Beef Loin: Strip, Tenderloin, and Top Sirloin Steaks

The loin is the steakhouse primal, the source of the strip, the tenderloin, the T-bone, and the top sirloin. These are the tender, quick-cooking steaks that need nothing more than salt, high heat, and a careful eye on doneness. If the rib is about marbled richness, the loin is about tenderness and clean, beefy flavor. Learn to cook the loin and you can turn out a great steak dinner any night of the week.

Where it comes from

The loin runs along the back behind the rib, over the short loin and the sirloin. It does little work, so it is tender throughout. From it come the strip loin, which gives strip steaks, the tenderloin, the softest cut on the animal, and the top sirloin. Cut across the short loin with the bone in, you get T-bones and porterhouses, which include both strip and tenderloin.

What it tastes like

Tender and cleanly beefy, milder than the fatty rib but prized for texture. The strip has a good balance of tenderness, chew, and flavor, and a nice fat cap. The tenderloin is buttery soft with a subtle taste, valued more for its melting texture than for bold flavor. The top sirloin is leaner and firmer, meatier in flavor and a great everyday steak. Together they cover the range of what people want from a steak.

How to cook beef loin

Hot, fast, and dry, then rest. Get a cast iron pan or grill screaming hot, sear the steak hard on both sides to build a crust, and pull it at 130F to 135F for medium-rare, resting it a few minutes before slicing. Thick steaks and roasts benefit from the reverse sear: a low oven to bring the interior up evenly, then a hard sear to finish. The lean tenderloin especially rewards a careful pull, since it has little fat to protect it. We sear in bare cast iron and flip with a metal fish spatula, never plastic. Our pan searing and reverse sear guides cover the method.

Because these are premium, tender cuts, the whole game is not overcooking them. A thermometer and a rest do most of the work, and a hot pan builds the crust that makes a steak taste like a steak.

Classic dishes to make

A seared strip steak with a pat of herb butter is a weeknight luxury. A whole roasted tenderloin, or beef Wellington, is a special-occasion centerpiece, and filet mignon is simply the tenderloin cut into steaks. A T-bone or porterhouse, grilled over fire, gives you strip and tenderloin in one. Top sirloin makes excellent kebabs, steak salads, and an affordable grilled steak. The loin is the home of the classic steak dinner.

Common mistakes

Overcooking is the cardinal sin on these premium cuts, so use a thermometer and pull at medium-rare. A pan that is not hot enough steams the steak instead of searing it, so get it screaming hot. Skipping the rest lets the juices run out. And slicing with the grain rather than across it makes even a tender steak chewier, so slice against the grain.

How to buy it

Look for firm, bright red steaks with fine marbling and, on a strip, a good fat cap. Steaks cut at least an inch and a half thick are far easier to cook to a rosy center with a good crust. For a roast, a center-cut strip loin or tenderloin is even and easy to carve. Grass-fed beef is leaner and wants a gentler cook. Ask your butcher or use our Find a Farmer directory.

Good substitutes

A ribeye from the rib is the richer alternative to a strip. For the tenderloin, there is no exact match for its softness, though a strip gives more flavor if less tenderness. Top sirloin stands in for a leaner, cheaper grilling steak, and a flat iron or flank steak fills the same affordable role from other primals.

Storage and leftovers

Keep raw steaks well wrapped in the coldest part of the fridge and cook within three to five days, or freeze for several months. Cooked steak keeps three to four days and is best sliced thin against the grain and served cold over salads or in sandwiches, since reheating overcooks it. A whole roasted tenderloin also makes excellent cold cuts the next day.

Nutrition

Beef loin is high in protein, with the tenderloin among the leaner steaks and the strip a little richer, plus iron, zinc, and B vitamins. These lean-to-moderate cuts fit easily into a balanced plate, and cooking to a rosy medium-rare protects both texture and the nutritional payoff. A butter finish or a rich sauce adds calories, so keep it light if that matters.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most tender steak?

The tenderloin, sold as filet mignon, is the most tender. The strip and top sirloin are tender too, with more flavor and chew.

What is a T-bone versus a porterhouse?

Both are cut from the short loin and include strip and tenderloin. A porterhouse has a larger tenderloin section, cut from further back.

What temperature should a strip steak be?

Pull it at 130F to 135F for medium-rare, or 140F to 145F for medium, then rest. Use a thermometer, since the loin is premium and easy to overcook.

Why slice steak against the grain?

Cutting across the muscle fibers shortens them, making each bite more tender. Slicing with the grain leaves long, chewy fibers.

What to serve with it

A loin steak wants classic sides: roasted or fried potatoes, a crisp green salad, grilled asparagus, or creamed spinach. A pat of herb butter, a peppercorn sauce, or a red wine reduction dresses it up. Keep one element fresh to balance the richness, and pour a medium to bold red.

Learn more

Back to the Beef Meat Wiki and the full beef primals guide. For the marbled premium primal, see the beef rib, or find good beef through Find a Farmer.