Sirloin

From the rear portion of the longest muscle running down the back, this cut is fine-grained and takes marbling easily. Fat sweetness comes first on the bite, followed by the springy, savory pull of lean meat; it's counted among the most tender of the loin cuts, its cross-section often webbed with fine marbling. A thin outer layer of fat often remains after trimming, and grilling it without over-rendering that fat is said to add extra flavor.

Yielded in limited amount per animal, it's typically cut into thick, 3-4cm steaks and grilled whole. Searing the surface hard before finishing the center rare to medium keeps the balance between fat sweetness and lean flavor from tipping too far either way; it's also sliced thin for sukiyaki. Letting it rest a few minutes after grilling is also said to help the juices settle so less escapes once it's cut.

As Western-style steak culture took root in Japan after the Meiji-era lifting of the meat-eating ban, this cut is said to have been treated as best suited to grilling whole, in thick slices. At yakiniku restaurants it sits among the loin cuts; at steakhouses it often stands alone as the main dish — one of the cuts many people picture first when they hear "beef steak." It has long been used in sukiyaki too, and its versatility across both grilling and simmering is said to be part of why it's stayed a favorite.