Top sirloin steaks are one of the most popular beef steaks served in restaurants (Harris et al., 1992), as well as purchased at retail outlets (National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, 2005), across the United States. However, top sirloin steaks are typically marketed at lower prices compared to the other steaks from the loin and rib primals (Harris et al., 1992) because of palatability inconsistencies, especially in cooked beef tenderness. A number of studies have also shown that beef top sirloin steaks have color stability issues (Hood, 1980; O’Keefe & Hood, 1982).
Several other high-value beef muscles have been examined for within-muscle differences in tenderness and, to a lesser extent, color, but little work has been done looking at these attributes in the gluteus medius (GM), the primary muscle in top sirloin steaks.