slice it yourself!

Let me tell you, it was a game changer! I started buying a London broil, grilling it, thinly slicing the meat myself and proceeding from there. It was beyond amazing what a difference it made. My pepper steak is now delicious, soft and melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.

When cutting the meat, it’s always important to use a good knife. I love my Victorinox butcher knife.

This recipe is a grilled version. I have found that grilling really makes the best pepper steak. If you are making this in the winter and you don’t want to grill — though you really can, as I grill 12 months a year (and yes, while living in Minneapolis I grilled in knee-deep snow!) — you can easily use a grill pan or heavy-duty pan and make it indoors.

I used to have this weird relationship with peppers. I didn’t dislike them but I didn’t love them either. My daughter loves them. She has become the salad queen in our house, and her amazing salads always include peppers. She kind of got me into peppers! When I am making recipes that involve peppers, knowing they have wonderful health benefits and that my daughter loves them, it’s a win-win and I am a happy mama!

I always serve my pepper steak over rice. Try my oven-baked rice — it’s the easiest method for cooking rice ever!

Succulent Pepper Steak

Tired of tough pepper steak? Slicing the meat yourself is the secret to this moist and delicious version!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs. London broil (approx.)
2 tsp soy sauce, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow pepper, sliced into strips
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
1 orange pepper, sliced into strips
3 cloves garlic, sliced
¼ cup water
2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

Drizzle London broil with about 1 teaspoon soy sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub well into meat. Marinate for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium flame. Add onion and saute about 10 minutes. Add peppers and garlic and lightly sauté for no more than 5 minutes. (You don’t want the veggies to get mushy.)
Remove from fire, pour into a 9×13 pan and set aside.
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium and add meat. Grill for about 5 minutes per side. (Don’t worry if it’s rare; it will continue cooking later.)
Allow meat to rest for about 10 minutes and then slice into very thin slices. Mix meat slices with pepper mixture.
Make a slurry by combining remaining teaspoon soy sauce, water and cornstarch. Pour into meat and peppers and mix.
Place pan back on the grill uncovered and close the grill top. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Variation: If grilling indoors, bake in oven preheated to 350℉ for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm over rice.