Sirloin steaks come from part of the animal with the same name - the ‘sirloin section’ – which is on the middle to back of the cow between the fore-rib and the rump. Sirloin is considered a prime cut, like fillet, and is usually lean with some marbling. It is chosen for its balance of tenderness and flavour, sitting somewhere between thick and juicy ribeye and succulent fillet.

As with other steaks, you need to remove your meat from the fridge 30-45 minutes (but no more than 2 hours) before you want to cook it, to get it up to room temperature. Pat dry with kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt only. You can do this in advance to impart the most flavour, but some chefs suggest avoiding seasoning your steaks with cracked black pepper as this can burn when it comes into contact with the pan.

Pan-frying is one of the best, and speediest, ways to cook your sirloin steak to perfection. To do this you want to use a heavy based frying pan which you need to get really nice and hot in order to sear the meat and get a lovely brown ‘crust’. Add just a small dash of flavourless oil, such as sunflower, vegetable or nut oil (which all have a high burning point) to the pan and heat until almost smoking. Now it’s time to add your sirloin steak and cook to your liking (see guidelines below). A key tip is to make sure the pan is roomy enough to fit your steaks in with enough space around them, otherwise the meat will simmer rather than fry. If there’s a strip of fat on the side it’s a good idea to sear this first, simply hold in the pan first with tongs before cooking on both sides.

This can vary depending on how well you like your meat cooked and the size and thickness of the steak as well as how hot your pan is. Generally sirloin is best served rare (dark red with some red juice) and medium rare (pink in the middle with some pink juice). A good guide is to cook sirloin for 11/2-2 minutes on each side for rare and 2-3 minutes each side for medium rare.

A rare steak will be dark red in the middle with some red juice and feel soft and a little spongy. Medium-rare rump steak will feel slightly bouncy, but a little soft when pressed. If you are using a meat thermometer, the reading for rare should be 50C, then 55C for medium-rare, 60C for medium and 70C for well done.

It’s best to start steak off in a pan in order to get that lovely seared finish, but many chefs like to cook steaks, especially if they are a large piece, in the oven to achieve even results. Try this recipe for the perfect finish.

Sirloin works well on a griddle pan as this gives a tasty, charred finish. It’s also a great steak to cook on the BBQ, as with your pan you want to cook it over a pretty high heat following the timings above. Try this brilliant recipe for barbecued sirloin in a fragrant Thai marinade from John Chantarasak or Rachel Walker’s Irish-inspired grilled steak salad 

It’s best to remove all wrapping from the meat and place it in a container with a lid, in the bottom section of the fridge. It should keep like this for 1-2 days. You can freeze sirloin steak in its packaging for around 6 months.

Potatoes, in all their forms, from gratin to mash, work brilliantly with sirloin steak. Steak frites is a classic, with a creamy sauce such as bernaise or peppercorn. Try our genius recipe for this combo but in a sandwich. 

Well-cooked steak is also great with hardy leaves such as spinach or kale, in a salad or on the side. For a cheffier take on your steak, try Merlin Labron-Johnson's stunning recipe with charred tropea onions and a tangy pickled walnut salsa verde.