Top Sirloin Blog + Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

The cut of meat I have chosen is top sirloin. Top sirloin comes from the short loin on the top back muscles of a cow. It is deep red in colour and sometimes has a fat cap attached. Top sirloin is flavourful and is also pretty cheap and accessible which makes it a good option if you don't want to spend too much. It's best cooked on a grill or seared in a pan, and it can get very tough if overcooked, so it cooks very quickly and is best cooked rare to medium (120F-140F) depending on how you like. It doesn't have as much marbling as other cuts but it still has enough to be beefy and flavourful. I chose this cut because I wanted to make a stir fry and top sirloin was a cheap, tender and quick cooking cut which works well for the dish. Prime beef is the highest quality you will find here in Canada and has the most marbling which leads to a great juicy flavourful cut of meat. Cows have many great flavourful cuts of

meat that all require different cooking techniques to maximize tenderness and flavour. To best utilize this cut it should be cooked from 120F-140F and no more, or the meat will shrink more than it has and lose juice and flavour. The top sirloin I bought was $24/kg and was already cut into strips with the fat cap removed. I paid $10.17 for 0.420kg. I don't love buying it pre cut, but with this I do not pay for the fat that is removed. The recipe I have chosen is a Beef & Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry in a sweet, umami soy sauce with a bit of heat. This dish showcases the top sirloin very well, which brings lots of flavour all around. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

140g broccoli

92g raw egg noodles

165g top sirloin, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced,

5ml oil

20ml soy sauce

5ml sesame oil

1g Garlic powder

1g black pepper

1g chili flakes

10g brown sugar

10g chopped cilantro

2g sesame seeds

Salt to taste

1. Process beef if needed, chop broccoli into even bite sized pieces, mince garlic and chop cilantro.

2. Boil water and add noodles. Cook for 2 minutes and drain.

3. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, black pepper, chili flakes and brown sugar.

4. Add broccoli to a hot pan over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and a tablespoon of prepared sauce and cook for another few minutes until fairly tender. Remove broccoli when cooked.

5. To a new pan, add oil and heat until very hot.Season beef with salt and pepper and add to pan and sear 1 minute on each side. Remove when cooked.

6. Add noodles and broccoli to pan and fry noodles. Add sauce, then add beef finally before serving.

7. Plate and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds