You may not have heard about Tri Tip before but once you try this recipe you will not be able to forget about it. This well marbled cut of meat is very popular in California and using a Santa Maria style rub on it really helps to enhance the flavor.
Tri tip has been described as the brisket of California. It is very popular in that state but much less known outside of there. I had to go talk to the butcher in the meat department of my grocery store or go to a butcher shop to get this cut of meat up in Maine. The Tri Tip is a triangular shaped muscle from the bottom sirloin. Although it does have some good marbling it is a leaner cut of meat so we will want to cook it low and slow and be sure to cut against the grain when we carve it up. The rub I like to use has a nice peppery garlicky taste to it and is inspired by the style of barbeque popular in Santa Maria, California
Cooking Basics
This recipe is very simple to make. You will first combine all of the ingredients for the rub together. There should not be any trimming needed on the Tri Tip as there is no fat cap. The only exception would be if you see some silver skin you want to get rid of. Next you will apply a light coating of olive oil to help the rub stick. Once this is done we will apply the rub fairly generously all over the Tri Tip. This is all the prep work neccisary. We are now ready to fire up the pit.
You will want to set your grill or smoker to 225 and cook with indirect heat. You will throw the Tri Tip on and allow it to slowly come up in temperature. The Tri Tip will cook this way until it reaches an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees. This will normally take around an hour give or take a little depending on the size and thickness of the Tri Tip you bought.
Once it reaches the internal temperature of about 120 degrees the Tri Tip is close to being done but you still need to get a nice sear on the outside to finish it off. I used a smoker for the first part of this cook. If you are using a smoker you can either open up your sear plate and crank up the heat to about 350 degrees or if you have a grill you can move the Tri Tip over to this to finish. If you are using a grill to cook low and slow you will just want to crank up the heat and move the Tri Tip over direct heat to finish it. Flip the Tri Tip after a couple minutes to make sure both sides get seared before the it is done. It wont take long at this point for it to finish coming up to temperature. The Tri Tip is done when it gets to how well done you like your steaks. Some people can tell by feel when steaks are done, but for those of us who can’t, it is really nice to have a good instant read thermometer to help. I always go by internal temperature to know when to pull steaks off. You can find this information easily online but I will show a chart below in the recipe to help out.
Once the Tri Tip has reached the level of doneness you like take it off and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. If you need to wait a little longer for other things ot get done you can simple tent it in aluminum foil and let it rest until you are ready to eat. When carving remember to cut against the grain. The Tri Tip can be a little tricky as well because the grain changes. Slice horitonzally up the long end of the triangle on the Tri Tip and when you get close to the middle point turn it 90 degrees and slice horizontally up the other end.
Final Thoughts
- I really liked the flavor of the Tri Tip. Similar to steak with just a little different texture
- Make sure to cut against the grain when carving. that makes a big difference to how tender it is to eat.
- I used the Santa Maria style rub in this recipe but if the flavor does not sound like something you like just use yrou favorite steak seasoning. I have made it this way as well and it turned out great.
- It is definatley a little harder to find in stores but it seems to be slowly gaining in popularity. Just recently I saw one of these in a local grocery store all packaged and ready to go without having to talk to someone to get it specially cut.
Recipe
Recipe Information
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour
- Rest Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
- Servings: 4
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 lb Tri Tip
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Santa Maria Rub
- 2 Tsp salt
- 2 Tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 Tsp paprika
- 1 Tsp onion powder
- 1 Tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 Tsp dried sage
- 1 Tsp oregano
Instructions
- Prepare Rub by combining all spices in a bowl
- Preheat your smoker or grill to 225 degrees (if smoking oak or hickory are good choices)
- Remove Tri Tip from package and pat dry with a paper towel
- Apply oil to all sides of the meat and then apply the seasoning to all sides of the meat as well
- Put Tri Tip over indirect heat and allow to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees (usually takes around an hour)
- Remove Tri Tip from indirect heat and bring grill / smoker up to 350 degrees. If using a smoker open the sear plate
- Place Tri Tip over direct heat for 2 minutes and then flip
- Cook steak until it gets to level of doneness you like your steaks using chart below if going by internal temperature
- Remove Tri Tip from grill and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!
Cooking Chart for Steaks
- Rare - 120 - 130 degrees
- Medium Rare - 130 - 135 degrees
- Medium - 135 - 145 degrees
- Medium Well - 145 - 155 degrees
- Well Done - 155 and above