Top Sirloin

The cheapest steak in the loin, and there is nothing wrong with it.

Top sirloin comes off the top sirloin butt, at the hip end of the loin. It is lean, firm and directly beefy — the least expensive cut in the loin, because the muscle works harder than the strip or the ribeye in front of it. Grill it hot, buy it thick, and stop at medium-rare.

Buy it if

You grill on weeknights and want beef flavor without paying for marbling.

Why it costs less. The loin runs from the ribs back to the hip, and the further back you go the more the muscle is involved in moving the animal rather than just riding along. Top sirloin sits at the back of that run. It is still tender enough to grill straight — no marinade, no low-and-slow — but it carries less marbling and a firmer chew than the strip ahead of it, and it is priced accordingly. There is no catch here; you are buying a working muscle instead of a lazy one.

What sits on top of it. Picanha is the fat-capped cap muscle that lies over this one. Lift the cap off and what is underneath is top sirloin. Most of the difference in how the two eat is that single layer of fat, which is worth knowing when you are looking at the price gap between them.

Buy it thick. Lean cuts have almost no fat to buy you time, so a thin top sirloin goes from rare to grey while you are looking at it. An inch and a quarter is the minimum worth putting over fire. A thick center-cut piece is sometimes sold as a baseball steak, named for the rounded shape it contracts into as it cooks.

Where it comes from on the animal

Species	beef
Primal	Loin
Subprimal	top sirloin butt

What else it’s called

sirloin sirloin steak baseball steak center cut sirloin

How to cook Top Sirloin

Best methods	Grill Pan sear Broil
Cook to	Medium-rare, 130–135°F. Rest 5 minutes. Lean enough that medium is a noticeable step down.

Grill or sear it hot and take it off at medium-rare — on a cut this lean, five extra degrees is visible on the plate. There is very little intramuscular fat to melt and cover for you, so what actually helps is a dry surface, high heat, a thermometer and a real rest. Slicing it across the grain matters more here than it does on a ribeye.

If Top Sirloin is sold out

Cooks like

Tri-Tip

The same lean, firm sirloin character sold as a roast rather than steaks — better value if you are feeding more than two.

Upgrade

Filet Mignon

Cut from the tenderloin: far more tender, far more expensive, and less beefy-tasting. Buy it when texture matters more than flavor.

Upgrade

Ribeye

The same grilling steak with several times the marbling — richer, more forgiving to cook, and priced like it.

Common questions

Is top sirloin the same as a 'sirloin steak'?

Not necessarily. A label reading only 'sirloin steak' can also mean bottom sirloin, a different and generally chewier group of muscles from the same part of the animal. Top sirloin is the tender half — the price gap between them is small and the texture gap is not.

Why is it called a baseball steak?

It is a thick center-cut piece of top sirloin, usually around two inches, that contracts into a rounded shape as it cooks. Same muscle as any other top sirloin — it is just cut for shape.

What am I giving up against a ribeye?

Marbling, and the richness that comes with it. Top sirloin is leaner and firmer, and tastes more of beef than of fat. What you get back is roughly half the price and a steak you can cook on a Tuesday without it being an occasion.

Does it need a marinade?

No — it is tender enough to grill straight, which is exactly what separates it from the round cuts behind it. Salting it an hour ahead and leaving it uncovered in the fridge does more for the crust than any marinade, and tenderizing marinades are aimed at a problem this cut does not have.