This Marinated Grilled Sirloin Steak comes off the grates tender and juicy. A brown sugar and balsamic marinade does the heavy lifting, and a high, fast sear does the rest. It's steakhouse flavor on a Tuesday-night budget. You can have it on the table after less than ten minutes of cook time.
I've made this one enough times that I don't really think about it anymore, which is the highest compliment I can pay a recipe.
I've found the marinade to be key with sirloin. Since it's leaner than a ribeye, it needs a little outside help to stay juicy and to stay juice and flavorful. The marinade takes care of that.
My vinegar-hating (but steak-loving) teenager stood at the cutting board picking off slices and never once clocked the balsamic. That is about as close to a five-star review as I get around here.
Simple Steak Night Menu
- The steak — this marinated sirloin, sliced against the grain.
- The mushrooms — my sautéed mushrooms for steak are a must.
- The butter — the garlic-herb compound butter above, melting over the top.
- Something green — a simple salad with a balsamic vinaigrette to cut through all that richness.
Buying the Right Cut
"Sirloin" gets used loosely at the meat counter, and the three cuts should be treated differently.
- Top sirloin is what you want here. It comes off the back of the loin, it's tender, and it grills beautifully.
- Bottom sirloin is the same neighborhood but its tougher. Tri Tip is bottom sirloin. It can grill, but it's less forgiving.
- Sirloin tip is the impostor. It's not from the loin at all. It's lean, it's cheap, and it's much better braised or roasted than thrown on a hot grill, where it turns to shoe leather.
Marinade or Dry Rub?
For a fattier cut like ribeye, a dry rub or even just salt and pepper are all you need. There's enough fat to keep it juicy and flavorful on its own. Sirloin doesn't have that luxury. It's lean, which is exactly why a marinade is essential.
A marinade does three things a rub can't. The salt and Worcestershire season past the surface and help the muscle hold onto moisture. The oil carries the fat-soluble flavors of garlic and rosemary into the meat. And the acid loosens the surface proteins just enough to make that lean meat eat more tender. A rub only flavors the outside.
The One Mistake to Avoid: Don’t Over-Marinate
That same acid that tenderizes the surface will, given too many hours, keep going until the outer layer turns mushy and mealy. (When I was young I once left expensive strips in an acid based marinade for two days. Let's just say my date wasn't impressed by my cooking skilles.)
One hour gets you flavor and a tenderizing head start. Four hours is the ceiling. Past that, you're not improving the steak, you're degrading it.
Why The Hour at Room Temp?
After the marinade, I pull the steaks out, get them dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Then we let them sit on the counter for a full hour before grilling. Two things are happening in that hour, and both matter.
The salt is pulling moisture to the surface, then getting reabsorbed along with the seasoning. The process of the salt getting into the muscle fibers means juicer meat.
At the same time, the steak is losing its fridge chill.. Room-temperature meat cooks evenly edge to edge, which is the whole ballgame for a good medium-rare.
Grilling
Get the grill to 450–500°F and brush the grates with oil so nothing sticks and you get clean grill marks.
Lay the steaks down and leave them alone. Resist the urge to peek, poke, or flip early. You're looking for 3 to 4 minutes per side for a one-inch steak. (For a thicker steak, I recommend getting your sear and then moving to an upper rack to finish.) If it's stuck, it's not done searing. Give it another thirty seconds.
The only number that matters is internal temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part. Pull at 130°F for medium-rare. Time is a guideline. Your cooking time should always be determined by the temperature.. Your steak's thickness, your grill, and the weather all move the clock.
Grilling Steak on a Ninja Flex Flame
If you're making this Sirloin Steak on the Ninja Flex Flame like I do, set it to 450°F, not 500 °F. Give the first side a full 3 minutes, then check the second side at the 2-minute mark. Mine was done at 2 minutes thanks to the convection. The fan moves so much hot air that it shaves time off the second side. Lean on your thermometer rather than the clock and you'll nail it.
A quick doneness chart (and the carryover trick)
Steak keeps cooking after it leaves the grill — residual heat carries the internal temperature up another 5°F or so while it rests. So pull it about 5 degrees shy of your target. Medium-rare is the sweet spot for this recipe.
| Doneness | Pull it at | Lands at after rest |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120°F | ~125°F |
| Medium-rare | 130°F | ~135°F |
| Medium | 135°F | ~140°F |
| Medium-well | 145°F | ~150°F |
| Well-done | 155°F | ~160°F |
Marinated Grilled Sirloin Steak
Ingredients
- 2 pounds top sirloin steak
Marinade
- ½ cup avocado oil or olive oil not extra-virgin
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
Finishing
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For Serving
- compound butter or butter
Instructions
- Place the steaks in a shallow dish. Prick all over with a fork.
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, rosemary and salt.
- Pour over the steaks, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to 4 hours.
- Transfer the steaks to a plate, and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for an hour to allow the salt to work its magic on the muscle fibers.
- Preheat your grill to 450°F - 500°F. Brush the grates with oil.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 130°F for medium rare.
- Move to a wire rack set on top of a rimmed baking sheet, top with butter, and tent with foil.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Doneness: Pull about 5°F below your target to allow for carryover cooking. Medium-rare is 130°F (lands at ~135°F after resting).
- Ninja Flex Flame: Set to 450°F, grill the first side 3 minutes, and check the second side at 2 minutes — the convection cooks it faster.
- Don't over-marinate: 1 to 4 hours only. The acid keeps working and will mush the surface past that.
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe