Buying guide · One name, two cuts
Sirloin vs strip steak
In the United States, sirloin and strip are two different steaks: the strip (striploin, also called New York strip or Kansas City strip when bone-in) comes from the short loin and is more tender and marbled, while the top sirloin comes from the hip behind it and is leaner, coarser and cheaper. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, “sirloin” is the strip itself, and the American top sirloin is sold there as rump.
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| Top sirloin | Striploin | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Sirloin (US) · rump (UK, Australia) | Short loin (13th rib to the hip) |
| Muscles | Gluteus medius (+ the cap, biceps femoris) | Longissimus lumborum; gluteus medius at the hip end |
| Weight | — | Whole 4–6 kg / 8.8–13 lb · steaks 250–500 g / 9–18 oz |
| Best cooked | Grilled or pan-seared, 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in thick; off the heat at 52–54 °C / 126–129 °F, 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F after resting | Rare to medium-rare, 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F |
| United States | Top sirloin steak · top sirloin butt (whole) | Strip steak · New York strip |
| United Kingdom | Rump · rump steak (not "sirloin", which is the striploin) | Sirloin steak (note: not the US sirloin) |
| Argentina | Cuadril | Bife de chorizo · bife angosto (bone-in) |
| Steakhouses that list it | 1 | 142 |
At a glance
- Strip
- Short loin · striploin (longissimus) · New York strip · 250–500 g / 9–18 oz
- Top sirloin (US)
- Sirloin, over the hip · gluteus medius · 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in steaks
- UK, Australia, NZ
- “Sirloin” = the striploin · the US top sirloin is rump
- Pull at
- Strip 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F · top sirloin 52–54 °C / 126–129 °F, then rested
What is the difference in the United States?
The strip is cut from the short loin, between the last rib and the hip. It is one long back muscle, the longissimus, with a firm grain and a strip of fat along one edge. The top sirloin is cut from the sirloin, the section that lies behind the short loin and over the hip bone. Its center is a different muscle, the gluteus medius, and it has a coarser fiber.
The two sit side by side on the animal, and at the join the strip's hip end shows the same gluteus medius beginning to appear, which butchers call the vein end. The table sets out the main differences.
| Strip (New York strip) | Top sirloin | |
|---|---|---|
| Primal | Short loin | Sirloin |
| Muscle | Longissimus; gluteus medius at the hip end | Gluteus medius at the center |
| US trade specification | Strip loin IMPS 180 · steaks IMPS 1180 | Top sirloin butt IMPS 184 · steaks IMPS 1184 |
| Fat | Medium: a strip of 5–10 mm on one edge | Lean; fine flecks of marbling |
| Fiber | Single even grain | Coarser fiber |
| Eating | Tender, firm bite, clean beef flavor | Lean, beefy, firmer |
| Steak weight and thickness | 250–500 g / 9–18 oz · usually 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in | Cut 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in thick |
| Pull at (core) | 50–55 °C / 131 °F 122–131 °F | 52–54 °C / 126–129 °F, rising to 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F after a rest |
Is “sirloin” the strip in the UK and Australia?
Yes. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa the boneless loin muscle behind the ribs is the sirloin, which Americans call the striploin or New York strip. In those countries the cut Americans sell as top sirloin is the rump, from the same muscle, the gluteus medius.
So a British or Australian “sirloin steak” and an American “sirloin steak” are different muscles, with different grain, fat and price. The word comes from the Old French surlonge, “above the loin”; the story of a king knighting a loin of beef as “Sir Loin” is a later joke.
Which name means which steak?
