How to Cook a Top Sirloin Filet on the Stove

To cook a top sirloin filet on the stove, sear it in a very hot skillet for about 3 minutes per side, then turn the heat down, add butter, garlic and thyme, and spoon the butter over it until a thermometer in the center reads your target. Rest it for 5 minutes. Because the filet is small and thick, start checking early: for a filet about 1 1/2 inches thick, check after about 8 minutes in the pan.

A top sirloin filet is not filet mignon. Filet mignon comes from the tenderloin. A top sirloin filet is a small, thick portion cut from the top sirloin, the lean, beefy steak behind the short loin. It has sirloin's firmer texture and fuller flavor, it cooks like a thick steak, and it takes a butter baste well.

At a glance: serves 4. Prep 10 minutes, cook about 12 minutes, rest 5 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was talking about doneness when he said:

“I think that's the most common mistake is you're not sure, so you'll cook it a little longer. And you just don't need to.”

Gray Shipley

That matters most with a cut like this one. A small, thick filet goes from just right to overdone in a minute or two, and leaving it on a little longer when you are unsure is exactly how it overshoots. Check early, and trust the thermometer.

Ingredients

• 4 top sirloin filets, 6 to 12 ounces each
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Pat the filets dry with paper towels and season them all over, sides included, with the salt and pepper. If you have time, do this up to a day ahead and refrigerate them uncovered on a rack; otherwise season them just before cooking.
2. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers.
3. Set the filets in the pan with space between them. Sear without moving them for 3 minutes, until a dark crust forms, then turn and sear the second side for 3 minutes. Hold each filet on its side with tongs for about 30 seconds, rolling it, to brown the edges.
4. Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and thyme. When the butter foams, tilt the pan toward you and spoon the butter over the filets again and again, turning them once, for 1 to 3 minutes.
5. Start checking the temperature as soon as you begin basting, pushing an instant-read thermometer into the side of each filet to the center. If they need longer, keep basting and turning them every minute. Take each filet off when it reaches your target, even if the others need longer. USDA FSIS sets 145 degrees F with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for beef steaks.
6. Rest the filets on a warm plate for 5 minutes, spooning a little of the garlic butter over each. Serve whole, or slice across the grain.

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What is a top sirloin filet?

It is a small, thick portion cut from the top sirloin, not from the tenderloin. The name can mislead. Here filet describes the portion, small and thick, not the muscle, and it is sirloin all the way through. That means more chew and more beef flavor than filet mignon, and a little less tolerance for overcooking than a fattier steak. Treat it like a thick sirloin, not like a tenderloin.

The best way to cook top sirloin filet

For most kitchens, the best way is a hot skillet on the stove and a butter baste at the end. The pan gives a deep crust on every side, including the edges, which matter on a cut this thick, and the baste adds garlic and thyme while the center finishes gently. The order matters: sear first with oil, which can take the heat, then turn the heat down before the butter goes in so it browns instead of burning. How to Butter-Baste a Steak: The Order, and the Mistakes explains the timing in more detail.

A grill works too, using two zones: sear over direct heat, then finish over indirect heat with the lid closed. For an extra-thick filet, 2 inches or more, sear it on the stove and finish it in a 400 degree oven for 3 to 6 minutes.

How to cook sirloin filet on the stove without overshooting

Small, thick steaks are easy to overshoot because the center catches up fast at the end and the temperature keeps climbing for a minute or two after they leave the pan. Three habits help. Check early, starting at about 8 minutes for a 1 1/2-inch filet. Check every filet, since the portions vary in size and rarely finish together. And if the outside is dark before the center is close, turn the heat down to medium-low and keep turning the filets every minute. For where and how to place the probe, see How to Use a Meat Thermometer for Steak.

How to cook top sirloin filets four at a time

A 12-inch skillet holds four filets with room between them. If yours is smaller, cook them in two batches, rest the first batch loosely covered, and baste the second. A filet rested for 10 minutes is still warm in the middle, and a spoonful of the hot garlic butter over each at the table brings it back. The searing technique on its own is in How to Pan-Sear 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. Many cooks take sirloin filets off the heat at 130 to 135 degrees F for medium rare. That is below the FSIS figure, and the choice is yours. Check the center of each filet with an instant-read thermometer. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.