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Today I’ll let you in on a California secret: Grilled Tri-Tip. It’s part steak, part roast, and 100% delicious. This little-known cut of beef is the star of Santa Maria barbecues and is sure to impress at yours.
Because this cut isn’t always the easiest to find outside of California, it pays to have a good butcher who can cut one for you. Beyond a doubt they’ll be impressed that you’re asking, and maybe even a little jealous that they’re not invited to dinner.
In my opinion, the tri-tip steak is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s tender, juicy, super flavorful, and any leftovers can be sliced up into sandwiches or tacos the next day.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Tri-Tip: The tri-tip is a small, boneless, triangular cut from the sirloin. It usually weighs about 1 1/2-2 pounds. It resembles a thick, slightly lopsided boomerang that is laced throughout with just the right amount of marbled fat. Even though it’s a lean cut, the marbling contributes to its flavor and tenderness.
Step-by-step instructions
- In the bottom of a zipper-top plastic bag, add oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Pat the tri-tip dry with paper towels and score the fat layer with a sharp knife (cut through the fat but not meat).
- Add steak to the bag with paste and turn to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grate. Grill tri-tip over direct heat, turning occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and charred.
- Move tri-tip to indirect heat and continue cooking to desired doneness temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes longer: 120 degrees for rare, 130 degrees for medium rare, 140 degrees for medium, 150 degrees for medium well, and 160 degrees for well done.
- Transfer tri-tip to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Grilled Tri-Tip recipe makes enough to generously feed 6 adults with five to seven slices of smoked beef.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pack sliced, cooled tri-tip into freezer-safe bags. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Santa Maria Barbecue: Fill out your menu with all the classic sides including a fresh Garden Salad, Garlic Bread, and beans (pinquito beans are traditional, but Baked Beans or Calico Beans will work too; just add a bottle of hot sauce on the side).
Recipe FAQs
Like most celebrities, the famous tri-tip has many nicknames: triangle tip, triangle steak, triangle roast, bottom sirloin steak, just to name a few. In the West, it’s often called Santa Maria steak, because this meaty, delicious roast plays a starring role in California regional food, especially Santa Maria barbecue. Out East, however, it’s known as a Newport steak. No matter what its name, it’s a fabulous cut that’s worth searching out.
If you’ve never had it, it’s California cuisine at its best! First, the tri-tip is covered with a dry rub and cooked over a fire made of red oak wood. Then it’s served up in juicy, medium rare slices with pinquito beans, a green salad, garlic bread, and salsa. At last, crusty bread is used to soak up the drippings.
While all of these cuts are delicious, they have their differences. A tri-tip is part of the sirloin, near the bottom by the hip. However, a brisket is a giant cut, ranging in size from 12-20 pounds, from the breast area. Most people know it and love it, but it’s an enormous cut with a looser grain and much more marbling. In contrast, flank steak comes from the lower abdomen. Although it’s very lean it isn’t as tender as tri-tip, so it benefits from marinating and shouldn’t be overcooked.
While resting it not only brings up the temperature, it also allows the juices to be absorbed back into the meat so they don’t spill out onto the cutting board.
When carving, the trick is to carve the tri-tip against the grain, which can change directions in this cut. To solve this, I recommend slicing the roast in two at the place where the fibers change direction, then carve each piece separately.
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Grilled Tri-Tip
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 pounds tri-tip roast (see note 1)
Instructions
- In the bottom of a zipper-top plastic bag, add oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper.
- Pat the tri-tip dry with paper towels and score the fat layer with a sharp knife (cut through the fat but not meat).
- Add steak to the bag with paste and turn to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
- Preheat grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grate. Grill tri-tip over direct heat, turning occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and charred.
- Move tri-tip to indirect heat and continue cooking to desired doneness temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes longer: 120 to 125 degrees F for rare, 130 to 135 degrees F for medium rare, 140 to 145 degrees F for medium, 150 degrees F for medium well, and 160 degrees F for well done.
- Transfer tri-tip to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Tri-Tip: The tri-tip is a small, boneless, triangular cut from the sirloin. It usually weighs about 1 1/2-2 pounds. It resembles a thick, slightly lopsided boomerang that is laced throughout with just the right amount of marbled fat. Even though it’s a lean cut, the marbling contributes to its flavor and tenderness.
- Yield: This Grilled Tri-Tip recipe makes enough to generously feed 6 adults with five to seven slices of smoked beef.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pack sliced, cooled tri-tip into freezer-safe bags. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This recipe was spot on! The marinade and cooking instructions made this one of my favorites!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jim! Thank you! – Meggan
This dish turns out great! I just made it for the 2nd time last night for company and everyone loved it.I followed the recipe exactly. It was tender, juicy and delicious.
I’m so glad it was a hit, John! Take care! – Meggan