How to Cook Tri Tip (Grilled or Oven-Roasted)
If you’ve never had tri tip, you haven’t lived! I will show you how to cook tri tip on the grill or in the oven. It’s SO easy and the flavor is unbeatable! We always had tri tip for Christmas dinner growing up, it’s an impressive holiday meal!
Sometimes I start to make a list of things to buy at Home Depot, and I get totally overwhelmed. Does this ever happen to you?? It’s basically impossible to stop at a home improvement store for just one item because there are always SO many projects on the to-do list when you’re a homeowner.
Like yesterday, I was going to head to the store to get the things I needed to hang my multiple rolling pins in my kitchen (like this.) Then I remembered that I also needed to shop for a new meat thermometer (for grilling this tri tip). I asked Eric if we needed anything else.
“Yeah. Get a wall patching kit, the kind with the mesh screen. Oh, and get some more ducting for the air conditioning, I need to patch some of it. And some new ceiling tile, the entry to the attic is getting worn down. And grab some nails, I’m running low, oh and some sand paper and wood oil so that I can refinish that bench on the porch.”
I can see future Karen, standing in the aisles of Home Depot, paralyzed with choices. But WHICH ducting should I get?? And nails, do you KNOW how many kinds of nails there are at Home Depot?? Like, 10,000, at least.
I ended up just not going at all. Home improvement, schome improvement.
Also, maybe I should have actually been shopping for a new grill? Ours is slowly falling apart. The lid opens up way too far, and now it won’t seal when you shut it. I grabbed some random yard art and our grill scraper to weigh it down while cooking this tri tip. Super classy.
What is tri tip?
Have you ever had tri tip? If not you are missing out. Today I will show you how to cook tri tip on the grill (the best way) or in the oven.
Tri tip is a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin, with 3 tips. Grilling it became a thing in the 50s in Santa Maria, California, and it’s getting more popular nationwide, but some still haven’t heard of it. Sometimes outside of California it’s called a triangle roast. If you ask your butcher for a tri tip roast and he gives you a blank stare, try calling it the “California cut.”
It’s a unique cut that is part steak, part roast. When grilled, you get that perfectly tender, pink center with a browned-to-a-crisp, caramelized exterior, but it doesn’t take as long to cook as a full roast. It’s also cheaper than if you were to buy an equivalent amount of steak.
(I wish you could see the juice pour out of this as I sliced it.)
Tri tip is HUGE in my family. We’ve eaten it for every Christmas dinner for as long as I can remember. My family was born and bred in California, so I had no idea it was a regional thing until I moved out of state as an adult, and realized people didn’t know what cut of meat I was talking about.
I actually just learned how to cook tri tip. We never made it ourselves for Christmas. There is a locally famous butcher shop and deli in Manteca, my hometown. It’s called Fagundes Meats (I think their family name is Portuguese). We would always order a huge tray of grilled tri tip to be picked up on Christmas Eve, and then we would warm it in the oven the next day for Christmas dinner.
But I live in Sacramento now, an hour away, and I can’t just stop by anytime I want a delicious tri tip. So I called them up and asked about their process for how to cook tri tip. I’m so glad I did, because it’s different from what I thought! (it’s a shorter process than I imagined, which is good news for everyone.)
How to cook Tri tip
It’s very simple: Rub the spices on the meat (all pantry spices, nothing special), place it in a large ziplock with some olive oil, and then marinate overnight, or at least several hours. (The longer the better!)
Fagundes is famous for their Santa-Maria style dry rub seasoning. I know it’s a secret recipe, so I didn’t bother asking for it, but after lots of research, I’ve come up with something that tastes just right to me! It’s so simple. Just a little salt and pepper and garlic, plus some other spices to enhance that garlicky combo. It’s so good! And you don’t even have to chop anything.
When you are ready to cook, you can do it the best way, which is on the grill, or the second best way, which is in the oven. Both ways you are going to get an amazingly tender tri tip, but you are only going to get that ultra-crispy black exterior from the grill. The smoke also adds flavor. The original Santa Maria tri tip is traditionally grilled over red oak wood, but I don’t have any and I’m guessing you don’t either. I promise, a regular gas grill will work just fine! Charcoal would be great too if you have that.
Here’s the set up for how to cook tri tip by roasting in the oven. This is pre-searing.
How to slice a tri tip roast
Tri tip is kind of weird because the grain runs in two different directions. You can’t slice it in the same direction all the way across. Use the above photo as a guide. The black lines are where you should cut. (Only once it is cooked! Don’t slice while raw. I just took the photo before cooking so you could see the grain of the meat.)
Tri tip (and all meat) should be cut against the grain, and that means your knife should be perpendicular to the lines you can see (called the grain) in the meat. The thick black line that I’ve drawn above, where you see that thicker fat, is where you can cut the roast in half. Then slice each section of the tri tip against the grain. That’s why some of the photos on this post show small pieces of meat, and some show super long and thin slices, like this:
So, now you know how to cook tri tip! If your family is not into turkey, this would be an AWESOME main dish to serve at Thanksgiving. And as I already mentioned, we always have it for Christmas dinner, with all the regular fixings: mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, etc. It’s so good.
