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! Or make it in the summer with these Santa Maria Pinquito Beans! Originally posted November 9, 2018.
Table of Contents
- Beef Tri Tip Steak
- Is Tri Tip Roast the Same as Tri Tip Steak?
- This Tri Tip Recipe (oven or grill) is dynamite!
- What you’ll need for this Tri Tip Recipe
- How to cook Tri Tip
- Do You Cook a Tri Tip Fat Side Up or Down?
- How to cut Tri Tip
- How to serve Tri Tip Steak
- Beef Tri Tip storage
- Tri Tip Steak Recipe FAQs
- More holiday dinner ideas!
- More steak recipes from blog friends!
- More Amazing Recipes
- Tri Tip (2 Ways) Recipe
Beef Tri Tip Steak
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 grab a new broom. 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. Instead let’s get down to business: It’s tri tip time. Are you ready??
What is tri tip?
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.
Is Tri Tip Roast the Same as Tri Tip Steak?
I guess, technically, what I call “tri tip” could be called tri tip roast, meaning that the cut of meat is all together. A tri tip steak is an individual slice of tri tip roast—but don’t you dare cut your tri tip into strips before cooking so it has the fancy word “steak” in it! Just say no!! After you’ve grilled or baked your tri tip, you’ll be slicing it. If you want to call those slices “tri tip steak,” knock yourself out. But I’m Californian. So, to me, the meat is simply “tri tip” before and after cooking, and before and after cutting.
(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.
This Tri Tip Recipe (oven or grill) is dynamite!
Is tri tip a thing where you are from?? If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out! Today I will show you how to cook tri tip on the grill (which is the best way to do it) or in the oven.
Although I grew up eating tri tip at every holiday meal, we actually never made it ourselves. There is a locally famous butcher shop and deli in Manteca, my hometown. It’s called Fagundes Meats. 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.)
What you’ll need for this Tri Tip Recipe
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- Tri tip roast, 2 ½ pounds (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, aka subprimal cut)
- Garlic salt
- Seasoning salt
- Sugar
- Garlic powder
- Parsley (dried or fresh)
- Olive oil
How to cook Tri Tip
Here’s a simple overview of what to do and what to watch out for. (Step-by-step instructions given in recipe below.)
- Prepare the marinade by combining all the spices: garlic salt, seasoning salt, kosher salt, pepper, sugar, garlic powder, and parsley.
- If you are grilling, trim the fat cap from the roast.
- If you are oven roasting, leave the fat cap on.
- Rub the spice mixture over the roast with your hands. Place in a large ziplock bag with 1/4 cup olive oil and seal the bag. Massage the oil into the meat.
- Marinate in the fridge, 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.
- Preheat your grill to high heat.
- 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 and lower the other side of the grill to low heat. We are cooking it over INDIRECT heat.
- Grill without opening the lid for about 20-25 minutes, or about 10-15 minutes per pound. Rare is when the center of the roast reaches 135 degrees F. Medium rare is 145 degrees F.
- 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 tips below for how to slice a tri tip.)
How to Cook Tri Tip in Oven
- Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook it.
- 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 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it 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.
- Tri Tip Temp: How long to cook tri tip in oven: Rare is when the center of the roast is 130-135 degrees F. Medium rare is 135-145 degrees F. Don’t cook it past 145; the meat doesn’t have enough fat for medium well or well. 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 tips below for how to slice a tri tip.)
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.
I’ve provided both of these methods for cooking tri tip because I know not everyone has a grill, but I have to tell you that they are not equal. Tri tip is MADE for grilling, and it just tastes better than oven roasting. You are going to get an amazingly tender tri tip either way,, 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.
Do You Cook a Tri Tip Fat Side Up or Down?
The tri tip in the photos is trimmed, meaning the fatty layers surrounding it have already been removed by the butcher. If your cut of meat is untrimmed on one or both sides, here’s what I recommend:
For grilling: I prefer trimming so there are no fatty layers before cooking. Use a very sharp knife and pull the fat up, away from the meat, as you trim.
For oven baking: Make sure to trim so that at least one side has no fatty layer. Place the meat in the oven fat-side up for baking. The fatty juices will keep your meat moist and tender!
Once the meat is cooked, pull the fat away from the meat. It will separate fairly easily. Use a sharp knife to complete the separation. Do this before you slice up the meat for serving.
How to cut Tri Tip
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:
How to serve Tri Tip Steak
When I was growing up, my family always ate tri tip at Christmas dinner. We served it with all the traditional sides: mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, rolls, and so on.
