What Cut Of Meat Do Beef Tips Come From?

Beef tips are a versatile, more affordable way to enjoy steak. Steak comes in many cuts, and beef tips are smaller, usually bite-sized pieces that can be marinated, cooked, and served on their own, added to salad, or popped onto skewers for an easy meal. In general, beef tips are cut from sirloin, which comes from the back part of the cow between its ribs and rear. You might sometimes hear that beef tips come from bavette or flap meat, which are just other names of cuts that come from the sirloin.

Although sirloin is the most common cut for beef tips, they can come from almost any other part of the cow. Beef tips might also come from the round, which is cut from the cow's back legs and rear, the tenderloin, which sits along the backbone near the sirloin, or from flank steak, which is cut from the back part of the cow's abdomen.

In order to cook beef tips well, make sure you know which part of the animal they came from, because that will impact the tips' tenderness and cook time. For the most common tips, which are cut from sirloin, it's best to marinate them or cook them slowly — sirloin steak tends to be tougher than other cuts, such as tenderloin.

Marinades can act as natural meat tenderizers. An acidic marinade — like one made with lemon or lime juice — helps to break down the meat as it sits, making it easier to eat. Marinate beef tips for at least one hour to let the acid do its job. Believe it or not, marinating the steak tips in ginger ale is a great option here, too, because it infuses unique flavor while also helping break down the meat. This is the best method if you plan to grill the tips on skewers.

Another option for extra-tender beef tips is to prepare them in a slow cooker. Cooking the steak low and slow in liquid, such as beef broth, will add plenty of flavor while also ensuring the steak comes out melt-in-your-mouth tender. As long as they're cooked properly, sirloin steak tips are a perfect way to serve steak to a crowd without breaking the bank.