The traditional way to serve tri tip is in sandwiches though. Slice it up, put it on a soft roll, hoagie, ciabatta, whatever you want. Slather with mayo, add in some onions and BBQ sauce and you will be in heaven!
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One year ago: Crème Brulée Pumpkin Pie << I’m never going back to regular pumpkin pie. Ever.
Three years ago: Slow Cooker Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes << perfect for the holidays!
Seven years ago: Sour Cream Chocolate Drops
How to Cook Tri Tip (Grilled or Oven-Roasted)
5-6 adjust servingsIf you have never had tri tip, you haven't lived! I will show you how to cook tri tip on the grill or in the oven, it's SO easy and the flavor is unbeatable! We always had tri tip for Christmas dinner growing up, it's an impressive main dish!
Ingredients
- 1 (2 and 1/2 pound) tri tip roast
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoning salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried or fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
Choose your tri tip:
If you can, get your tri tip from a local butcher. They will have what is called "prime" cuts, which has more fat and marbling than you can find at the grocery store. It will take longer to cook because of all the fat. (Fat=flavor)
If you buy your tri tip at the grocery store, make sure that you go to a high-end grocery store. High-end grocery stores are going to have mid-range cuts of meat. A discount store is going to have discount meat, and it will not be marbled well. Your roast will shrink a lot more and it will take a shorter time to cook.
Ask the butcher or grocery clerk for a well marbled tri tip roast, or "California cut" or a "triangle roast." If they still don't know what you mean, ask for the bottom sirloin butt (subprimal cut).
Prepare the marinade:
In a small bowl, combine all the spices: galic salt, seasoning salt, kosher salt, pepper, sugar, garlic powder, and parsley. 1 tablespoons of dried parsley is fine, you can use 2-3 tablespoons if you are using fresh parsley.
If you are grilling, trim the fat cap from the roast. If you are oven roasting, leave it on.
Rub the spice mixture all over the roast with your hands. Place in a large ziplock bag and add 1/4 cup olive oil. Seal the bag and massage the oil into the meat. Place in the fridge and marinate, turning a couple times, for about 8 hours. (This is ideal. If you only have an hour or even 15 minutes, guess what, you're still going to get a great roast. But the longer you marinate, the more flavor there will be. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days.)
How to Grill Tri Tip:
- Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. It should start cooking at room temperature.
- Preheat your grill to high heat. Make sure you give it a good 15-20 minutes to heat up.
- Place the roast on a plate and discard the marinade (or save it to add to a pan sauce if you plan to make one).
- Grease the grill (or brush oil directly on the meat).
- Sear the roast over high heat for about 2-3 minutes, until it is nicely browned. Flip over (grease again if necessary) and sear the other side for 2-3 minutes. Keep the lid shut as much as you can.
- Turn off the heat on the side of the grill that your meat is on. We are cooking it over INDIRECT heat. Lower the other side of the grill to low heat. If you are cooking over charcoals, arrange the meat and charcoals so that the meat is off to the side, not cooking directly above the charcoal.
- Grill without opening the lid for about 20-25 minutes, or about 10-15 minutes per pound, depending on how rare you want it. Rare is 135 degrees F. Medium rare is 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the roast to check the temperature.
- Remove the roast from the grill, and place on a rimmed serving platter. Cover well with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Slice against the grain and serve (see photos).
How to Roast Tri Tip in the Oven:
- Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. It should start cooking at room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place an oven-safe cooling rack on top, and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, place the roast in the pan, fat side down. Sear the roast for about 3-4 minutes, until a brown crust has developed. Flip and sear the other side.
- Place the roast on the cooling rack. Save the marinade and oil from searing for a pan sauce, if you choose to make one.
- Put the roast in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or about 10-15 minutes per pound, depending on how rare you want it. Rare is 135 degrees F. Medium rare is 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the roast to check the temperature.
- Remove the roast from the oven, and cover well with foil. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Slice against the grain and serve (see photos).
To make a pan sauce:
Save all meat drippings* and excess marinade. Add to a small saucepan with 2 cups beef broth.* Bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup cold water and 3 tablespoons flour. Whisk until smooth, and then slowly pour into the boiling broth. Continue simmering for 5-10 minutes until thickened. Add 2 tablespoons butter, season with salt and pepper, and serve with meat.
by The Food Charlatan
More holiday dinner ideas!
Easy Fall-Apart Pot Roast with Carrots (Slow Cooker) << this is my favorite pot roast ever!
Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork (Lechon Asado) << my most popular recipe of all time!
Bacon Blue Cheese Brisket (Slow Cooker!) << how can you go wrong with bacon??
Oven Roasted Cranberry-Dijon Glazed Ham << this is so great for the holidays!
More steak recipes from blog friends!
Carne Asada from Foodie with Family
Grilled Steak and Fresh Mozzarella Flatbread from Valerie’s Kitchen
Grilled Flat Iron Steak from Savory Sweet Life
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Made this last night for dinner and it was the first time I have had this type of roast come out juicy and tender. We loved it. Thanks.
Hey Barbara, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for reviewing the recipe!
