A thick, juicy sirloin steak is an American culinary classic, up there with cheeseburgers and apple pie. Pound per pound, sirloin far outsells all other steaks bought by home cooks, who prize its relatively tender texture and low price.
Yet sirloin may well be the most misunderstood steak of all, as not all steaks that bear the name are alike. One may be tender and juicy, and another quite tough, even a bit gnarly. So it pays to understand the nature of the beast — or at least the part of the beast where these steaks originate.
First, let’s eliminate one source of misunderstanding. When you order a sirloin steak in a restaurant, what you are most likely to be served is not technically a sirloin at all. Instead, it is a steak cut from the top loin muscle, which is located in the short loin of the steer, just behind the ribs. This popular little steak, also called New York strip or just plain strip steak (among other things), is very tender and very pricey. In a supermarket, you may find this cut labeled as strip sirloin and it will cost about 40 percent more than real sirloin.
Real sirloin steak is cut from the hip of the steer. In culinary terms, it is a kind of bridge between the luxuriously tender short loin and the rather tough rump area, which is most often cut into roasts.
Because the sirloin section contains the large hipbone, cutting it into portions can be problematic. This leads to a lot of variation — and confusion. These steaks come in two basic categories, depending on how the butcher decides to approach the subject.
In the past, butchers commonly cut the sirloin against the grain through the bone, and some still do. This creates four different steaks, named according to the part of the hipbone they contain. Working from the front to the back of the animal, they are known as pin bone, flat bone, round bone and wedge bone.
Although the pin bone steak is tender, since it is closest to the ultratender short loin, it also has a very high proportion of bone to meat, as does the flat bone. So the best choice among these four bone-in sirloins is the round bone. It is relatively tender, has excellent flavor and a good proportion of meat to bone. It can also run three pounds or more when cut an inch thick, offering a primal, Flintstone-style steak experience.
Today, though, the most widespread method of cutting the sirloin is with the grain, producing boneless steaks. These are labeled according to the particular muscle they come from.
The best options come from the top sirloin muscle. These may be called top sirloin or top butt steaks, hip sirloin steaks, bifteck sirloin steaks or center-cut sirloin steaks. Although they can be a bit chewy, all are tender enough to treat as you would steaks from the short loin: grill or broil them and serve them in all their juicy glory.
Steaks from the bottom sirloin, usually called bottom sirloin butt or ball tip steaks, are considerably tougher. The best approach with these tougher steaks is to treat them like London broil: grill them fast over high heat and cut them very thin against the grain.
There is also a trendy little steak known as the tri-tip. This boneless steak, fashioned from a small triangular muscle at the bottom end of the bottom sirloin and the front of the rump, is also known as the triangle or culotte steak. It has become the darling of in-the-know carnivores, but in our experience it is somewhat overrated. Tri-tips can be hard to find, but if you happen across some, by all means buy them.
Whichever sirloin you choose, you will get the best flavor by grilling it over a hot fire. For the large bone-in steaks, it’s a good idea to use a two-level fire so the steak can sear over high heat and then finish cooking more slowly. Then get out the steak knives and dig into the real thing.
ENTREE
BALSAMIC-GLAZED SIRLOIN STEAKS WITH FLASH-SAUTEED SPINACH
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper, more to taste
4 (8- to 10-ounce) top sirloin or tri-tip steaks, about 1-inch thick
Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 pounds fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Build a hot fire in your grill or preheat a gas grill; you will be able to hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for only 1 to 2 seconds.
While grill heats, in a small, nonreactive saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons pepper to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer vigorously, 15 to 20 minutes until mixture is reduced by two-thirds and syrupy. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Sprinkle steaks generously with salt and pepper and place on grill. Sear well on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes; turn and sear well on second side, another 4 to 5 minutes, then continue to cook until done to your likeness, about 2 more minutes for rare. To check for doneness, cut 1/4-inch into thickest part of meat and take a peek; it should be slightly less done than you like it. Remove steaks from grill, brush generously with glaze, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes while preparing spinach.
In a large nonreactive skillet, heat oil over high heat until very hot but not quite smoking. Add spinach and stir vigorously 1 to 2 minutes or until it wilts. Add garlic and cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice. Place a mound of spinach on each plate, top with a steak and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 446 calories, 56 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total fiber, 20 grams total fat, 141 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium, 39 percent calories from fat.