Several names cross borders in confusing ways. Australians also call a boneless strip steak a porterhouse, which in the United States is a bone-in steak with a large piece of tenderloin attached. In the United States a plain “sirloin steak” may come from the bottom sirloin, and only “top sirloin” promises the upper muscle. The table lists the usual names.
| Name | Country | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| New York strip · strip steak | United States, Canada | Striploin, boneless |
| Kansas City strip | United States | Usually a bone-in striploin steak |
| Sirloin · top sirloin | United States | Gluteus medius from the hip (not the strip) |
| Sirloin | UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, South Africa | Striploin |
| Rump | UK, Australia | The muscle sold in the US as top sirloin |
| Bife de chorizo · cuadril | Argentina, Uruguay | Striploin · top sirloin |
| Faux-filet · contre-filet | France | Striploin |
How are they cooked?
Both are cooked hot and fast. The strip is best from rare to medium-rare, 50–55 °C / 122–131 °F in the center. Its fat strip wants rendering: scoring it, or standing the steak on that edge in the pan for a minute, browns it and keeps the steak from curling.
Top sirloin is leaner, so it has less margin. It is taken off at about 52–54 °C / 126–129 °F for medium-rare and finishes at 54–57 °C / 129–135 °F while it rests; past medium it has little intramuscular fat to stay moist, and it firms up quickly. A steak 2.5–4 cm / 1–1½ in thick, salted ahead of time and seared hard, suits it, and thicker pieces do well with a reverse sear.
Both are sliced across the grain after resting, but top sirloin needs it more, because its fiber is coarser. A marinade flavors the surface of either and does not tenderize the inside. Doneness targets are in Steak temperatures.
Which should be chosen?
The strip is more tender and more marbled; top sirloin is leaner, has more beef flavor per bite and costs less. The choice is between tenderness and thrift, and both reward being cooked no further than medium.
At the counter, look for the word “top”: “top sirloin steak” or “center-cut top sirloin” means the upper muscle. Two labels cause confusion: a sirloin tip is not sirloin at all but the knuckle of the round, better roasted or braised, and a sirloin cap steak, or coulotte, is the picanha. For the strip, look for an even thickness and a fat strip of 5–10 mm; center-cut steaks are the most uniform, and vein-end steaks are cheaper but carry connective tissue between two muscles.
Keep reading
- Cut · Short loin, one muscleStriploinOne muscle, one grain, one strip of fat — the New York strip, UK sirloin and bife de chorizo.
- Cut · Rump, a working muscleRumpThe muscle group over the hip: rump steak, top sirloin, cuadril, alcatra, and what each country cuts.
- Cut · Rump cap, fat onPicanhaThe rump cap with its fat on: churrasco, tapa de cuadril, coulotte, and how to buy and slice it.
- Cut · Short loin, on the boneKansas City stripThe strip steak on the bone: the same loin muscle as the New York strip, with a section of vertebra attached.
Frequently asked questions
Is sirloin the same as strip steak?
It depends on the country. In the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand sirloin is the strip. In the United States sirloin is a different, cheaper cut from the hip, and the strip is the New York strip.
Which is better, sirloin or strip steak?
Neither is better. The strip is more tender and more marbled; top sirloin is leaner, with more beef flavor per bite, and costs less.
Is top sirloin the same as rump steak?
Largely. British and Australian rump steak is cut from the same muscle, the gluteus medius, though it is often cut across the whole rump, cap included.
Is a New York strip a sirloin?
In the UK and Australia, yes: they sell the same muscle as sirloin. In the United States, no: the sirloin is a separate section behind the short loin.
Is sirloin tip the same as top sirloin?
No. Sirloin tip is the knuckle of the round, a lean muscle group better roasted or braised than grilled.
Sources
6
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications: Fresh Beef Series 100. Washington, DC, 2014. www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IMPS_100_Fresh_Beef%5B1%5D.pdf
- North American Meat Institute. The Meat Buyer's Guide, 8th ed. Washington, DC, 2014.
- AUS-MEAT Limited. Handbook of Australian Meat, 7th ed. (International Red Meat Manual). Brisbane, 2005. www.ausmeat.com.au
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (UK). Beef Meat Purchasing Guide. Kenilworth, 2016. ahdb.org.uk
- Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
- McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.