When I grew up and started cooking I learned about Santa Maria Pinquito Beans, the traditional side for tri tip. They’re smoky, sweet, and sooooo good.
However, the way tri tip is usually eaten in California is as a sandwich. You can buy soft rolls of any kind (kaiser, hoagie, ciabatta, whatever you like), then add the tri tip, mayo, BBQ sauce, and grilled onions. HEAVEN.
You could also put tri tip in tacos. Warm corn tortillas, pico de gallo, maybe some sliced avocado?? You really can’t go wrong here.
If you’re making tri tip for your summer BBQ, of course you know I’m going to recommend the Santa Maria pinquito beans. But any BBQ side is a great pairing! Think Jiffy Corn Casserole, Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad, Classic Deviled Eggs, or Macaroni Salad. Plus, don’t miss out on the best dessert for a cookout: Pig Pickin Cake (Sunshine Cake). It’s a yellow cake with mandarin oranges baked right into it, then layered with pineapple whipped cream!
Beef Tri Tip storage
Like steak, tri tip is best the same day it was cooked. However, you can store it, tightly covered in the fridge, for up to 5 days. It’s better to leave whatever portion you won’t eat on day 1 unsliced–it helps keep it from drying out. Then just wrap it in tin foil (two layers is best) and heat it in the oven at about 250 for around 30 minutes. Slice after heating. Of course, if you only have sliced tri tip, you can totally heat it the same way–it might just be a little drier.
Tri Tip Steak Recipe FAQs
No one wants chewy tri tip, so don’t let it happen to you!
The biggest keys to tender tri tip are to:
1. Massage the oil into the meat. Don’t skip this part! You can tenderize your roast now with oil and a free massage, or tenderize it later via chewing.
2. Marinate. 8 hours is ideal. 3 days is great too (but not longer!) If you only have an hour or even 15 minutes, guess what, you’re still going to get a great roast–as long as you massage the oil into the meat! However, the longer you marinate, the more flavor and tenderness there will be.
3. Remove meat from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before cooking, so that it starts cooking at room temperature.
4. Use a meat thermometer! Don’t overcook! Remember, the temperature climbs for about 5 minutes after the meat is off the grill. Take the tri tip off the heat once it reaches 135 degrees for a medium rare tri tip, or 5 degrees below your preferred doneness.
Follow the slicing instructions! Much of the toughness of a slice of meat comes from cutting it incorrectly. Follow the slicing instructions above.
Definitely don’t wrap your tri tip in foil for grilling, let’s just put that out there right now. You want those crispy, smokey edges. If you’re a big foil-fan, I’m begging you. At least take the foil off for the last minutes of cooking!
For baking in the oven, the baking time in this recipe is designed for having no foil. If however, toward the end of the baking time, the internal temperature is lower than 135 degrees, but the meat is already getting crispy and black, protect against overcooking by folding aluminum foil into a tent shape and placing it over the tri tip.
Nope! Tri tip and brisket are totally different cuts. Brisket is a huge cut of meat (minimum 8 pounds, up to 20 or more) and it’s fattier. Tri tip is a leaner cut and usually weighs 2-6 pounds.
No, tri tip is actually a less expensive cut than other options, like ribeye. I mean it’s not ground beef, but it’s also NOT ground beef. It’s a tender, juicy, delectable steak and it’s an excellent value for the amazing steak experience you’re going to have.
Tri tip is sometimes also called a “California cut” or a “triangle roast.” It can also be called a Newport steak, a Santa Maria steak or even referred to as a “poor man’s brisket” (I object, this is anything but a “poor” experience!). If your butcher isn’t sure what you mean, you can ask for the bottom sirloin butt, aka subprimal cut.
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! UPDATE JULY 2020: I finally tried the traditional Santa Maria side dish that goes along with tri tip: Santa Maria Pinquito Beans. They are SO good and the perfect summer compliment to tri tip! Try it out! I’m obsessed:
P.S. If you are into grilling, I recently posted all about How to Cook Flank Steak. Check it out!
P.P.S. New update (June 2020)! I recently mastered How to Cook Ribeye Steak! You’re going to love it!
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
More Amazing Recipes
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Tri Tip (2 Ways)
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 pound tri tip roast
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
- 1 & 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). Try this tri tip with it’s traditional side dish, Santa Maria Pinquito Beans!
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 130-135 degrees F. Medium rare is 135-145 degrees F. Don’t cook it past 145; the meat doesn’t have enough fat for medium well or well. 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). Try this tri tip with it’s traditional side dish, Santa Maria Pinquito Beans!
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.
