How to Cook a Perfect Sirloin Steak in a Skillet

To cook a perfect sirloin steak in a skillet, dry it well, salt it at least 45 minutes ahead, and sear it in a very hot cast-iron pan. Turn it once, or every minute, add butter, garlic and thyme for the last minute or two, and take it off the heat when a thermometer reads the doneness you want. For a 1-inch top sirloin, that is about 7 to 9 minutes in the pan for medium rare and 9 to 11 for medium.

Top sirloin is a lean, firm, beefy steak. It has less marbling than a ribeye or strip, which means less fat to cover for a few extra minutes in the pan. Technique matters more with sirloin than with fattier cuts, and so does stopping on time.

At a glance: serves 4. Prep 10 minutes, salt at least 45 minutes ahead, cook about 12 minutes, rest 5 minutes.

Talking about how to get a good sear on a steak, Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, put it in six words:

“Get the moisture off the surface.”

Gray Shipley

That is the first rule of a crust. A wet steak steams in the pan until the water cooks off, and only then starts to brown, by which time the inside is overcooking. Salting ahead, so the surface has time to dry in the fridge, and patting the steak dry again just before it goes in the pan are both ways of following his advice.

Ingredients

• 2 top sirloin steaks, 14 to 16 ounces each
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or avocado
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 sprig rosemary (optional)

Instructions

1. At least 45 minutes before cooking, and up to a day ahead, pat the steaks dry and season both sides with the salt. Set them on a rack over a plate and refrigerate, uncovered. If you are short of time, salt them just before cooking instead.
2. About 20 minutes before cooking, take the steaks out of the fridge. Pat them dry again with paper towels, pressing firmly, and season with the pepper.
3. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until a drop of water skitters across it and vanishes. Add the oil and swirl; it should shimmer and just begin to smoke.
4. Lay the steaks in the pan, away from you. For the deepest crust, leave them alone for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn once. For the most even cooking, turn them every minute instead. Either way, use the time chart below to know when to start checking.
5. For the last 1 to 2 minutes, turn the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and thyme. Tilt the pan toward you and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks again and again.
6. Push an instant-read thermometer into the side of each steak to the center, and take the steaks off the heat when they reach your target. USDA FSIS sets 145 degrees F with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for beef steaks.
7. Rest the steaks on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice across the grain and spoon the pan butter over the top.

Add 2 top sirloin steaks to cart

How to cook top sirloin steak: the time chart

Total minutes in a hot cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, both sides together, with the temperature to take the steak off the heat:

These are starting points, not promises. Stoves, pans and steaks all vary, so begin checking a couple of minutes before the low end. For steaks 1 1/2 inches thick, turn the heat to medium after the first 4 minutes so the crust does not burn before the center catches up, or finish them in a 400 degree oven. The full range of doneness temperatures is in Steak Temperature Chart: Rare to Well-Done.

How long to pan fry sirloin steak for medium rare

For a 1-inch top sirloin, about 7 to 9 minutes in all over medium-high heat, or roughly 4 minutes a side if you turn it once. Take it off at 130 to 135 degrees F. That is below the FSIS minimum of 145 degrees F, and the choice is yours. Lean steaks firm up as they cook past medium rare, which is why many cooks stop there.

How long to cook sirloin steak medium well

For a 1-inch steak, about 11 to 13 minutes, to 150 to 155 degrees F. To keep the outside from scorching while the center catches up, sear hard for the first 4 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and turn the steak every minute until it is done. Medium well takes sirloin past its juiciest, so the butter baste and a thin slice across the grain both help.

Flip once or flip often?

Both work. Turning once gives the deepest crust on each side and is the easier habit. Turning every minute cooks the steak a little faster and more evenly from edge to center, with a thinner gray band under the crust. If you turn often, start checking the temperature at the low end of the chart. For more on browning, see How to Get a Great Crust on Steak.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef steaks. Medium at its upper end and medium well reach that figure; medium rare does not, and the choice is yours. The 5-minute rest in this recipe covers the FSIS rest. Check every steak, not just one, since two steaks in the same pan rarely finish together. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.