In the Midwest this cut of beef is not often seen, so when it appeared at the local butcher, I snapped it up. Mine is a lovely prime cut of beef and doesn't have much fat to trim, but others I've seen at the grocery meat counter sometimes do. So you'll want to trim any excess fat before marinating. As always look for meat that is nicely marbled.
This triangular cut of beef consists of one singular muscle. Jack's Corsican Room in Long Beach, California was known to serve it as far back as 1955. Desert Provisions in Palm Springs was selling it as "tri tip" as early as 1964. The late Jack Ubaldi of Manhattan’s Florence Prime Meat Market claims to have received bottom sirloins in the late 1940’s and pulled out a muscle that he called the triangle. He started cutting what he dubbed Newport steaks from this piece and these became popular in the Big Apple. These days the triangle or tri tip is predominantly a West Coast phenomenon but seen much less in the rest of the country.
The classic California tri tip is prepared with a garlic paste of minced garlic, oil and salt. You combine these and after pricking the meat all over with a fork, then rub in the garlic paste. Using this method you wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours, wiping off the paste before grilling.
Tri tip is called aiguillette baronne in France and is left whole as a roast, which I think is best as well. It is used throughout all of South America, where they know their beef and how to prepare it. You can do this inside by searing it in a very hot pan and then transferring to a 400F degree oven to finish cooking to medium-rare or medium (about 20-30 minutes, check temperature with a meat thermometer). It can also be prepared sous vide and then finished on the grill which I think is best. I like sous vide for this cut because of the irregular shape and its tendency to overcook at the smaller thin ends. Sous video avoids this problem. However it's also quick to roast directly on the grill, so I do it that way as well. I've given you my instructions for both methods below.
Tri tip is called aiguillette baronne in France and is left whole as a roast, which I think is best as well. It is used throughout all of South America, where they know their beef and how to prepare it. You can do this inside by searing it in a very hot pan and then transferring to a 400F degree oven to finish cooking to medium-rare or medium (about 20-30 minutes, check temperature with a meat thermometer). It can also be prepared sous vide and then finished on the grill which I think is best. I like sous vide for this cut because of the irregular shape and its tendency to overcook at the smaller thin ends. Sous video avoids this problem. However it's also quick to roast directly on the grill, so I do it that way as well. I've given you my instructions for both methods below.
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| Santa Maria Salsa |
In California the roasted tri tip is traditionally served with Santa Maria salsa and barbecued beans. The salsa is a tomato mixture (above) and I've given you the recipe for that below. For the beans, they use a special type of bean not available here in the Midwest so I typically make baked beans that are not overly sweet and have a little kick by adding a small chopped jalapeno and a dash of cider vinegar.
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 – 2+ pound beef tri tip roast
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
3/4 cup whiskey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 grinds coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 stalks of fresh rosemary or cilantro
Instructions
Trim the roast of any excess fat leaving only a small amount. Place the tri tip in a large zip locked bag.
Whisk the remaining ingredients except the fresh rosemary/cilantro and pour over tri tip. Place the fresh rosemary/cilantro on both sides of the meat. Place in refrigerator for 48-72 hours Turn periodically during marination (at least 4 times) to ensure good coverage. Ideally the tri tip is marinated for 2-3 full days before cooking.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let rest for about an hour before proceeding.
SOUS VIDE METHOD: Set up your sous vide equipment and heat the water to 130-135F degrees for medium-rare. Remove most of the marinade from the bag leaving a 1/8 - 1/4 cup on the meat. Remove air and seal the bag. Place the tri tip in the hot water bath and cook for 6 hours. Remove from bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Using an instant read thermometer, confirm temperature at center is 130F degrees. Heat grill on high, oil grates and char on all sides about 5 minutes in all. Let rest on a platter tented with foil for about 10-15 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise to about 135F degrees, which is ideal for this cut of meat.
GAS GRILL METHOD: Remove from marinade and discard the liquid. Pat the tri tip dry with a paper towel. Oil the grill grates and heat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Sear the roast quickly on all sides, then reduce grill heat to medium on one side and turn off burners on the other side. Move tri tip to the cooler side of the grill insuring it is not over a fire (indirect heat.) Close lid and let roast for 10-15 minutes (grill temperature should be around 350-375F degrees with lid closed). Turn the tri tip over and grill for another 10-15 minutes and check temperature. Internal temperature reading at the center of the meat should be 125-130F degrees. When target temperature is reached, let rest on a cutting board tented with foil for about 10-15 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise about 5F degrees as it rests. Ideal final temperature after resting will be 135F which is medium-rare or up to 145F for medium.
CARVING: A tri tip is a little tricky to carve as the grain sometimes runs in different directions at each end of the meat. If this is the case for your cut, then you must cut the roast in half where the grain changes direction and then cut across the grain slicing the meat on the bias (slanted cut). The below video nicely explains the carving process.
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeño chiles (medium), chopped fine
1 onion, red (small), chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup juice from two limes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1. Place tomatoes in strainer set over bowl and sprinkle with salt; drain for 30 minutes. Discard liquid. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.
2. Add drained tomatoes to jalapeno mixture and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. (Salsa can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 – 2+ pound beef tri tip roast
1 cup brewed coffee, room temperature
3/4 cup whiskey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 grinds coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 stalks of fresh rosemary or cilantro
Instructions
Trim the roast of any excess fat leaving only a small amount. Place the tri tip in a large zip locked bag.
Whisk the remaining ingredients except the fresh rosemary/cilantro and pour over tri tip. Place the fresh rosemary/cilantro on both sides of the meat. Place in refrigerator for 48-72 hours Turn periodically during marination (at least 4 times) to ensure good coverage. Ideally the tri tip is marinated for 2-3 full days before cooking.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let rest for about an hour before proceeding.
SOUS VIDE METHOD: Set up your sous vide equipment and heat the water to 130-135F degrees for medium-rare. Remove most of the marinade from the bag leaving a 1/8 - 1/4 cup on the meat. Remove air and seal the bag. Place the tri tip in the hot water bath and cook for 6 hours. Remove from bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Using an instant read thermometer, confirm temperature at center is 130F degrees. Heat grill on high, oil grates and char on all sides about 5 minutes in all. Let rest on a platter tented with foil for about 10-15 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise to about 135F degrees, which is ideal for this cut of meat.
GAS GRILL METHOD: Remove from marinade and discard the liquid. Pat the tri tip dry with a paper towel. Oil the grill grates and heat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Sear the roast quickly on all sides, then reduce grill heat to medium on one side and turn off burners on the other side. Move tri tip to the cooler side of the grill insuring it is not over a fire (indirect heat.) Close lid and let roast for 10-15 minutes (grill temperature should be around 350-375F degrees with lid closed). Turn the tri tip over and grill for another 10-15 minutes and check temperature. Internal temperature reading at the center of the meat should be 125-130F degrees. When target temperature is reached, let rest on a cutting board tented with foil for about 10-15 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise about 5F degrees as it rests. Ideal final temperature after resting will be 135F which is medium-rare or up to 145F for medium.
CARVING: A tri tip is a little tricky to carve as the grain sometimes runs in different directions at each end of the meat. If this is the case for your cut, then you must cut the roast in half where the grain changes direction and then cut across the grain slicing the meat on the bias (slanted cut). The below video nicely explains the carving process.
Santa Maria Salsa
(from Cook's Illustrated)2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeño chiles (medium), chopped fine
1 onion, red (small), chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup juice from two limes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1. Place tomatoes in strainer set over bowl and sprinkle with salt; drain for 30 minutes. Discard liquid. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.
2. Add drained tomatoes to jalapeno mixture and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. (Salsa can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
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