I have tried for years and years to make sirloin steak work. And
failed. I don't know what cooks in the US regard as sirloin steak,
but let's just assume it is the meat cut one removed from the whole
fillet.

the recipe I was given specified a cut that was no less than 2cm thick
- a tad under 1 inch. The method was as follows:

Put about 3 tablespoons of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in a shallow
pan and heat to moderate. Sprinkle the steaks with garlic salt and
place salt-side down in the pan when the steaks make a sizzle. The
oil will spatter all over the place, so wear an all-cover apron of
some sort. After about 3 minutes, turn the steaks over and sprinkle
with salt or garlic salt. Reduce the heat a bit and let the steaks
cook a further 3-4 minutes, turning if you think they are cooking too
fast.

Remove the steaks - and now comes the strange part. Put them in a
shallow dish or on a plate, and keep warm. I have a small extra cook
and grill oven and I put them in that at about 75 deg C.

Now you can make a sauce, using mushrooms and shallots or whatever in
the pan from which the steaks have been removed. I poured off some
of the olive oil. I cooked finely chopped shallots and when soft, I
added finely chopped mushrooms and let these cook for a while. Then I
added about half a cup of good red wine and let this reduce by half.
I then added about a cup of good rich beef stock, and let that reduce
until the mixture was syrupy. I added the steaks to this sauce and
served immediately.

I don't think I have ever eaten such tender melty steaks in my life.
Beef here in New Zealand is grass-fed and the texture therefore tends
to be different to grain-fed.

I've cooked sirloin in this way a couple of times since, with and
without any sauces. It's been tender, moist and good each time - and
I wonder if we cooks don't get all frantic if we don't get to eat the
meat when it is just cooked. Perhaps cooking steak in so much oil
and then leaving it in a warm place is the answer. Who knows? I
only know it worked for me.

Daisy

Carthage demands an explanation for this insolence!