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How to cook a perfect top sirloin roast or a sirloin tip roast! Both types of sirloin roasts can be tough to cook properly, so here is a way to cook it so that it’s tender and delicious!
For more great beef roast dinners, why not learn how to make this Herb and Garlic Stuffed Eye of Round Roast Recipe? Or this Classic 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pot Roast instead?
Perfect Top Sirloin and Sirloin Tip Roast
Sirloin is an infamously tricky piece of meat to cook properly. It has an unfortunate tendency to rcook id not done right and taste like tough, chewy shoe leather.
The trick, however, is to get the temperature right. You want to carefully control the temperature the meat cooks at, both to help control browning and to ensure it doesn’t overcook.
Some deliciously insulating and flavorful seasoned butter and a handy instant-read thermometer should be all you need to make a delicious and hopefully entirely edible top sirloin roast.
Top Sirloin or Sirloin Tip Roast Ingredients
Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.
- Sirloin roast – sirloin tip or top sirloin both work in this recipe
- Butter
- Some of your favorite seasoning
- Carrots, potatoes, and onions cut into large chunks
How To Make a Top Sirloin or Sirloin Tip Roast
- Prepare your sirloin roast by removing it from its packaging at least one hour in advance
- Combine the butter and seasoning together
- Cover the top of the roast with the butter mixture
- Place the vegetables in the bottom of the roasting tray, and roast at 450 Fahrenheit
- Turn the temperature down to 325 Fahrenheit, and then cook until your sirloin roast hits 10 degrees before you reach your desired temperature
- Aim for between 120 and 140 Fahrenheit, and once you are 10 degrees before that, remove and let cool for 20 minutes before serving
What Seasonings To Use For This Recipe?
The seasoned butter is really the key in this recipe. It not only flavors the meat with some tasty butter, but it also helps keep the meat moist and enjoyable.
You need to pick a really good seasoning blend to help flavor it; however, other the meat will end up tasting like nothing but butter.
Despite how good that might sound, some kind of flavorful spice mix is necessary; any of the pre-made mixes at the supermarket work great here, such as garlic and herb or even just plain Italian seasoning.
Feel free to play around with your own preferred blend of seasonings as well – mix some dried garlic and a few different dried herbs, or just take any kind of seasoning that you like and mix it all together!
Tips and Tricks for CookingTop Sirloin and Sirloin Tip Roast
Almost any sirloin roast is basically guaranteed to end up overcooked and tough unless you use some really good temperature control.
First of all, the amount of time your sirloin roast will spend in the oven is going to entirely depend on its weight. You want to cook for about 20 minutes per pound of the meat, but that is also going to depend on the quality of your oven and how well it evenly distributes its heat.
The idea behind setting the oven really hot and then reducing it to 325 is that it lets the outside brown really nicely without burning, and then the remaining lower temperature can help the meat to more gently come up to the proper internal temperature.
The final temperature you want for your roast is going to entirely depend on what kind of meat you want.
For a nice rare top sirloin roast, aim for the final temperature to be around 120 Fahrenheit. For a more tender medium-rare, shoot for about 130 Fahrenheit.
Of course, you want to be pulling it from the oven and resting it a full 10 degrees before your target temperature. Don’t worry about accidentally undercooking the meat when you pull it out early; the carryover heat will continue to cook the roast as it sits, resulting in perfectly cooked beef every time.
Temperature Guidelines for Roasting Sirloin
Prime Rib Roasting Internal Temperatures
Blue in the middle– 110 degrees – when the middle of the roast still “quivers”
Rare- 120-125 degrees in the middle
Medium-rare– 125- 135 degrees in the middle
Medium – 135- 140 degrees in the middle. You usually don’t want it cooked this much as you lose the tenderness that prime rib is known for.
Medium Well-140- 150
Well-done– 155 +
Looking for more delicious Beef recipes? Try these out:
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Christmas Dinner: How To Cook a Prime Rib Roast
- Beef Cheeks
Enjoy!
Love,
Karlynn
PIN THIS RECIPE to your DINNER RECIPES Board and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
How To Cook a Top Sirloin Roast
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours
- Total Time
- 2 hours 5 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 358
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 4-6 pounds sirloin roast top sirloin or sirloin tip
Seasoning
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1.4 teaspoon ground pepper
Vegetables
- 6-8 cups of carrots/potatoes/onions cut into large chunks you can make more in a large roaster if you are feeding more people
Instructions
- Remove your roast from all its packaging and let it sit out for an hour until it’s about room temperature.
