Thread by @IReadAboutStuff

Best tri-tip recipe you'll ever try -- a thread.

Note, this does require a water bath, so if you do not have a sous-vide device, you may want to move on.

I’ve stolen various parts of this process from many places, and I’ve added a few ideas of my own. It’s a bit high maintenance, but you end up with tri-tip that is as tender as a ribeye steak (and nice and medium-rare).

Ideally you want a 3.5-5 lb. tri-tip, untrimmed. Have them remove the tough silver skin. If there is any dangling or leathery insoluble fat, you can also remove that, but you want a full fat cap and as much fat as possible intact.

Cover the entire thing with a generous layer of kosher salt, including the fat cap. If you have the time, place on a wire rack and let it dry brine uncovered in a refrigerator for 24-hours to allow the salt to penetrate on the muscle side.

This extra dry brine adds to liquid retention of the meat. Bag and place in the water bath at 129° for 9-11 hours. When done, place in an ice bath to completely chill through (to prevent overcooking when finishing). You can also refrigerate overnight.

When you open the bags, there will be a fair bit of liquid (more if you do not fully dry brine) – retain that liquid.

You will want to pass the liquid through a fine mesh strainer (otherwise there will be unsightly little clumps in it), and you will keep this liquid on the side to heat up and pour over the final sliced meat at serving time.

Once you have the cooked and chilled meat, you will then trim any fat you do not plan on serving on the meat. I have found that leaving a thin layer of the fat cap on leads to nice results, and it leaves some crisp edible fat once it is seared.

If you have people who are unwilling to eat any fat with their steak, you can remove the whole fat cap. The basic rule of thumb is leave on any fat you’re willing to serve/eat. Re-salt any newly exposed surfaces (fat or meat).

Sprinkle the entire trimmed tri-tip with a liberal coat of both paprika and garlic powder. If sliced properly, people will only be served a small portion of the seasoned exterior, so don’t be shy with the seasoning. Then add a layer of medium-ground black pepper.

Finally, apply a light application of dark brown sugar (about ¼ of the paprika or garlic application). I have also experimented with adding cayenne and/or cumin (about ½ of the paprika or garlic application) - I like the cayenne more than the cumin, but my kids don't.

I’ve also added dried parsley at this step, but I’ve stopped doing that because the torch tends to cause some of it to create unsightly ash, and adding fresh at the end looks and tastes great.

Have a grill or smoker up to 225°, with direct heat under only half of the grill. If you don’t have a smoker, place about 6-8 oz. of hardwood pellets in a vented foil pouch directly over the heat.

Once you have the smoke ready, put the chilled, trimmed, and seasoned meat on the cool half of the grill, with the thickest pieces closest to the heat side, and close the lid. Check your internal temps after about 20 minutes.

Using your searing torch, torch both sides to a nice char. Depending on thickness, you may then want to leave on the grill a bit longer.

Your goal should be to get the meat back up to an internal temperature of 120° - 129°. Make sure you do not leave it on at that temp too long if you want it to stay medium-rare.

Once you remove, make sure you slice against the grain (tricky because of the muscle shape). I do thicker cuts when serving as a tri-tip meal – thinner if doing sandwiches. Place sliced meat in a shallow dish or on a cutting board with deep juice grooves.

Pour over the reheated retained liquid from the bags. Sprinkle the entire thing with finely chopped parsley. Sometimes I will also sprinkle the exposed sliced meat with a bit of finishing salt, depending on how things are tasting.

This is an amazing fresh “salsa” recipe that really tastes good with the meat (although, having relatives in Santa Maria, I would dispute whether it is actually a traditional Santa Maria recipe).
seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/0…

Traditional sides include smoky baked beans, potato salad or pilaf, and toasted French garlic bread. I also like to roast poblano and jalapeño peppers on the side, and serve with elotes (although that’s not as traditional).

This meat also makes killer steak sandwiches on a toasted Kaiser or ciabatta roll, with a good spoonful of creamy coleslaw (and BBQ sauce, if inclined – but I think it masks the meat flavor).

Finally, one of my favorite breakfasts is to cover leftover meat with fried eggs and a generous portion of the salsa.

It’s worth the steps - I’ve made this for Santa Maria grill masters. While they say it’s not “traditional,” they are amazed by how tender it is. Enjoy!

In the photo of the un-sliced meat you can see the grey ash from the parsley that I now leave off the rub. In the cut meat picture, you can see the unsightly "clumps" you get if you do not strain the liquid before you pour it back on. It tastes fine, but I do not like the look.

One other tip: If you do not have a bag large enough to fit the entire tri-tip, look for the place in the meat where the grain changes directions and try to halve the piece along that line before you salt and dry brine. Generally, the grain changes about in the middle.