Top Sirloin: The Affordable, Beefy Everyday Steak
Top sirloin is the sensible everyday steak, the one that gives you real beefy flavor and decent tenderness without the price of a ribeye or strip. It comes from the sirloin end of the loin, it grills and sears beautifully, and it is a workhorse for kebabs, steak salads, and family steak dinners. It is leaner and firmer than the premium loin steaks, so it rewards a hot cook and a thin slice, but for value and flavor it is hard to beat.
Where it comes from
Top sirloin comes from the sirloin, the rear portion of the beef loin, behind the short loin and above the round. It is cut from the top sirloin butt, the more tender upper part of the sirloin, as opposed to the tougher bottom sirloin. It is sold as top sirloin steaks, as a roast, and cut into cubes for kebabs. The coulotte, or picanha, is a prized cap muscle from this area.
What it tastes like
Robustly beefy and satisfying, with more flavor than a tenderloin and a firmer, meatier chew. It is leaner than a ribeye or strip, so it is less rich and a little less tender, but its flavor is excellent and honest. Cooked to medium-rare and sliced thin against the grain, it is tender enough and deeply savory, which is why it is such a popular everyday and grilling steak.
How to cook top sirloin
Hot and fast, then rest and slice thin. 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, since it toughens if pushed past medium. Rest it, then slice thin against the grain to keep it tender. It takes a marinade well thanks to its leanness and open grain. Cubed, it makes excellent kebabs cooked fast over high heat. We sear in bare cast iron and grill over live fire, never plastic. Our pan searing and grilling guides cover the method.
Because top sirloin is leaner than the premium loin steaks, keeping it rosy and slicing it thin against the grain matter more here. A marinade is a good idea and never a bad one.
Classic dishes to make
A grilled top sirloin with chimichurri or herb butter is a great-value steak dinner. It is a top choice for kebabs, marinated and skewered with vegetables. Sliced thin, it tops a steak salad or fills fajitas and sandwiches. The coulotte, or picanha, cut from this area, is the star of Brazilian churrasco, grilled with a cap of fat. It is the everyday, sociable steak.
Common mistakes
Overcooking is the main error, since the lean top sirloin dries and toughens past medium, so keep it rosy. Slicing with the grain leaves it chewy, so cut thin across it. A pan that is not hot enough steams it gray, so get it screaming hot. And skipping a marinade misses an easy way to add flavor and a little tenderness to this lean cut.
How to buy it
Look for top sirloin steaks cut at least an inch thick, with firm, bright red meat and some marbling. Ask for top sirloin specifically, since bottom sirloin cuts are tougher. For churrasco, look for the coulotte or picanha with its fat cap intact. It is cheaper than ribeye or strip. Grass-fed beef suits it well. Ask your butcher or use our Find a Farmer directory.
Good substitutes
A strip steak is the pricier, more tender step up. A flank or flat iron gives similar affordable, beefy flavor for the grill. For kebabs, sirloin, flat iron, and tri-tip all work well. A tri-tip, from the bottom sirloin, is another flavorful, affordable roast or steak from the same region.
Storage and leftovers
Keep raw top sirloin well wrapped in the coldest part of the fridge and cook within three to five days, or freeze for several months. Cooked top sirloin is best eaten fresh, then sliced thin cold over salads or into sandwiches, since reheating overcooks this lean cut. Marinated sirloin can be prepped a day ahead and kept cold until you grill it.
Nutrition
Top sirloin is lean and high in protein, with iron, zinc, and B vitamins and modest fat. That leanness makes it a good everyday choice for those watching fat, as long as you cook it to a rosy medium-rare to keep it tender. A citrus and herb marinade adds flavor without much fat, and thin slicing stretches it across a plate of vegetables and grains.
Frequently asked questions
Is top sirloin a good steak?
Yes, it is a great-value steak with bold, beefy flavor and decent tenderness, leaner and cheaper than a ribeye or strip.
What temperature should top sirloin be?
Pull it at 130F to 135F for medium-rare, then rest. It is lean, so it toughens if cooked past medium.
What is the difference between top and bottom sirloin?
Top sirloin is the more tender upper part, good for steaks. Bottom sirloin is tougher and includes cuts like tri-tip and flap meat.
What is picanha?
Picanha, or coulotte, is the sirloin cap, a prized cut with a fat cap, famous in Brazilian churrasco. It comes from the top sirloin area.
What to serve with it
Top sirloin suits everyday steak sides: roasted or fried potatoes, a crisp salad, grilled vegetables, or rice and beans. Chimichurri, herb butter, or a punchy marinade dress it up. For kebabs, flatbread and a yogurt sauce. Keep one element fresh, and pour a medium red or a cold beer.
A note on picanha
Worth seeking out from this part of the animal is the picanha, known in the US as the sirloin cap or coulotte. It is a triangular muscle that sits on top of the top sirloin, capped with a thick layer of fat, and it is the single most prized cut in Brazilian churrasco. Traditionally it is scored, salted, cut into thick pieces, skewered in a C shape, and grilled over fire so the fat renders and bastes the lean meat below. Sliced across the grain, it is tender, beefy, and rich from that fat cap. If your butcher sells picanha with the cap intact, it is one of the best value grilling cuts you can buy.
Learn more
Back to the beef loin guide and the Beef Meat Wiki. For the premium strip roast, see the strip loin roast, or find good beef through Find a Farmer.