Sirloin at 55 degrees: Roast beef

Choose bright scarlet meat with a fine, tight grain rather than a dark or loose surface. It holds less fat than the striploin, so stopping one stage earlier is the safer call. Where the loin ends and the hip begins. The grain coarsens slightly compared with the striploin, and in exchange the beef flavour deepens — which is why many people prefer it as a steak.

Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Roast beef.” Use 55 degrees and 55 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat. Cook Sirloin to 55 degrees and serve it as “Roast beef.” The other figure to watch is 55. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. True sirloin sits behind the loin; many labels blur it with rump — ask where it was cut.

Cook Sirloin to 55 degrees and serve it as “Roast beef.” The other figure to watch is 55. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. True sirloin sits behind the loin; many labels blur it with rump — ask where it was cut. A cut’s grain comes from how much the muscle worked. Sirloin needs heat through to 55 degrees before “Roast beef” makes sense. 55 is a stage of that heat, not a luxury score. The same cut becomes a stew, a grill, or a braise, so a steak minute does not cover a pot. Thick connective tissue wants time, not a hard sear alone. This is not medical advice.