The Renegade Sirloin: Why LongHorn’s Cheapest Signature Steak Outsells Everything Else
Quick Answer: The Renegade Sirloin is LongHorn Steakhouse’s top sirloin steak, hand-seasoned and grilled over an open flame. It comes in three sizes — 6 oz, 8 oz, and 11 oz — priced between $14 and $25. It’s the chain’s best-selling steak, known for its char crust, salt-forward seasoning, and lean beef flavor.
The Renegade Sirloin is the steak LongHorn sells the most of. Not the Outlaw Ribeye, not Flo’s Filet, not the porterhouse. The cheapest steak on the signature board moves more plates than anything else in the building. There’s a reason, and it’s not just the price tag.
This is a guide for people who are about to order one and want to do it right. Lunch pricing, takeout tips, and how it stacks up against the pricier cuts — all of it’s in here.
What Is the Renegade Sirloin?
It’s top sirloin. That’s the short answer.
The longer answer: top sirloin is a cut from the hip, sitting next to the tenderloin but not quite as tender, and with less marbling than a ribeye. LongHorn cuts theirs fresh in-house from USDA-inspected beef, hits it with their signature seasoning, and throws it on an open flame grill. No sauce, no marinade, no butter bath. The name is theatrical (every LongHorn steak has a Western-style name; that’s the brand), but underneath it’s a no-frills sirloin done well.
Where it sits on the menu matters too. It’s the cheapest steak in the signature lineup. Below it, you’ve got the house sirloin, which is fine but doesn’t get the same fresh-cut treatment. Above it, the prices climb fast.
Main Ingredients
The whole dish has three components and that’s it. A piece of top sirloin. The seasoning blend, which is heavy on salt with black pepper, garlic, paprika, and a few things LongHorn won’t tell you about. Open flame.
You can add toppings (parmesan crust, garlic butter, mushrooms and onions) but those aren’t part of the base steak.
Taste and Flavor Profile
Top sirloin tastes like beef. That sounds dumb until you’ve eaten a ribeye next to it and realized how much of a ribeye’s flavor is actually fat. Sirloin has less fat. So when you bite into the Renegade, you’re getting the muscle, the char from the flame, and the seasoning crust. Cleaner. More direct.
The texture is firm. Not chewy if it’s cooked properly, but it doesn’t melt. People who came up on filet sometimes find sirloin disappointing the first time. People who actually like meat usually prefer sirloin to filet, full stop.
The seasoning is the polarizing part. It’s salty. Some people would say aggressively so. I’d say the salt is doing a job: it draws moisture to the surface, the moisture meets the flame, you get a crust through the Maillard reaction. Without that salt level, you don’t get the crust, and the crust is the whole point. If you genuinely can’t handle the sodium, ask for it lightly seasoned. Most servers know.
One more thing on flavor: the steak comes off the grill with a noticeable smoky note. That’s the open flame, not liquid smoke or anything added. It’s part of why a Renegade tastes different from a sirloin you’d grill at home in a cast iron pan.
How LongHorn Cooks the Renegade
The cook process matters because it explains why this steak tastes different from the sirloin you’d make at home.
LongHorn uses gas-fired open-flame grills running hot — around 500°F at the grate. The steak goes on with no oil. Just the seasoning crust, which immediately starts caramelizing on contact. They flip once, sear the second side, then move it to a cooler zone to finish to the requested internal temperature.
Target internal temps: 130–135°F for medium-rare, 140°F for medium, 150°F for medium-well. The steak rests for two to three minutes before it leaves the line, which lets the juices redistribute so they don’t pour out when you cut into it.
The smoky char you taste isn’t a flavor additive. It’s fat from the steak dripping onto the flame, vaporizing, and rising back into the meat. That feedback loop is why open-flame grilling tastes different from a flat-top griddle.