- Pre-heat your oven to 450.
- Mix the butter and seasoning together until combined.
- Cover the top of the roast in the butter mixture.
- Place the vegetables in the bottom of the roaster.
- Place the roast in the center of the vegetables.
- Place in the oven – without the lid! – and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the top of the roast is seared and brown.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 325 and place the lid on the roaster.
- Cook to 10 degrees BEFORE your desired temperature – 120-140 – see my chart in the post. Your roast will continue cooking after you pull it out of the oven.
- Remove and set on stove for 20 minutes, keeping the lid on and the roaster sealed ( instead of tenting with tinfoil.)
Recipe Notes
- Nutritional information will vary depending on size of roast – and the info provided doesn’t include any vegetables that you choose to use.
- You can use the method for top sirloin OR sirloin tip, they both work perfectly.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Jane says
I had not tried this cut before but it was on sale.. your instructions to sear and then cover and lower the temp turned out great as did the butter herb rub. Thanks for the step by step and I am looking forward to trying more recipes from your site.
Liz Joyce says
Hi Karlynn…… I tried your recipe with a 2 lb. Top Sirloin Roast Roast and it was outstanding! I am not one who can cook a tender roast, but this was definitely the exception!
I followed the 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Then I let the roast cook another 35 minutes. I pulled it out and let it sit for 20 min….. Wonderfully delicious and tender!
Thank you so much for your advice on how to cook this top sirloin roast! I’m very glad I came across your website and we’ll be trying some more of your recipes! Liz, Pittsburgh.
Yulia says
Thank you! Great roast!
Christi says
Karlynn,
Thank you for the recipe! I have not tried it yet, but I have a question. Is the 15-20 minutes at the 450 degrees part of the total suggested cooking time? Thanks! I’m new to cooking roasts.
Karlynn says
Hey! Include the initial time as the time per pound is industry standard, and we play around with temps in this recipe. The best thing is to get a good thermometer, and cook to your desired temperature, and use the time as an approximate idea when it will be done. Cooking time depends so much on the oven, the thickness.of the meat, that the only surefire way is measuring by temperature
Amarosa says
One person likes rare to medium rare the other medium to medium well. Should I cut the roast in half and put one in a little later.
Amarosa says
One person likes rare to medium rare the other medium to medium well. Should I cut the roast in half and put one in a little later.
Dan says
Your roast will be rarer in the centre and more cooked towards the edges, so if it is large enough you can just carve for these guests accordingly. Otherwise roast to medium and you can always finish off the more well done servings in another pan on the stove.
Audrey says
I never heard of you before this, but I will certainly be checking out more of your recipes after my success with this recipe. My roast was under 4 lbs and turned out so tender I couldn’t believe it. I halved the butter/spice bc it was a smaller roast. I had invited company for supper so the pressure was on and you sure didn’t disappoint. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and transforming this cut of beef. I look forward to cooking with you again!
Karlynn says
That’s great to hear! Welcome to my website, I hope you find tons of great things to cook!
Barbara says
Holy cow% After all these years using the by guess and by golly method I finally got what I consider the perfect roast. The gravy was terrific and the vegetables too. Thank you. I used Montreal Steak Spice which gave it a lovely flavour.
Barb
Karlynn says
Amazing to hear!!
Kathy says
Any difference in instructions for a 15 pound sirloin tip roast?
Bev says
Not sure what I did wrong! I used a Le Creuset cast iron French Oven. My roast was tiny and skinny (1.75lbs/0.798kb), so should have taken less than 45 mins at 20-22 mins per lb. I let the roast stand for an hour before cooking, followed your recipe to the letter and cooked it at 450F for 20 mins lidless, then another 40 mins at 325F with the lid lid on, so it should have been very well done. My digital meat thermometer said 182F and the one inside the pot said well done, and the veggies were perfect, but the meat was bloody in the middle. I thought it was delicious, my kids not so much! I’m stymied! Any advice?
Linda French says
Roast was too small for the recipe. Should have cut cooking time instructions down to at least half.
Recipe was for a 5 to 6 lb roast
Barb says
Great!
