diff --git a/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md
index 6a11f0fac..8b1914231 100644
--- a/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md
+++ b/docs/topics/browser-enhancements.md
@@ -19,6 +19,23 @@ For example, given the following form:
 
 `request.method` would return `"DELETE"`.
 
+## HTTP header based method overriding
+
+REST framework also supports method overriding via the `X-HTTP-Method-Override` 
+header. This is useful if you are working with non-form content such as
+JSON and are working with an older web server and/or hosting provider 
+(e.g. [Amazon Web Services ELB][aws_elb]) that doesn't recognise particular 
+HTTP methods such as `PATCH`. 
+
+For example, making a `PATCH` request via `POST` in jQuery:
+
+	$.ajax({
+		url: '/myresource/',
+		method: 'POST',
+		headers: {'X-HTTP-Method-Override': 'PATCH'},
+		...
+	});
+
 ## Browser based submission of non-form content
 
 Browser-based submission of content types other than form are supported by
@@ -62,3 +79,4 @@ as well as how to support content types other than form-encoded data.
 [rails]: http://guides.rubyonrails.org/form_helpers.html#how-do-forms-with-put-or-delete-methods-work
 [html5]: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5-diff/#changes-2010-06-24
 [put_delete]: http://amundsen.com/examples/put-delete-forms/
+[aws_elb]: https://forums.aws.amazon.com/thread.jspa?messageID=400724
diff --git a/rest_framework/request.py b/rest_framework/request.py
index 3e2fbd88e..f26d934d7 100644
--- a/rest_framework/request.py
+++ b/rest_framework/request.py
@@ -231,10 +231,13 @@ class Request(object):
         """
         self._content_type = self.META.get('HTTP_CONTENT_TYPE',
                                            self.META.get('CONTENT_TYPE', ''))
+
         self._perform_form_overloading()
-        # if the HTTP method was not overloaded, we take the raw HTTP method
         if not _hasattr(self, '_method'):
-            self._method = self._request.method
+            # Method wasn't overloaded by hidden form element, so look for 
+            # method override in header. If not present default to raw HTTP method
+            self._method = self.META.get('HTTP_X_HTTP_METHOD_OVERRIDE', 
+                                         self._request.method)
 
     def _load_stream(self):
         """
diff --git a/rest_framework/tests/request.py b/rest_framework/tests/request.py
index 4892f7a63..97e5af207 100644
--- a/rest_framework/tests/request.py
+++ b/rest_framework/tests/request.py
@@ -58,6 +58,14 @@ class TestMethodOverloading(TestCase):
         request = Request(factory.post('/', {api_settings.FORM_METHOD_OVERRIDE: 'DELETE'}))
         self.assertEqual(request.method, 'DELETE')
 
+    def test_x_http_method_override_header(self):
+        """
+        POST requests can also be overloaded to another method by setting
+        the X-HTTP-Method-Override header.
+        """
+        request = Request(factory.post('/', {'foo': 'bar'}, HTTP_X_HTTP_METHOD_OVERRIDE='DELETE'))
+        self.assertEqual(request.method, 'DELETE')
+
 
 class TestContentParsing(TestCase):
     def test_standard_behaviour_determines_no_content_GET(self):