The best tips for roasting sirloin are to braise the meat before roasting, to season it with salt and pepper before cooking, to rub flour into the fat on top of the meat, and to allow the joint to rest before serving. Most of the tips relating to roasting sirloin aim to make the meat juicier when it is cooked and to enhance the flavor and mouth-feel of the dish where possible. Adding flour to the fat on top of the meat makes it crisp up during cooking. A resting period is important for regulating temperature throughout the meat and letting fat seep back down into the joint.
Braising meat prior to cooking can help to close of pores which allow fat to escape during cooking. Chefs should shallow-fry the cut of meat in a small amount of olive oil so it is brown all over before roasting it. When roasting sirloin, chefs can also start the meat out on a higher heat and then turn the temperature down for the majority of the cooking time. The meat should be placed on a higher shelf at first and moved to the middle of the oven when the temperature is reduced.
Seasoning meat before cooking it increases the flavor of the finished dish. Chefs should use salt and pepper as seasonings when roasting sirloin. The meat can also be rubbed in olive oil prior to cooking to further increase the flavor. The seasonings should be liberally rubbed into the meat before it is placed in the oven or braised. Other herbs or seasonings can also be added, depending on the chef’s tastes.
Rubbing flour into the fat on top of the sirloin before roasting turns it crispy during cooking. This isn’t a necessary step for chefs, but a useful tip if they want to achieve a crispy layer of fat on top of the joint. Some chefs use a mixture of mustard powder and flour when roasting sirloin.
Leaving meat to rest allows the temperature to equalize throughout the joint and gives the fat chance to seep back into the center. Chefs should leave the cooked joint to rest for around 30 minutes when roasting sirloin. Heat travels in waves, and when the meat is removed from the oven some of the heat is still making its way to the center. Inserting a thermometer into the meat during the resting period reveals that the temperature actually increases shortly after it is first removed from the oven.