I made this for my family’s Christmas dinner. My husband usually cooks, so it was my time to shine. The kids were saying, “ aww no, not roast beef again”, which is my go-to meal and a childhood favorite. I found this marinade last minute and only had the beef marinating for about three hours.
Into the oven it went, and 45 minutes later the most Beautiful smells were coming from my kitchen. It was cooked to perfection and my husband said that was it, I could do the cooking from now on. I dissuaded him from that thought in a hurry but agreed that this would now become a family favorite from now on.
Haha! I’m glad you haven’t been roped into being the full time cook! But so glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for reviewing!
I tried the Tri-Tip (grilled or oven-roasted) recipe. I did not have a roast but two small pieces of tri-tip about 5 – 6 inches long that seemed a little marbled. I found that leaving the meat out for 30 minutes to warm up was not enough time. It took quite a long time to cook and I took it out when the thermometer reached 145 degrees. When sliced, it looked beautiful. Done around the edges but pink in the middle. The problem was that it was hard to chew. It didn’t look like there was any gristle in the meat but it “chewed” like there was. We were disappointed. We only ate part of the smallest piece and decided to cut the other one in thin slices and cook it longer in gravy to see if that would help. The flavor of the meat was very good, though. And the sear was good – nice and crisp. I bought the meat at a Safeway store, not having a local butcher shop in our small town. We had just had a filet mignon from there a week before – two small pieces – that were so tender, they could have been cut with a fork. Probably the best I’ve ever had. But, I guess all meat is not comparable. I would like to try this recipe again to see if the result is better.
Hi Sonja! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out. Next time I would recommend cooking it for less time, if it was too tough for you. Go for 135 or 140 degrees, keeping in mind that the temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees after you remove it from the grill. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the grafic of where to cut. The best explanation I’ve ever seen.
Oh good Mary, so happy to hear that!
Fagundes Meats is famous up and down the San Joaquin Valley. My Dad would always stop when in Manteca for work and bring home (Lodi where I grew up) a special beef protein to have for dinner in a day or two.
I make my own rub as well, but rely on two packed spices: Pappy’s Seasoning’s from Fresno, and Montreal Steak seasoning available at Costco. I’ll mix 1 cup Pappy’s & 1cup Montreal with 1 tbsp of each Garlic Salt and Paprika. I’ll mix in big bowl and then transfer back into the big 29oz Pappy’s & Montreal shaker bottles.
I fire up my gas grill to 450* and sear both sides, about 4-5 minutes each side. Then I lower the temp to 375* using the two outside burners. I’ll check the temp with a digital thermometer after 15 minutes, flip the meat, and check again in about 10 minutes. I’ll cook to 145*, let rest 10-15 as I grill the garlic bread and veggies. Slick about 1/4″, fan slices out of a platter and serve.
Hey Scott! I’m going to have to try to get my hands on some Pappy’s to try your seasoning combo! It sounds delicious. And that’s so cool that you have Fagundes memories too! It’s such a great place. Good ol central California food!
Only had time to marinate for a half hour. Used my metal cookie cooling racks and watched with my meat thermometer to 140. They were perfect and delicious! The flavor was better than the store-bought marinade!
That’s awesome Suzanne! Good to know that even a short marinade will give good results! Thanks for commenting!
When you put the tri tip in the oven, do you cover it? Does it matter if you use a glass or metal pan?
Hi Michele! No, don’t cover it. And the instructions specify to use a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top. Not sure if you could fit a cooling rack in a glass dish?
Yes, I realized that after I read again. We made this over the weekend and it came out so juicy!!!! Thanks for recipe!!!!!
So happy to hear that Michele! Glad you liked it!
Too salty. Kinda gross
Bought a pre-marinated tri-tip at Stater Bros. – following your cooking instructions, it was great. I made a clear(ish) gravy from the drippings. This morning, I thickened the gravy and served my husband biscuits and gravy … he was one happy camper last night and again this morning! Today’s lunch, tri-tip sandwiches. Yum!
Genius! I’ve seen tri tip marinated at the store but haven’t ever bought one. Huge time saver! Also, tri tip biscuits and gravy?? YES PLEASE. I’m coming to your house for lunch hope that’s okay thanks ;)
OMG sister! …i generally never read the commentary that goes along with a recipe when I “Google” it…but today I did, and i could not believe it!…someone from the Central Valley of California!
I was born and raised in Turlock, CA. We are dairy farmers born and bred! If you ask me, I would tell you that the “Central Valley” consists of only 5 counties: Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin, Fresno, & Tulare, but in all actuality it consists of 19 counties. I just love the fact that California is the primary producer for most commodities that feed the Nation, and the world, in most parts!