RLSCM says
This was so easy and turned out so good! Everyone in the family had 3rd helpings! I used less butter as some of the comments suggested. I only used enough to thinly coat the top of the roast. I also added thyme, garlic and rosemary. Even the veggies turned out extra delicious. I will definitely use this recipe again when making a roast. Thank you!
Trudy says
I tried this method on a 2.17 lb top sirloin roast and was very pleased with the results. I used a Dutch oven and added Italian seasoning to the butter for the seasoning. I cooked it for 17 minutes on the 450F setting and once I covered the roast, I set the temperature probe to 128F. It did not take more than about 15 -20 minutes for this roast to come up to temperature. After the 20 minute rest, it came out as a perfect medium rare and was very tasty. I was sceptical at first, but so happy I tried this method. Worked like a charm. Thank you. It will become a go to recipe when I
I buy this type of roast again.
Kathy says
Very nice recipe. I come from a family where Sunday night roast beef was always on the menu. This recipe does well at making a lesser cut of meat moist and flavorful. I like that I can make my own spice blend. The roasting instructions and the temps for doness are spot on. My only “beef”, every pun intended is the amount of butter. I cut the amount and would cut it again. I found the gravy had a buttery taste rather than a beefy taste. Overall, lots of good cooking info and a yummy recipe!
Athea Boucher says
I made the same mistake your husband made and ended up with 2 of these roasts. Low and behold…what a wonderful surprise that when I followed your instructions the roast was done perfectly. I am currently cooking the second one right now and know it will be awesome. Thank you so much!! This was a great recipe and tutorial. You ROCK!!! 😀 <3
CB Campano says
Is a sirloin top and a sirloin tip the same or similar? The reason I’m asking is because I braised a sirloin tip roast (5 lbs) for Sunday lunch today and it was completely fall apart tender. I seasoned it overnight with seasaoned salt and garlic powder. I floured and seared in a dutch oven with olive oil and cooked on stove top for 2 hours (simmered) and then transferred to oven at 300 deg F to continue cooking for another 2.5 hours. I cooked the roast with lots of onions, peppers, garlic, beef stock, etc. All who ate it thought it was delicious. But perhaps we’re talking about two different cuts of meats?
Stephen says
Gee, I find that a top sirloin roast is a great alternative to the much tougher and drier top- and bottom-round roasts I’ve cooked. I’ll happily try your recipe for a change, but I’ve been having great success with this cut of beef for years as a dinner standard. Sure, it’s not prime rib, but compared to a round roast, it’s a slice of heaven. I get my roasts at the local Wegmans, and they rarely disappoint. I hope you don’t scare folks away with your off-putting description of what I find to be a pretty great roast option!
Karlynn Johnston says
I also say it’s great for the bank account and that if you cook it right, it’s an excellent roast. No hate, just honesty about the cut of meat. I can’t have people thinking they will get a buttery soft roast and then get mad at me for a roast that isn’t what they wanted. I don’t sugar coat things, my readers depend on me for honesty, not just pretty recipes, so they don’t waste money and time! I mean, if you read below I even have a comment where the roast was gristly and tough…. and that’s not the recipe, it’s the cut of meat.
Paul says
Stacy I totally agree with you. I do not, however, agree with this article’s opening bashing of this cut of meat. Obviously someone wasn’t preparing theirs properly. This is an excellent choice of meat, when you compare cost and quality. Period.
Deborah says
I think Sirloin roast is like eating a thick sirloin steak You never ever want to crock these because then you will never get them with any beautiful red inside. When red/pink inside that is when it is the most tender and juicy. I prefer sirloin then any chuck roast and a round is tough and that one is one I would never buy.
Sarah says
I only have a 2.34lb roast. Do the times such as the 15 mins at 450 to sear still apply the same and am I right to assume I should start checking the temp at about 30 minutes? And the 20 minute set time?
Karlynn Johnston says
I would sear for about 10 minutes and then yes, start checking at the 30 minute mark, that’s a small roast so it will cook faster.
sharon says
forgot to tell you Jon was from food wishes .com
sharon says
can I cook a boneless top sirloin roast like “Jon” its sit out 6 hours-rub with butter or mayo or oil to make salt pepper and other herbs adhere pot on rack in oven at preheated 500 degrees for 5 minutes per pound then turn off oven and do not open door for 2 hours.
