Cook tri-tip to medium-rare for the perfect amount of doneness
Image Credit: phant/iStock/GettyImages A tri-tip roast hasn’t always been known as a tri-tip roast. This cut of beef is part of the loin butt, but at some point, clever butchers in Southern California starting marketing it as “tri-tip” because it’s a triangle-shaped muscle, according to Iowa State University.
Advertisement
It's locally famous in Santa Maria, California, as the star of Santa Maria-style barbecue, and is often cooked on the grill; however, tri-tip in the oven is also decadent and delicious. A tri-tip roast should be cooked in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes to reach medium doneness.
Video of the Day
Read more: 10 Steak Recipes That Any Carnivore Will Love
Advertisement
Buying a Tri-Tip Roast
Bad news: It might be harder than you expect to find a tri-tip roast in the local grocery store unless you live in Southern California. Sometimes, the roast is sold as a Santa Maria Steak or, when cut into individual pieces, as Newport Steak. They aren’t incredibly common because there are only two tri-tips per cow. If you can’t find a tri-tip roast in the meat case, it’s worthwhile to ask the store’s meat manager to order a roast for you. Try to get one that weighs at least two pounds, but bigger is better in this case so you have leftovers to make steak sandwiches, steak salads and steak tacos.
Advertisement
Try a Tri-Tip Rub
Before you put the tri-tip in the oven, try a tri-tip rub with herbs and spices. This will impart a significant amount of flavor to the beef, as well as create a crust over the meat when it’s roasted. Play around with herbs and spices to figure out what combination of flavors taste good to you. Some options to start with include:
Sweet and Smoky: Olive oil, brown sugar, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder Sweet and Spicy: Vegetable oil, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, minced garlic, kosher salt Spicy Chipotle: Dried chipotle chiles, pink peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dark brown sugar, kosher salt, mustard powder Espresso: Finely ground espresso coffee, brown sugar, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
Advertisement
Tri-Tip Roast Recipes
Making tri-tip steak recipes in the oven makes perfect sense during the winter months or during rain when you don’t want to go outside to heat up the grill. A tri-tip roast is low in fat, so don’t cook it too long — the beef is prone to drying out.
Advertisement
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the tri-tip roast in a shallow roasting pan.
Advertisement
Step 2: Roast the Meat
Roast the tri-tip in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until an oven-going meat thermometer reaches at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit — the minimum safe temperature for steak, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Although you might like your meat on the rarer side, consuming undercooked meats increases your chances of food poisoning, according to Mayo Clinic.
Advertisement
Step 3: Tent With Foil
Take the tri-tip roast out of the oven, tent it with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Slice It Up
Slice the roast against the grain of the meat. This means you look at the direction the muscle fibers are running and cut it perpendicular to that direction. On a tri-tip roast, the direction might change in the middle of the roast, so carve it as two separate pieces. Read more: How to Cook a Tender Steak on the Stove
Advertisement
Using Tri-Tip Roast
Tri-tip roast can be served with a side of potatoes and roasted vegetables for an excellent, well-rounded meal. However, if you have leftovers, there are a number of other ways you can use sliced tri-tip roast:
Add the leftovers to tortillas and top with cilantro, pico de gallo and sour cream for steak tacos. Add soy sauce and sesame oil for Asian-style steak wraps. Layer slices on top of lettuce with sliced cherry tomatoes, raw onions and blue cheese for a steak salad. Stuff it between a bun with peppers and cheese for a makeshift cheesesteak.
Advertisement
Advertisement
references
Iowa State University: "Tips for Tri-Tip"
Mayo Clinic: "Food Poisoning"
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures"
references
Iowa State University: "Tips for Tri-Tip"
Mayo Clinic: "Food Poisoning"
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures"
Cook tri-tip to medium-rare for the perfect amount of doneness
Image Credit: phant/iStock/GettyImages
Image Credit: phant/iStock/GettyImages
Iowa State University: "Tips for Tri-Tip"
Mayo Clinic: "Food Poisoning"
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Complete List of Cooking Temperatures"
