Now is the time to try steak tips, a delicious cut of beef that you truly deserve to enjoy. The uber-tender hunks of steak are convenient, flavor-packed, and work well in a variety of preparations. You’ll never grow bored with the options.
Try them skewered and grilled, seared, or braised. Thanks to the bite-sized nature of this cut of meat, they’re convenient for quick meals. There are many ways to cook them, but most people marinate them in soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, or brown sugar. Or, some combination of all those flavors.
Find out where the phrase “steak tips” came from, how to make them perfectly every time, and some simple recipes to get you started.
Steak tips are a tasty and affordable way to enjoy beef, but with so many cuts of steak available, it can be confusing to know which is best for getting tender, flavorful steak tips After researching this topic, I’ve concluded that sirloin and tenderloin are the top cuts for making great steak tips on the stove top.
Why Choose Sirloin or Tenderloin for Steak Tips
There are a few key reasons why sirloin and tenderloin cuts make the best steak tips:
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They are naturally tender cuts that don’t require as much slow, moist cooking to break down tough connective tissues. This makes them ideal for quick cooking methods like pan searing.
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Sirloin and tenderloin have excellent beefy flavor that comes through beautifully when the meat is cut into bite-sized morsels
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These cuts are easy to trim of fat and slice into uniform pieces perfect for even cooking.
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Sirloin and tenderloin offer the right balance of tenderness and relative affordability. While still pricier than stew meat, they are less expensive than premium cuts like ribeye.
How Other Cuts Compare for Making Steak Tips
While sirloin and tenderloin are my top picks, you can use other cuts of beef for steak tips with a little work:
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Flank steak: This flat cut has tons of flavor but can be quite tough. Cutting it into pieces and marinating helps tenderize flank for steak tips.
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Ribeye: Delicious when cut into tips, but the high cost of this premium cut makes it less practical for everyday meals.
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Chuck roast: Requires prolonged braising to get tender but can make tasty, pull-apart steak tips for stews.
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Brisket: Similar to chuck roast, brisket needs moist cooking for hours before it yields fork-tender steak tip morsels.
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Rump roast: A budget cut like chuck roast that benefits from slow braising to create succulent steak bits.
So while you can improvise with other cuts, sirloin and tenderloin offer the best experience and value for steak tips cooked quickly on the stovetop.
Buying and Preparing Sirloin or Tenderloin for Steak Tips
When shopping for sirloin or tenderloin tips, look for evenly sized, well-trimmed pieces no larger than 1-inch thick. Ideally, the meat should have good marbling for flavor and moisture, but avoid pieces with large pockets of greasy fat.
Plan on 4-6 ounces of steak tips per person. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking so it cooks evenly. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper or a flavorful dry rub.
For the stove top, a cast iron or stainless steel skillet works best. Heat the pan well before adding a touch of oil or butter. Cook the tips over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes per side. Use tongs to flip the pieces and avoid poking them so the juices stay intact.
Remove the pan from heat when the tips reach your desired doneness, about 145°F for medium rare. Let them rest a few minutes before serving for juicy, tender steak tips.
Top Recipe Ideas for Sirloin or Tenderloin Steak Tips
Once you’ve got beautifully seared steak tips, there are endless recipe options for putting them to delicious use:
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Steak tip skewers – Thread steak pieces and veggies onto skewers for fun kabobs on the grill.
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Steak tip salad – Toss hot steak tips over a fresh salad of greens, tomatoes, onions, and blue cheese crumbles.
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Steak fajitas – Stir-fry steak tips with bell peppers and onions for quick and easy fajitas.
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Steak tip pasta – Mix bites of steak with pasta, mushrooms, and Parmesan for a satisfying one-dish meal.
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Steak tip sandwiches– Pile steak tips with provolone cheese and onion crisps on hoagie rolls.
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Teriyaki steak tips – Coat pan-seared tips with a sweet and sticky homemade teriyaki sauce.
What are Steak Tips?
If you haven’t heard of steak tips, you’re probably not from New England. The regional specialty is exactly what it sounds like: Tips of sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces that are perfect for grilling, skewering for kabobs, or sautéing quickly in your favorite sauce.
Steak tips are most often cut from the sirloin, but they can be cut from any part of the cow. These premium steak tips are robust and meaty thanks to the varied tender steaks they’re cut from, like tri-tip, flank steak, coulotte, and, of course, sirloin.
We’ve already talked about the most common ways to cook steak tips, but because they are so tender, they also work well in stews, braises, and soups. Think of them as the super-convenient, flavor-packed cut of beef you can incorporate into your next meal.
The Complete Guide to Cooking the Perfect Steak
FAQ
What cut of beef is used for steak tips?
What is another name for steak tips?
Is sirloin tip the same as beef tips?
What is the difference between tenderloin tips and sirloin tips?
Which cut of meat is best for beef tips?
Sirloin or Tenderloin cuts are best for making beef tips on the stove top as they don’t require as much low and slow cooking to render down and tenderize. Tender Cuts of Meat: Sirloin, Flank, Ribeye, Tenderloin. Tougher Cuts of Meat: Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, Brisket. (Best suited for slow cooking.)
What is the healthier substitute of flank steak?
The healthier substitute of flank steaks are: 1. Beef Skirt: It closely resembles flank steak. This specific cut comes from the diaphragm area of the animal. It is a thin meat with marbles fats on the surface. Since its thinner than flank, it cooks perfectly in a very shorter period of time. 2. Chicken breast: It cooks quickly and it is also the healthier alternative as it has less amount of fats when compared to flank steak. 3. Top Round: It is the thick cut. Marinating before broiling or grilling top round steak promotes tenderness. 4. Tri-Tip Steak: Also known as the triangle steak, this flank steak alternative comes from the top of the sirloin area. It is characterized by the fat surrounding the meat along the edges. Trimming that fat is an obvious way to keep this flank steak alternative healthier.
Are steak tips a good cut?
These tips are a superior cut but not what we consider to be a true steak tip, which should be a more pedestrian cut that is magically transformed into a desirable dish through marinating and cooking. If the steak tips at your market cost $8 to $10 per pound, the meat likely comes from the tenderloin.
What kind of steak do you use for steak tips?
The best cut of meat to use for steak tips is sirloin steak. But you can use practically any tender cut of beef you want, like stew meat, beef tenderloin, strip steak, round steak, and even flank steak. What is the best way to cook steak tips? The best way to cook steak tips is in a cast iron pan on the stovetop.