I made this last night for dinner and it was a hit!!! I did cut out the kosher salt in the marinade because between the seasoning salt and the garlic salt it seemed like a lot to me. And I baked the tri tip and it was definitely still salty. Also I added a half teaspoon of oregano and basil to the marinade. Was so so good!!!
OMG! I have made Tri-Tip steak before, but it was not that interesting, so I decided to try this recipe. I bought the meat at Costco, because in spite of being a discount store, the meat is graded Prime, and is usually very, very good. I made the rub which was super easy and smelled divine! Put it into the plastic bag with the olive oil and left it in the fridge for about 5 hours. I followed the rest of the instructions and the meat turned out absolutely delicious! The very best Tri-Tip steak/roast I have ever made or had anywhere! Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. It will be my “go to” from now on!
I’m so happy to hear what a success it was Laura! Thank you so much for the review! And I hadn’t thought to look for tri tip at Costco, I don’t know why. They usually have great quality meat. I’ll look next time I go! Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the tip on slicing the Tri Tip. I never know that. Made it tonight and it made the presentation much nicer. BTW it was really tasty too!
I’m so glad the slicing tip was helpful Mely! Thanks for commenting with your feedback!
When I read Manteca, I knew a fellow Californian, you knew your stuff! :)
I’ve made this so many times, using most if not all your seasonings (except sugar, I’ll have to try that) so I know this recipe is awesome. The only difference I do sometimes is crush a few cloves of garlic and bury them in the trip tip.
Kudos on a really well written recipe!
*Foodie Love from a fellow Sac neighbor*
Ahhh yay I’m so happy to hear from another California Tri Tip lover Brandie! Love the idea of adding even MORE garlic, I mean how can you go wrong here :) Thank you so much for commenting!
Whoa. I measured exact and this made my tri tip way too salty. Highly recommend anyone doing this pull back on the salt. Can’t tell if it’s good yet. Rinsed it off and hoping for the best.
Hey Sandy! I’m so confused, how do you know if it’s too salty if you haven’t tasted it yet?
Fugundes! My absolute favorite must have everytime we visit. Not to mention I have your mom or whoever is willing, ship me a container of their seasoning anytime I’m out. I use it for almost everything beef related. I haven’t tried making my own tri tip because I figure there’s no way I could do it justice but now I’m so doing this for Christmas.
I know, Fagundes is just the BEST. I have some of the seasoning too, but wanted to create a homemade version so I could blog it. If you have the seasoning at home you could just use that and then follow the grilling instructions. I’m so glad you will get to have it for Christmas! We’re doing it this year in Utah! We will see how grilling goes in the snow! Some things just have to be done right ;)
I have been working with tri-tips for well over 30 years. And if done right they are the best buy for your money. But I don’t go through all the rim-of moral that you do with all your marinating. The best and easiest way is to to do this is to just set them out on the counter and let them come to room temperature.Then completely cover them in a rub such as Ridy’s or Pappy’s. Both of these can be bought online. Cover them completely with a good covering of the rubs. Then let them sit there for most of the day so that they can absorb all the good flavoring. Start a fire in your grill and get it nice and hot. Oil your grates. Then go back in and once again add another coat of rub to the meat. Set the tri-tip on the grill with the fat side down for 15 minutes. Then turn over and continue cooking it uncovered for 30 minutes more. The meat will be almost black just like when you do a brisket. And have a nice crust to them. Remove from the grill and set on a serving tray for 10 minutes. Cut crosswise for best results. The nice things about the two rubs is that you can use them on just about anything. Eggs, salads,potato salad and even have used it in coleslaw. They are good on just about everything and not just for grilling.
Hey Mark! Thanks for sharing all your tips! The way you describe your method is basically the same as what I have in my recipe, except I add a little olive oil so that it makes the tri tip even juicier (especially because, let’s face it, most people are going to be able to afford a mid-range cut of meat rather than prime.) I will have to check out the Ridy’s and Pappy’s rub! I’m sure they are delicious! Thanks for commenting, it’s great to hear from a tri tip expert!
I grew up in Santa Maria. Every weekend, sun or rain, if there was cover you could see the main drag, Broadway, filled with smoke from all of the bbqs. It was so smokey you couldn’t see a block away downtown in summer. Oh and the smell was very amazing! If you couldn’t afford the prices you would have to stay home with the doors and windows closed because the awesome aroma would make you so hungry. Never mind the Santa Maria beans that you would eat as a side. Yes, true-tip, the best cut of meat out there. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.
That is awesome Shari! I’ve never been to Santa Maria, but that sounds amazing and now I want to make a trip just for the smell. You will have to let me know if the seasoning on this tri tip is anything like you remember! It’s pretty close to the butcher I love in Manteca, but I know Santa Maria is where it all started. I just learned in my research for this post that eating them with beans is traditional (my family always served it with potatoes!) Do you have a recipe for the beans? Or any idea what they are like? I’d love to try making them! Thanks so much for commenting!
So excited to try this. One question, you have the oven preheating at 400 and baking at 350; which temperature is correct?
Thanks!
Oops! Thanks for catching that Amy! I changed it, it’s 400. Thanks for letting me know! You will have to let me know how it turns out!