Picked up some top sirloin steak? Here’s what it is and how to cook it right:
What is top sirloin steak?
Top sirloin steak is a well-marbled, flavorful cut from the sirloin primal, located toward the rear-end of the cattle, right in front of the round primal (butt).
This cut has a lot of names: top sirloin steak, boneless top sirloin steak, top sirloin steak cap off, top sirloin butt steak, and others.
The top sirloin is more tender than the bottom sirloin, although both are delicious. If you see just “sirloin” in the store, it is likely bottom sirloin. You can always ask the butcher, too.
What is top sirloin steak good for?
Because top sirloin is tender and well-marbled, it takes well to both high-heat and low-heat cooking methods, including:
- Stovetop
- Grilled
- Sous vide + sear
- Braised
- Smoked
- Slow cooked
That means tacos, wraps, sandwiches, seared steaks, stir fry, bulgogi, kabobs, and almost anything else are all on the table!
How to cook top sirloin steak
Top sirloin is versatile. This isn’t an exhaustive list of how to cook it, but here are a few options. Use a thermometer to pull 5 degrees shy of your desired temperature for best results.
Here are the Fahrenheit temperature ranges as a reminder:
- Rare: 125 degrees
- Medium-rare: 130 to 135 degrees
- Medium: 135 to 140 degrees
- Medium-well: 140 to 150 degrees
- Well-done: 155 degrees
Note: these steps recommend salting right before cooking, which is ideal unless you have 40 minutes or more to salt in advance. For best results, salt or marinate for 40 minutes to overnight. Avoid salting between 5 minutes and 40 minutes.
Stovetop
- Get a cast iron or other skillet to medium-high heat (when water sizzles across the pan).
- Season your steak liberally with salt and pepper.
- Cook for roughly three minutes on each side.
- Optional: baste with butter and fresh herbs while searing.
- Pull 5º shy of your desired temperature.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Cut across the grain.
Gas grill
- Get your gas grill ripping hot.
- Season steak.
- Place steak onto the hottest point.
- Cook for around three to four minutes on each side (you can baste with compound butter here).
- Pull 5º shy of your desired temperature.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Cut across the grain.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 225º.
- Heat a cast iron on medium heat.
- Season steak.
- Sear the steak for 1-2 minutes until a nice dark brown crust forms and then transfer the steak to the oven.
- Cook until the internal temperature is five degrees below your desired temp.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Cut across the grain.
Reverse sear
- Preheat oven to 225º.
- Get a cast iron on medium-high heat.
- Cook steaks until 125º.
- Take steak out of oven and sear until a crust forms on both sides.
- Pull five degrees below desired temperature.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Cut across the grain.
12 top sirloin steak recipes
Here are 12 amazing ways to use top sirloin steak. We chose recipes that feature a variety of cuisines and skill levels.
1. Perfect grilled top sirloin steak
If it’s grill season, here’s where to start. This guide from Wholesome Yum breaks down whether or not you should marinate, when to pull steaks from the fridge, and how to get the perfect sear.
2. Top sirloin steak tacos with chili lime marinade
Top sirloin isn’t the first cut we’d reach for when making tacos, but it’s a wonderful substitute for flank or skirt. Because top sirloin is more tender, you don’t have to cook it as long and the marinade is optional. This makes it a quick option for wonderful tacos. Whitney Bond shows you how to throw the perfect tacos together.
3. Skillet seared top sirloin steak
Organically Addison gives you the no-frills skillet guide here. Cooking is about mastering the basics first and then experimenting. This recipe is the basics, and not in a bad way. My only change would be to get the skillet hot before seasoning.
4. Top sirloin steak quesadillas
The Anthony Kitchen shows you how to make a food we should all be eating more often: quesadillas. They’re like sandwiches — all are good but when you really take the time to make them correctly, the result is surprisingly delicious. Buy local, fresh tortillas for the best results.
5. Top sirloin steak sandwiches
Speaking of sandwiches, top sirloin steak is fantastic on a hoagie with melted cheese. This recipe from Mom’s Dish uses a cast iron skillet, but you will get even more flavor if you cook it on a grill. Take your time with the onions, too. That’s where that perfect touch of charred sweetness comes from.
6. Chunky sirloin steak stew
I prefer the brisket point or eye of round for stews and braises, but top sirloin is a delicious and faster option. This one-pot recipe from Taste of Home makes it easy: just throw everything in a Dutch oven and watch the magic come together.