I recently visited friends in Illinois, that i hadn’t seen since they moved from Turlock, CA 23 years ago, and i was bragging about my boyfriend, who has “Tri-tip Sunday”, every week! He says he works hard all week long, and he deserves to have BBQ’d Tri-tip, (even if we are on a Top Ramen budget)! So, I dont argue, because he is the BBQ King!
But my friends interrupted me and said, “what is Tri-tip”? And I said, “you don’t know what Tri-tip is? You came from the Central Valley, and you don’t know what I’m talking about”?…Nope! They call that cut of meat something different in that part of the country! And it’s really not too popular either. Crazy! They don’t know what they are missing!
I love your recipe for the oven cooked Tri-tip, (as I am not a BBQ Queen)! Lol!
My boyfriend keeps it pretty simple with the seasoning, but what he swears by, is Kingsford Mesquite charcoals, (the regular kind, not match lite), and the small round Weber BBQ. He says that the heat distribution is just perfect, and the mesquite charcoals is what tops off the flavor! We like ours rare, but we do compromise (just a little), with medium rare, when we have company over.
Just thought I’d share! I think I love some of your other recipes, and look forward to trying them!
Hi Lisa! Yes it’s so funny how some people outside of California have never heard of tri tip, although I do think it has been gaining popularity in recent years! My grandpa was also a dairy farmer, and later an almond grower. California sure is a powerhouse for agriculture :) Tri Tip Sunday sounds like a fabulous idea!! We do Cookie Sunday at our house, but maybe we should up the ante! Thanks for sharing all your mesquite charcoal tips, it sounds amazing!
Thank you so much for sharing your talents! I followed your instructions and my first TriTip oven roasted steak came out “perfect”! God bless you!!!
Woohoo! I’m so glad you had tri tip success Marie! Thanks for commenting!
Made this recipe on a smaller tri tip section in the oven in michigan on new years day, im going to make the grilled recipe this weekend after i assemble my new grill. It was amazing the first time, the seasoning portions had me concerned to start as i like my steaks with very little seasoning, but i was impressed, and look forward to a full size roast on the grill this weekend. Thank you
I’m so glad you were pleased with the seasonings Steve! That’s great. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you! I followed your suggestions and recipe, the Tri Tip was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Tammi! Thank you for reviewing!
Wow! That’s all I can say about this meat. I’ve never tried tri-tip thinking it was hard to do or would be tough, but using the grill method outlined resulted in a tasty, tender, and juicy roast. I served it with french fries and salad, Now it is being requested again as soon as possible.
Thank you for the great information on how to prepare it properly.
That’s awesome Rob! I’m glad it was a success. Love the idea of fries and and salad to go with it. Thanks for the serving suggestion and for leaving a review!
Our family LOVES Fagundes too!!! Luckily for us we live just south of Manteca, so someone can ran over and pick it up! And…they sell their meat seasoning now, 😀
You are so lucky!! Enjoy all that delicious tri tip!
Delicious! So moist and tender! I made mine in the oven. Directions were fantastic!
So happy to hear that Dawn! Good directions is a big compliment for me :) Thanks for reviewing! You’re awesome.
Excited to try in the oven we also bought ours from the butchers in Manteca wow what a small country lol now in WA one of my favorite cuts of meat 😃
Small country indeed Sharlon! That’s awesome!
JACKPOT! It was so, so yummy! And juicy. I cut it up and ended up with juice everywhere and still more in the meat. (I’ll know to use a cutting board that will catch all this flavorful juice.)
I did mine in the oven–as a safety measure for me–but I might actually try the grill next time.
I also substituted sea salt for the kosher salt since I didn’t want to run to the store, and I don’t think it hurt it a bit.
Thanks for giving a recipe which did not take overnight marinating, and had ingredients easily found at home. It’s so nice not to make something my family actually likes!
I am so impressed not only with the recipe, but with the instructions on how to make it. It was so delicious, a complete winner for my family, from a Mom who usually does not get high marks in cooking, frying or grilling meat of any kind.
Thank you for the much needed pictures as well–I couldn’t have done it without those detailed instructions. It makes me want to enter the kitchen again. Win-win.
YAY! I’m so glad the recipe was such a success for you Leslie! I’m so happy that the pictures and details were helpful too. I will be honest, I don’t consider myself a magician when it comes to grilling either, but this one is so easy that it’s really easy to impress people with it ;) Thank you so much for your detailed review Leslie! Comments like this help food bloggers out so much :)