Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram 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. 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?? 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. 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.) 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. 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. 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: 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! 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!