Nutritional Information
| Size | Calories | Protein | Fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 oz | ~300 | 42 g | 14 g | ~900 mg |
| 8 oz | ~410 | 56 g | 19 g | ~1,200 mg |
| 11 oz | ~560 | 78 g | 26 g | ~1,650 mg |
These numbers are for the steak alone. Add a loaded baked potato and you’re tacking on another 400 calories before you’ve touched the butter and bacon.
The sodium is the number worth looking at. A 6 oz Renegade has about 40% of your daily recommended sodium intake from the seasoning alone, before you order a side. If you’ve got blood pressure to think about, this isn’t the meal to ignore that on. Ask for unseasoned and the count drops significantly.
For people tracking protein, the 6 oz is one of the better protein-per-calorie ratios on the entire menu.
Renegade Sirloin vs Other LongHorn Steaks
If you’re standing at the table trying to decide between the three signature cuts, this is the cheat sheet:
| Steak | Cut | Marbling | Best Doneness | Price Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renegade Sirloin | Top sirloin | Low | Medium-rare | $14–$25 | Lean, beef-forward flavor |
| Outlaw Ribeye | Bone-in ribeye | High | Medium-rare to medium | $30–$36 | Rich, fatty, forgiving |
| Flo’s Filet | Tenderloin | Low to moderate | Medium-rare | $28–$34 | Buttery texture, special occasion |
The Renegade wins on value. The Outlaw wins on flavor density. Flo’s wins on texture. There’s no objectively best one — there’s the one that matches what you came in for.
A quick decision rule: if it’s a Tuesday and you want a steak, get the Renegade. If it’s an anniversary, get Flo’s. If you’re hungry and you want the most flavor possible, get the Outlaw.
Why People Love the Renegade Sirloin
Price is the obvious answer but it’s not the only one.
The cook accuracy is the underrated answer. Sirloin is hard to cook. There’s a narrow window between medium-rare and shoe leather, and most chains miss it. LongHorn doesn’t, usually. Their grill stations have a specific training around this cut because they know they sell so many of them. You order medium-rare, you get medium-rare more often than not.
The seasoning has cult status. LongHorn sells bottles of it. People put it on chicken, fries, eggs. You can argue about whether it’s too salty but you can’t argue that it’s forgettable.
And then there’s the bread. Honey wheat, served warm, with butter. It’s not part of the Renegade but it’s part of why people come back. By the time the steak arrives, you’re already in a good mood.
Best Side Dishes and Drink Pairings
Loaded baked potato is the right answer 80% of the time. The fat from the butter and sour cream fills in what the lean sirloin doesn’t give you, and the textures play off each other. You don’t need to overthink this.
Steakhouse mac is heavier. Works if you’re hungry and you’ve skipped lunch. Doesn’t work if you wanted to walk out of the restaurant rather than be carried.
Asparagus or broccoli is the move if you’ve already committed to a topping or you want the meal to feel less like a brick. Steamed broccoli at LongHorn isn’t exciting but it does its job.
Skip the fries. They’re seasoned with the same blend that’s already on the steak, and the whole plate ends up tasting like one note.
For drinks: Argentine Malbec beats Cabernet Sauvignon here. People default to Cab with steak, but Cab’s tannin is built for fattier cuts. A leaner sirloin gets along better with the fruit-forward, less aggressive structure of a Malbec. If you’re a beer person, a brown ale or amber works. IPA fights the seasoning. If you’re not drinking, unsweetened iced tea is the right call because it resets your palate between bites.
Variations and Popular Versions
Three sizes. Six, eight, eleven ounces.
Eight is the right answer for most people. You get enough steak to feel like you ate a steak, you don’t pay much more than the six, and you’re not in ribeye money yet.
The 11 oz is a trap. By the time you scale up to the biggest Renegade, you’re spending close to what an Outlaw Ribeye costs. At that price point, get the ribeye. More marbling, more flavor, more forgiving cook. The 11 oz Renegade exists because some people want a big sirloin specifically, and that’s fine, but it’s not the value play.
The 6 oz is for lunch, for lighter eaters, or for when you’re getting an appetizer too.
