Skillet Bourbon Steak Recipe - Sirloin Steak Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long do you cook a sirloin steak in a pan? ›

As a rough guide, each steak will take 3 mins in total for rare, 4-5 mins in total for medium and 7-8 mins for well done. If you have a digital cooking thermometer, the middle of the steak should be 50C for rare, 60C for medium and 70C for well done.

For the perfect medium-rare degree of doneness, your Top Sirloin steak grill time should be 9–12 minutes (on gas or charcoal) for a 1-inch steak. For a 1½ inch steak, cook for 12–15 minutes on either grill type. Turn your steak about 1 minute before the halfway point.

With more marbling, ribeye steaks are better known for their rich flavor and texture. However, dry-aging grilled sirloin steak can enhance its beefy taste without adding fat. Both ribeye and sirloin are wonderfully tender cuts, but ribeye has the edge here.

Best Cooking Method for Sirloin Steak

After years of cooking sirloin steak, the stove to oven method is the one I've deemed the very best for cooking thick steaks. The steak is cooked briefly on the stove to create a nice sear on the exterior. Then, it's finished at a high temperature in the oven.

You can buy bone-in or boneless sirloin, and either one works for pan frying. However, we do recommend choosing top sirloin rather than bottom sirloin. Bottom sirloin is usually the more affordable cut, but it's not as tender as top sirloin.

Marinate with Acid

Not only does a tenderizing steak marinade imbue aromatic flavour, but the acidic ingredients in it also denature connective proteins in the meat. Regular or apple cider vinegar, wine or beer, lemon or lime juice, buttermilk or yogurt contain tenderizing acids.

Top sirloin is basically a sirloin steak with the bones and bottom round muscles removed. You get a “premium” boneless cut with top sirloin, which makes for a superior eating experience. You may also see cuts labeled top sirloin, sirloin tip, top sirloin cap, or picanha.

After taking the steak out of the fridge to bring it too room temperature, we coat the steak in oil on both sides, then add plenty of salt and pepper on both sides of the steak too. Add the steak to a very hot pan – preferably cast iron. Cook for 4 minutes, turning EVRY MINUTE.

How long to cook a 1 inch thick sirloin for medium? ›

Sirloin steaks are similar in thickness to a ribeye, but some may be a bit thinner, around 1 inch. A 1-inch sirloin generally takes about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare doneness or 5-6 minutes for a medium steak doneness.

A medium-rare sirloin steak takes about 10-15 minutes to pan-sear. With resting time before and after cooking, plan on setting aside a little over one hour from start to finish. Higher levels of doneness may need a few more minutes to cook on low heat in the pan or to finish off in the oven.

Let your steaks cook for 3-4 minutes on each side without touching them. Then, smash 2-4 cloves of fresh garlic and add them to the pan alongside 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter and some sprigs of thyme. Move the pan around and use a spoon to baste the steak with the butter.

As a rule of thumb (for a steak 22mm thick) – cook 2 minutes each side for rare, 3-4 mins each side for medium-rare and 4-6 mins each side for medium. For well done, cook for 2-4 minutes each side, then turn the heat down and cook for another 4-6 minutes.