Rump steakvsSirloin

Which sirloin? The British and American words name different steaks

In Britain a sirloin steak is cut from the loin along the middle of the back. That is the muscle an American butcher sells as a New York strip. The American "sirloin" sits further back, between the loin and the hip, and covers much the same ground a British butcher calls rump.

So the question means two different things. Asked in the UK, "rump or sirloin" compares two separate muscles. Asked in the US, a sirloin steak and a British rump steak are close relatives from the same part of the animal.

Which is more tender, rump or sirloin?

British sirloin is the more tender of the two. The loin does little work, so its grain is fine and even, and it carries a strip of fat along one edge that bastes it as it cooks.

Rump comes from the hip, which works harder. It is firmer, has more chew and a deeper, beefier flavour, and it is usually cheaper. A thick rump steak is also several muscles rather than one, each with its own grain, which is why it can feel uneven from one end to the other.

Which should you buy?

For tenderness

Sirloin in the British sense (New York strip in the US).

For flavour and price

Rump, or American top sirloin. It rewards a good sear and careful slicing more than a higher grade.

To feed a crowd

Rump. A whole piece roasts or grills well and slices thin across the grain.

How to cook each

Both are quick-cooking steaks for a very hot pan or grill. Sirloin: stand it on its fat edge first to render the fat, then sear both faces, and take it off at medium-rare. Rump: sear hard, stop at medium-rare to medium, rest it for five minutes, then slice it across the grain. Past medium, the extra work in the muscle shows up as toughness.

Asking for them abroad

France

Rump is rumsteck; British sirloin is faux-filet or contre-filet.

Spain

Rump is cadera; British sirloin is lomo bajo.

Argentina

Rump is bife de cuadril; British sirloin is bife angosto.

Italy

Rump is scamone; British sirloin is controfiletto.

Germany

Rump steak is Hüftsteak, cut from the Hüfte.