7. Sirloin steak lunch wraps
These simple wraps from Taste of Home are a great meal prep option. Season your beef right before slicing, and make sure you cut across the grain. You can also sub in any veggies you have in the fridge.
8. Easy Korean bulgogi
It won’t be as fun as a Korean BBQ restaurant, but you’ll get close with this one from AllRecipes. The sesame oil and red pepper flakes really make this dish, so make sure you keep those in. Serve this with rice, kimchi, and fresh lettuce leaves!
9. Top sirloin steak stir fry
This stir fry from Cook By Color Nutrition uses an orange and ginger sauce to bring a lot of punch and zest. You can use any mushrooms you have on hand, and use a soy sauce marinade on your steak for 8 hours for best results.
10. Greek steak kabobs
Greek food always feels as clean and healthy as it does savory. These Greek Yogurt marinated kabobs are the perfect summer grillout recipe. Do not skip the marinade, and hit the kabobs with a spritz of fresh lemon juice right before you serve.
11. Chinese pepper steak
This is another simple stir fry recipe from All Recipes. I’d use yellow bell pepper for more color, and if you have any mirin or chinese cooking wine, toss that in with the soy sauce. It’s easy to be intimidated by Chinese ingredients, but buy the staples once and you’ll have them for months!
12. Peruvian beef stir fry (lomo saltado)
One of Peru’s most popular dinner dishes, Lomo Saltado, is a bright, peppery stir fry cooked hot and fast in a deep skillet. The aji amarillo is critical for authentic flavor, but this recipe from Little Spice Jar offers a clever substitute (blend serrano and yellow bell pepper) if you can’t find it. Serving with fries is a must!
Top sirloin steak FAQ
Is top sirloin steak a good steak?
Yes! It’s not the most expensive, but it’s typically more desired than bottom sirloin and is tender and flavorful enough for any recipe.
What is top sirloin steak good for?
Because top sirloin can be cooked fast or slow, you can use this teak in just about anything. That’s different from tougher cuts like skirt or brisket.
What is the best way to cook a top sirloin?
There’s no need to complicate it: get a pan ripping hot, season liberally, and cook until you get a deep crust and your desired temperature.
Is top sirloin very tender?
It’s not the most tender, but it is definitely on the tender end of steaks.
How do you tenderize top sirloin quickly?
If you don’t have time to put the steaks in a marinade, season with salt right before you cook it. If you salt steak for 5-10 minutes, you can actually make things worse due to osmosis: the salt pulls out water, which drops your pan temperature and makes a sear more difficult. After 40 minutes the water is reabsorbed and the brine makes the meat more absorptive. Here’s a full breakdown of when to salt meat.
Why is my top sirloin steak so tough?
Tough steak can be due to a combination of factors, including: overcooking it, over-marinating/brining it, not cutting across the grain, and overestimating the amount of marbling in the cut you bought.
Where to buy the best top sirloin steak
The short answer? Companies and farmers who exclusively raise cattle the way nature intended: only on grass and in open pastures.
For example, we proudly teamed up with a group of elite grass farmers from the Island of Tasmania, which is located off the coast of Australia. The climate in Tasmania is a utopia for cattle because of the year-round maritime climate buffered by the Southern Ocean.
No hormones or GMO’s are allowed on the island and air quality is recognized as the gold standard for purity on the globe. Our animals are raised according to sustainable, regenerative farming practices: NO antibiotics, NO GMOs, NO herbicides, NO pesticides, and NO added hormones.
That means those steaks are the best quality you can buy, and we can deliver all that flavor and nutrition right to your door.
See what grass-fed steaks we have in stock.
The bottom line
Top sirloin is a wonderfully tasty and versatile cut that’s located right in front of the round primal.
It takes well to both high and low-heat cooking, meaning you can use it in just about anything. It’s marbled, it’s delicious, and you won’t regret buying it.
Choose any of the recipes above and get cooking! Enjoy!
Nathan Phelps
Nathan Phelps owns and writes for Crafted Copy, a boutique copywriting shop that finds the perfect words for interesting products. He is also an ethical foodie, outdoors-aficionado, and hails from Nashville, TN. He splits his time between helping sustainable businesses find new customers and managing his ever-increasing list of hobbies, which include playing guitar, baking bread, and creating board games.