I used this method for a rib eye roast and it was perfectly medium rare
Christina Rossi says
Hi, I have a couple questions. I’m cooking for a crowd, and have bought 3 top sirloin roasts. Can I cook them all together in the same roaster (providing they fit) should I make any adjustments? Also I won’t be putting potatoes or carrots in the pan, any adjustments? And last, I will be cutting the roasts and keeping them warm in a buffet server, any suggestions to not have it dry out?
Thank you
The recipe looks delicious
Bess says
Tried this tonight expecting a very moist roast. The finished done ens was medium rare but unfortunately it was extremely fatty which I am not a fan of. I hate cutting around all the grizzle on meat. I seasoned it as well as the butter but it lacked flavor . I tried this recipe as a more economal way to impress guests with a less expensive cut. I would rather stick toa meatloaf or a ham. The recipe was very good and true to cooking instructions. It was worth the try.
Karlynn says
Sounds like a bad cut of roast, that sucks! A sirloin roast can be hit or miss for the beef quality sadly. That’s too bad it didn’t work 🙁
Taras Serednytsky says
Hello Karlynn!
I’ve followed your advice to a “tee” on how to roast a Top Sirloin, especially ” 10 before ” suggestion, and it came out precisely perfect medium rare, just like in your pic!
Mary Blount says
Magpie,
I followed your recipe for a Sirloin Tip Roast and it was great. Thanks for the tips and inspiration!!
monica patricia says
I made it for my family a couple weeks ago and it turned out great! I even overcooked it lol. I’m making it again for supper tommorow night. It’s a great recipe I definitely reccomend it.
free iptv says
bonjour
great recipe!
Thanks
Joseph says
I think what people and I are asking about the temperature and time is: what is the expected time to cook for rare, medium, etc. We get it that it should be 120 for rare and pull it out 10 degrees before. But your listed time is 3hrs. So are we to check every 15-20 minutes to see what degrees the middle is? Each time you pull it out you lengthen the cooking time. Most recipes will give you a general idea how long to cook. Say 20 min per pound, etc. If you cook yours at rare, then you should share how long generally it takes you to cook yours.
Fay Thomson says
Would like to know min per lb. and if we are to use a liquid and can it be cooked in a slow cooker??
Dusty says
The last paragraph actually tells you how many minutes per pound.
Linda Norden says
Buy a steak thermometer with a cord and a timer that beeps when the steak is done, takes the guesswork out of it. I bought mine in a local hardware store for $11.99.
kris mccleery says
So no liquids at all?
Dianne says
This looks like a good recipe. I have a 12 pound roast so woul this probably cook 5 to 6 hours for medium?
Alison says
Hi! This looks like a great recipe! But it’s vague (unclear) in the blog post and in the recipe instructions WHAT TEMP you REMOVE roast out of oven and what temp the final “Medium” or other meat done-ness is. It’s unclear if you remove it between 120-140 Deg F, or if that is the final resting temperature. It’s not clear in the blog post either. Can you make it more clear? What temp should you remove it and then what should the final temperature be after the resting time. Thanks. Maybe you can edit this post for me and others so we can continue to use your site! Thanks!
Karlynn says
Hi Alison,
Right before my little chart of “doneness” that gives you the industry standard for meat temperatures, it also says to remove the roast 10 degrees before YOUR desired temperature. AND then it repeats again in the printable recipe, plus it also says to see the chart to read what temperature you are looking for.
While 120-140 is wide, those are the temperatures set by the restaurant industry to indicate Rare to Medium-Rare. You need to read my chart and decide which doneness you like, and then pull it out 10 degrees before that.
Each person needs to decide what they want, not me. I’m telling you that THIS type of roast is best cooked to between 120 and 140, and not to go outside those parameters. You need to chose and follow the directions for a great roast!
Carol Turton says
Hello Kitchen Magpie, I just finished reading the Free Press and read a great review and a wonderful article written by Wendy King. Hope you are able to check it out. She shared your Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Squares. I have saved the article for you or your mom. Again be proud Kitchen Magpie!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Awesome I will have to find it!!
Diane says
I’m working on cooking this right now. I saw a couple little people ask about whether to add liquid with the vegetables or not. I have the same question. I don’t want them to burn to the bottom ones the pan.
Any suggestions?