We love to barbeque at our house! Some of our other favorite recipes are my Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Grilled Ribeye Steak, Sriracha Mayo Marinated Lamb Chops, and Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs! This isn’t the first recipe I’ve shared extolling the merits of good barbecue, and it won’t be the last. Americans love their BBQ! But each state does it a little differently, often because of the influence of available ingredients or the backgrounds of the people living there. And while I’m a HUGE fan of southern food and classic southern bbq, I’ve gotta say that they don’t have a corner on the barbecue market. At least not where tri-tip is concerned. And if you haven’t heard of tri-tip, chances are you haven’t spent enough time in California, where it is hugely popular. When you say barbecue in many parts of California, you are talking tri-tip, not brisket, ribs, or pulled pork. To me, Santa Maria-style tri-tip barbecue is all about gathering family and friends together and eating al fresco, something that we do a lot of here in California. Our church does a big event every summer in late July and the tri-tip is always the main part of the event. It’s perfect for holidays like the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc. Basically, any time you might consider grilling. We love making it for Sunday dinner. Traditionally, tri-tip is cooked over huge open grills and served with the traditional sides of pinquito beans, salad, and garlic bread. But it’s just as easy to make at home on your own grill.
But first, What is Tri-Tip?
A tri-tip roast (also known as the triangle cut or triangle steak) comes from the bottom sirloin and is called tri tip because of the three different points on the ends of the crescent-shaped cut of beef. It has big beefy flavor, and is a very lean cut of meat. Most tri-tip roasts typically weigh between 1.5 to 3 pounds, although you can find some that are even a little larger than this. Tri-tip is easy to find in any grocery store or butcher shop on the West Coast, but I’ve heard that in other parts of the country you might need to ask your butcher to keep it whole for you rather than cutting it into steaks. The grain of the tri-tip goes in two different directions, which is important to know because you need to slice the meat against the grain after it is cooked to a perfect medium-rare in order to get the most tender bites. Unlike other roasts that you cook low-and-slow to break down connective tissues (I’m looking at you beef brisket), Santa Maria-style tri-tip barbecue cooks fast over an open flame until medium-rare. Traditionally, it’s cooked over red oak, which is plentiful around the Santa Maria area of California, but this tri-tip is still delicious even if all you have is a gas grill. Tri-tip leftovers make the most delicious salads and sandwiches, so I always try to make sure we have enough for extra. It’s easy to scale up and make more than one tri-tip depending on the size of the group you are planning to feed, but one tri-tip typically feeds our family of 4 for 2-3 meals depending on how we use the leftovers. I’m not the biggest salad eater, but tri-tip salad is the best! I could eat it every day! Santa Maria-style tri-tip is served as-is, without any barbecue sauce, unlike most Southern-style barbecue. For even more info about tri-tip, this article from amazingribs.com is very thorough and describes it as “poor man’s prime rib”.
Brief History of Santa Maria Tri-Tip
I found two different origin stories for “authentic” Santa Maria tri-tip and couldn’t figure out which is actually true, so I’ll share them both here. In one, the story is that a California butcher in the 1950’s named Bob Schutz had too much ground beef and stew meat, so he took the bottom sirloin (what we now call the tri-tip cut) typically used for chopping or grinding and roasted it on a rotisserie. Allegedly, he was the one who started calling this cut of meat tri-tip and the rest is history. The other story is that the Mexican cowboys and workers in the Santa Maria region would get the less desirable parts of the cattle, including the bottom sirloin, and they were the ones who figured out how to grill it quickly and slice it thin against the grain for tender, juicy bites of perfectly seasoned meat. Regardless, whoever came up with this method for cooking this particular cut of meat was a genius because it is so incredibly delicious and never fails to satisfy guests.
How to Carve Grilled Tri-Tip
Like I mentioned earlier, slicing the tri-tip is a big part of what makes this meat so tender and delicious. Since the grain runs two ways, if you sliced the entire tri-tip roast in the same direction, half of the meat would be tough to chew. So here’s how you do it so that every bite is tender and wonderful:
Santa Maria Tri Tip Rub Ingredients
2-3 pounds of tri tip Roast– Look for one with good marbling and some fat on one side. Kosher Salt – Kosher salt is better for grilling because the salt clings better to the surface of the meat and will eventually melt into the meat a bit and break down some of the tougher parts of meat. Freshly Ground Pepper Garlic Powder Paprika Onion Powder Cayenne Pepper
How to Grill Tri Tip
What is the optimal temperature for cooking Tri Tip?
Everybody has their own preference on how well done they like their meat. I love a Medium-Rare tri tip with the ends being slightly more cooked and the middle a perfect pink. Also, the temperature of the meat will continue to rise by about 5°F while resting. A general rule for temps for tri tip is Medium-Rare : 130°F and Medium: 140°F and Medium-Well: 150°F.
How long to grill Tri Tip
I know it can be a little overwhelming cooking meat on the grill for the first time (you don’t want to ruin it!) but really if you use that digital thermometer and keep an eye on it and then let it rest, it is going to be so good! It should only take about 20-30 minutes for the tri-tip to reach 130°F on an instant read digital meat thermometer (affiliate link). But depending on the size of your tri tip it could take longer or shorter. Just keep checking it with the thermometer to get the best results.
How to Cook Tri Tip
How to Cook Tri-Tip in the Oven
I really prefer to grill tri-tip, but if the weather is terrible or you don’t have a grill, you certainly can cook tri-tip in the oven. Just heat a cast iron skillet or heavy duty, oven safe pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and sear the tri-tip with the fat side down for 2-3 minutes, then flip it over and transfer the pan, tri-tip roast and all, to a preheated, 425°F oven to cook for about 10-15 minutes per pound of meat until it reaches 130°F on an instant read meat thermometer. Then let it rest and carve as described above!
What to serve alongside BBQ Tri Tip
Oh man you could serve so much! Corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, green salad, pinto beans, garlic bread, pasta salad, roasted veggies like oven roasted broccoli or asparagus, potato salad, are good options!
Tips for Storing and Reheating leftover Tri Tip BBQ
USDA recommends eating cooked beef within 3 to 4 days. Keep the tri-tip in an airtight container in the fridge. When reheating, you can microwave it or the preferred method is reheating in the oven. Wrap the meat in tin foil and place in a baking dish or a sheet pan and cook low and slow in the oven set at 200 to 250°F until it’s warmed through. Anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on how much tri-tip you are reheating.
More “Must Try” Tri-Tip Recipes
Tri-Tip with Chimichurri Brazilian Smoked Tri-Tip on a Traeger Sweet & Spicy Grilled Tri-Tip Garlic Rosemary Tri-Tip Roast Spice Rubbed Grilled Tri-Tip
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