Sirloin steak: What is it? And how to cook it?
The sirloin steak is also known as club steak, NY steak and strip steak. In French it’s called entrecôte.
Characteristic of this steak is the slightly marbled meat with a clear edge of fat. But what is it exactly? And how do you cook it? Read all about the sirloin steak in this article.
What is sirloin steak?
A sirloin steak is a steak with a fatty edge (marbled) that is cut from the short loin. The loin is located on the back of the beef on top of the ribs.
Traditionally, a sirloin steak is cut from the rib. Today, sirloin steaks are cut from the whole short loin. A marbled and well-fed muscle runs through the meat, which gives the steak its tenderness.
In France they still only cut the sirloin steak from the meat between the ribs. Hence the name entrecôte, which literally means “between the ribs”. The meat that comes after the ribs is sold in France as contre-filet or faux filet and is slightly less tender.
Another steak that also includes sirloin steak is the T-bone steak. Both tenderloin and sirloin are attached to the bone of the T-bone.
How to cook sirloin steak?
Because the meat contains a lot of fat, it remains nice and tender during cooking. And don’t remove the fat from the meat, because fat provides a richer taste.
Keep in mind that the meat cooks quickly. It can therefore become very chewy if left on heat for too long. Therefore use thick slices of 2 centimeters.
Core temperature
The core temperature of a sirloin steak depends on the desired cooking. Maintain a core temperature of 47 ℃ for very rare, 50 ℃ for rare, 52 ℃ for medium-rare and 56 ℃ for medium. Don’t go for a higher core temperature, because then the meat will become chewy.
You can fry a sirloin steak in a pan or grill it on the BBQ.
In the pan
Before you start frying a sirloin steak in a pan, it’s important to take the meat out of the fridge an hour in advance.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper and heat a frying pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat back slightly and let some butter melt in the pan. Then cook the sirloin steak for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or 4 minutes per side for medium.
- Let the meat rest, wrapped in aluminum foil, for about 5 minutes. By resting, the meat juices are distributed throughout the meat, making it taste better.
On the barbecue
Use larger pieces of sirloin steak for the BBQ. This gives you a crispy crust with a tender juicy core.
- Remove the sirloin steak from the refrigerator an hour in advance and brush it with a little oil just before grilling.
- Grill the meat on both sides. Turn each side a quarter turn for a nice diamond pattern.
- Move the meat to a less hot zone of the BBQ and let it continue to cook until the desired cuisson. A core temperature of 47 ℃ for very rare, 50 ℃ for rare, 52 ℃ for medium-rare and 58 ℃ for medium.
- Let it rest for another 5 minutes. Season the steak with salt and pepper just before serving.
Recipe: Grilled sirloin steak with puffed garlic butter
Grilled sirloin steak with puffed garlic butter and sweet potato with creme fraiche
Ingredients
- 2 sirloin steaks at least 350 grams or 1 sirloin steak of 700 grams
- 4 small sweet potatoes
- 4 tbsp creme fraiche
- 8 slices of puffed garlic butter
- a splash of olive oil
- pepper coarsely ground
- fleur de sel
Instructions
- Preheat the barbecue with a direct zone ofabout 180 degrees and an indirect zone of 120 degrees.
- Prick the sweet potatoes here and there with afork and place them on 2 sheets of aluminum foil. Drizzle them with olive oiland season them with fleur de sel and pepper. Wrap them well with aluminum foil and place the packages directly on the coals. Bake the potatoes for about 30minutes (depending on their size) until cooked through. Check doneness with a knife.
- Take the sirloin steaks out of the refrigeratorabout half an hour before cooking, pat the meat dry and sprinkle it generouslywith the ground pepper and fleur de sel.
- Place the sirloin steaks on the direct zone andgrill them. Turn the meat a quarter turn after 2 minutes and let it grill foranother 2 minutes, creating that characteristic grill pattern. Turn the meatover and grill the other side in the same way.
- Place the meat over the indirect zone. Insert acore thermometer into the thickest part of the sirloin steak and set it to 46 degrees for a nice red result. The meat will continue to cook a little when you take it off the barbecue, so that's why this slightly lower temperature is used. If you prefer it medium-rare, continue cooking it to a temperature of 52 degrees.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the foil, cut the skin loose and loosen it with a fork. Spoon the creme fraiche over the sweet potatoes and season them with pepper and fleur de sel.
- Remove the meat from the foil, cut it into nice slices and season it with freshly ground pepper and fleur de sel.
- Serve on a large platter or plank with the sweet potatoes. Place the slices of butter on the sliced sirloin steaks and let it melt gently.
All recipes
Looking for more inspiration? Below you will find an overview of our sirloin steak recipes. Or check our beef recipes for even more inspiration.
Pan fried sirloin steak with a fresh potato salad and braised spinach
In this dish we bake the sirloin steak in its own cracklings. We serve it [...]
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Grilled sirloin steak with puffed garlic butter and sweet potato with creme fraiche
The French entrecôte naturally sounds a lot nicer than sirloin steak. Characteristic of this steak [...]
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