Sirloin - Wagyu F1 x Angus

The Beef this is 100% grass-fed F1 Wagyu, a first-cross of Fullblood Wagyu over Angus, raised for superior quality and grown with a deep respect for the land. The F1 cross is the sweet spot: it takes the Wagyu's fine intramuscular marbling and pairs it with the Angus frame and the deep, beefy flavour Australian cattle are known for. The sirloin is where balance meets that marbling, a naturally lean, firm steak lifted into something richer and juicier than its grain-fed cousin.

Flavour: Full and beefy with a clean, savoury depth, balanced by the buttery richness the Wagyu marbling brings. A steak that tastes assertively of itself.

The Cut The sirloin - the strip-loin runs along the back of the animal behind the ribs, the same muscle that forms the larger side of the T-bone once it's boned out. It's the middle ground of the premium steaks: more tender than the rump, more robust and characterful than the eye fillet, with a firm, satisfying bite and an even grain. A defining feature is the strip of fat running along one edge, which renders down and bastes the meat as it cooks.

Consistent, generous and dependable, it's the steak most people picture when they picture a steak, and one of the easiest premium cuts to cook to a reliably excellent result.

How to Cook It Take it out of the fridge 30–40 minutes ahead and pat it dry. Season generously with salt.

Get your pan or grill very hot, cast iron or open flame is ideal. Before searing the faces, stand the steak on its fat edge and let that strip render and colour; it's the source of much of the flavour and worth a minute of patience. Then sear 3–4 minutes per side for a 3cm steak, basting with butter, garlic and thyme in the final minute.

Grass-fed Wagyu fat renders at a lower temperature than grain-fed, so let the marbling soften rather than blasting it. Pull at 50–52°C internal for medium-rare and rest for at least 8 minutes.

Tips

• Render the fat edge. It's the best part and it flavours the whole steak, don't leave it pale.
• Medium-rare is the sweet spot. The sirloin firms up past that, so hold your nerve.
• Slice against the grain. The even grain makes this easy, and it keeps every bite tender.
• Versatile by nature. Great as a whole steak, but equally at home sliced through a salad, a stir-fry or a steak sandwich.

A Little History The sirloin carries one of butchery's favourite myths, that an English king was so taken with the cut he knighted it "Sir Loin" on the spot. It's a good story and almost certainly untrue; the name comes from the French surlonge, meaning "above the loin." Whatever its origins, the striploin became the backbone of the steakhouse trade on both sides of the Atlantic, the New York strip in America, the classic contre-filet in France. It's the steak that built the modern grill: reliable, generous and unmistakably beef.