Toppings worth knowing:
The Parmesan-Crusted Renegade Sirloin has its own following. Baked crust of parmesan, provolone, ranch breadcrumbs on top. Heavy, rich, and arguably hides the seasoning underneath. If you’re going to do it, do it once and decide for yourself.
Garlic butter is the safe addition. Doesn’t fight the steak. Just adds gloss.
Mushrooms and onions are useful insurance if you tend to order medium or above, because they add moisture back to a steak that’s losing it.
Tips Before Ordering
Order it medium-rare. If you don’t know your preference, this is the one to start with on sirloin specifically. You can always send it back to be cooked more. You can’t uncook it.
If you usually order well-done, the Renegade isn’t the right steak for you. Get the Outlaw Ribeye instead. Ribeye’s fat content protects it from overcooking; sirloin doesn’t have that buffer.
Try it without toppings the first time. You can’t evaluate whether you like the steak if you’ve buried it under parmesan crust.
The lunch menu sometimes runs a smaller Renegade portion for around $13 with a side. Worth checking if you’re going before 4 PM.
If you’re getting it for takeout through DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub, ask for one level under what you want. Medium-rare to-go will keep cooking in the box from residual heat and arrive closer to medium by the time you eat it.
And tip your server on the bread. Free refills are a real thing there and the servers will keep them coming if you’re polite about it.
Key Takeaways
- Top sirloin cut, hand-seasoned with LongHorn’s signature blend, grilled over open flame
- Three sizes: 6 oz, 8 oz, 11 oz — priced roughly $14 to $25
- 8 oz is the value sweet spot; 11 oz pricing competes with the Outlaw Ribeye
- Order medium-rare — sirloin punishes overcooking faster than fattier cuts
- Skip toppings on the first visit so you can taste the seasoning blend
- Sodium is high (40%+ of daily intake on the 6 oz) — ask for lightly seasoned if needed
- Pair with a loaded baked potato and an Argentine Malbec for the default-best meal
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of meat is the Renegade Sirloin?
Top sirloin. Cut from the primal section near the hip, just south of the tenderloin. Leaner than ribeye, firmer than filet.
How much does a Renegade Sirloin cost?
Roughly $14–$17 for the 6 oz, $18–$21 for the 8 oz, and $22–$25 for the 11 oz, depending on the location. Lunch portions, when available, run lower.
Is the Renegade Sirloin gluten-free?
The steak itself is, including the seasoning. Cross-contact in the kitchen is possible, and the parmesan crust topping is not gluten-free. Mention celiac disease to your server if it applies.
How many calories are in a Renegade Sirloin?
About 300 for the 6 oz, 410 for the 8 oz, 560 for the 11 oz. Steak only, before sides or toppings.
Renegade Sirloin vs Outlaw Ribeye: which is better?
Different steaks for different people. Renegade is leaner and tastes more like pure beef. Outlaw is fattier, richer, and forgives a higher cook temperature. If you want flavor density, ribeye. If you want a clean steak experience, sirloin.
What’s the best doneness for the Renegade Sirloin?
Medium-rare. Medium if you really don’t like pink. Going past medium on a sirloin is how you end up calling it tough, when really you just overcooked it.
Does the Renegade come with a side?
Yes, the dinner portion includes one. Loaded baked potato, mashed potatoes, steakhouse mac, broccoli, asparagus, rice pilaf, sweet potato, or a house salad are the usual choices. Lunch varies.
Can I get the Renegade Sirloin delivered?
It’s available through LongHorn’s own online ordering, curbside, and major delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Order it slightly under your preferred doneness because the residual heat will keep working on the steak in the box.
Closing Thought
The Renegade Sirloin is the order I’d give to someone who’s never been to LongHorn and wants to know what the restaurant actually does. Eight ounces, medium-rare, loaded baked potato, glass of Malbec. That’s the meal. It’s not the most expensive thing they sell, and it’s not supposed to be. It’s the steak that explains why the place is busy on a Tuesday.
