Sirloin steak tips meet their match with tangy corn relish

Sirloin steak tips have deep flavor and a tender texture that calls out for a bright and texturally interesting accompaniment, so we chose our Southwestern-inspired Tangy Corn Relish.

To keep the sirloin steak tips juicy despite the heat of the grill, we marinated the steak with a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, and potent spices and aromatics, which promoted browning and infused the steak with flavor and a bit of sweetness that was complemented nicely by the relish.

We seared the steaks over high heat (finishing them over cooler heat if needed), which helped cook this often unevenly shaped cut thoroughly. Sirloin steak tips are often sold as flap meat, and are available as whole steaks, cubes, and strips. For this recipe, use strips and cut them into 6- to 8-inch-long pieces, if necessary. When grilling, bear in mind that steak tips cooked medium-rare to medium are firmer and not quite so chewy as steaks cooked rare

Grilled Southwestern Steak Tips With Tangy Corn Relish

Servings: 4-6. Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes

• Marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed

1 recipe Tangy Corn Relish (recipe follows)

For the marinade, whisk all ingredients in bowl until sugar has dissolved.

Toss steak tips with marinade in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours, flipping bag every 30 minutes. Before grilling, remove steak from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade.

• For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over half of grill, then pour remaining coals over other half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

• For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain hot fire and medium fire on separate sides of grill.)

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steak on hotter side of grill. Cook (covered if using gas), turning as needed, until well browned and meat registers 120 to 125 F (for medium-rare), or 130 to 135 F (for medium), 10 to 14 minutes. (If steaks begin to burn, slide to cooler side of grill to finish cooking.)

Transfer steak to carving board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice steak thin and serve with relish.

Tangy Corn Relish

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (1 1/2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

Whisk sugar, flour, salt, and pepper together in large saucepan. Slowly whisk in vinegar and water until incorporated. Stir in corn, bell pepper, onion, mustard seeds, and celery seeds and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened slightly and measures about 2 1/2 cups, about 40 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. (Relish can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before serving.)

Per serving: 618 calories; 327 calories from fat; 36 g fat ( 10 g saturated; 2 g trans fats); 135 mg cholesterol; 1439 mg sodium; 32 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 19 g sugar; 44 g protein.