463604 Sun Nov 25 16:49:22 -0800 2007 37 31 Home Cooking 0 3153838 A year ago, it seemed like tri-tip was the big topic around here, and I could *never* find it in my local markets. Now that I've moved, I can finally find it, but my searches here are fruitless! (the search engine returns "try" instead of "tri," so it's frustrating.) Please advise on your favorite recipes/marinades and best ways of cooking. I had good results one time, but have been less than impressed the last two times, but I'm blundering my way through it. Many thanks! Sun Nov 25 16:49:22 -0800 2007 12983 miss_mia 1 3153887 try london broil as a search. I usually either marinate in soy, lime, garlic and grill or make italian beefs in the crock pot. Every once in awhile for kicks I slow cook in the oven with *GASP* campbells cream of mush with roasted garlic mixed with wine...red, white, whatever. Its very forgiving. Sun Nov 25 17:08:39 -0800 2007 3153838 70200 chelleyd01 1 3153900 What you will probably find is the "santa maria tri-tip". Some sort of marinade that I tried once. So called "barbeque" from California. As if. I hate the stuff. What I do is roast the tri-tip at extremely high temperatures to medium rare. Salt, pepper, maybe some garlic, and then let it rest, slice and enjoy. Great flavor, and if sliced against the grain, pretty tender. You'll like it. Good luck! Sun Nov 25 17:13:54 -0800 2007 3153838 58961 dhedges53 2 3154410 ****for the record,dhedges53, Santa Maria Style Barbeque takes its history from the Mission/California Rancho period of history (1700's to late 1800's) when gatherings at the far-flung ranchos meant cooking wholesides of beef over an open fire for dozens of guests. Enclosed smoking boxes did not exist. Current day SMSBBQ was developed in the 1920's in Santa Maria, California by members of a local men's club, using WHOLE TOP BLOCKS skewered over iron rods and suspended above a pit of native hardwood oak coals. Seasonings were only salt and pepper. Nowdays onion and garlic salt are sometimes added. Tri tip use in SMSBBQ started in Santa Maria as an innovation of a local meat cutter at Williams Brothers Market, probably during the 40's. It has since supplanted top block as the meat of choice because it is smaller, easier to handle, and is a rich and delicious though fatty cut of beef. Tri tip needs to be either cooked whole, low and slow in a covered kettle, or fast over a hot bed of coals. It can be cut into "steaks" for faster cooking (sometimes called coulotte steaks in out-of-area restaurants) Tri tip takes well to dry rubs and to wet marinades, but goopy glazes or wet Southern style mop sauces do it no justice. Soy-based garlic and ginger flavored is my favorite wet marinade. As with most meats, it should be cut across the grain, slightly on the diagonal. AND, If you like tri tip, ask your meat cutter to order some Baja Steaks (cut from the shoulder.) These are much leaner, though smaller, with a richer flavor than even tri tip. Grill in the same manner as tri-tip. Sun Nov 25 21:48:16 -0800 2007 3153900 11234 toodie jane 3 3156724 Here's a typical santa maria marinade recipe that I've seen: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup finely diced red onion 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup steak sauce 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1-1/2 teaspoon ground coffee 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Of course there are many variations. From the viewpoint of a Texas barbeque afficianado, who grew up with a variety of southern barbeque, I like my brisket and ribs rubbed and smoked without ketchup, steak sauce, chicken broth or fresh parsley and, of course, without barbeque sauce, and my steak (which, for me, is exactly what a tri-tip is), grilled and eaten without distorting the wonderful beef flavor the tri-tip imparts, with so-called steak sauce. I've eaten the Santa Maria tri-tip a few times, and once again, for me, sadly I didn't like it. I guess I've grown up with a different view of barbeque and beef from Texas, KC, Memphis, and North Carolina But, I understand that there are a lot of people in California and elswhere who love it. I think I can understand that. Mon Nov 26 16:05:42 -0800 2007 3154410 58961 dhedges53 4 3156830 traditional santa maria bbq has no ketchum anywhere near it. What you posted may taste great, and might be common in places, but it's no more common or typical to california than anywhere else. You'd probably like it a whole lot more the way it was/is done normally, as it sounds like you like the flavor of tri tip (who wouldn't!). tri tip is great. It doesn't need much doctoring up. It's a very flavorful cut of beef. Most important thing is to not treat it like low and slow Q. it's lean and needs to be cooked hot and to just medium rare (or whatever you like for your steak). Then slice it very thin, across the grain on a bias. The flavorful is tremendous. It's a grilled piece of meat, not a long slow smoked one. Brisket is amazing too. Just different. Like steak and brisket. Or pork chops and pulled pork. Different cuts, both great when done well, etc. Mon Nov 26 16:47:03 -0800 2007 3156724 11120 adamclyde 5 3157014 When I see it done in parking lots up north on that BBQ grill with the adjustable grate, it looks like it is being done fairly slowy, so I am confused. I agree that the seasoning is minimal in order to just let the beef shine through. Mon Nov 26 17:53:29 -0800 2007 3156830 17682 torty 6 3157997 sorry... I wasn't clear was I? :) What I meant was that tri tip isn't cooked past well done to extreme tenderness like traditional southern barbecue (brisket/pulled pork). It's not that cut of meat. It's best cooked to medium rare. at home, where you don't have really good adjustable grates, I've found it better to sear then move to the cool side to replicate the big adjustable grills. The final product is really similar, I've found. Tue Nov 27 07:09:16 -0800 2007 3157014 11120 adamclyde 7 3158334 Exactly right, we have tri-tip often. And like you say, the traditional marinade is not made with ketchup. steak sauce or fresh herbs. Anyway,not the traditional. There are some seasonings that are pretty closely held, but the one recipe with vinegar & oil, garlic, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper is the closest to the taste. We make it that way, and sometime spice it up. We found since that cut can be really thick in the large end it's best to spit the meat up, then slice it horizontially for a perfect medium rare. Otherwise you can get a black and blue (really blue). Always cut across the grain, and if done right it's just perfect for a BBQs dinner or sandwiches and later on used in a salad. Tue Nov 27 09:04:51 -0800 2007 3157997 50431 chef chicklet 4 3161298 You can cook a tri tip any way your little heart desires, but.... There is no marinade for true Santa Maria Style Barbeque. Salt. Pepper. Garlic salt. Direct grilling over Red (Quercus agrifolia) oak coals. Period. No mopping sauce, just a fresh tomato salsa served on the side with beans, green salad and grilled bread. a nice video here: http://www.santamaria.com/visit/section_visitor/barbecue_video.html Enjoy! Wed Nov 28 08:02:58 -0800 2007 3156724 11234 toodie jane 5 3161339 What about the red wine vinegar and olive oil basting? Which i think might be a spin off, a bit like a carne asada but not marinated? Wed Nov 28 08:14:30 -0800 2007 3161298 50431 chef chicklet 6 3161473 Sorry, but not a tradition with "official" SSBBQ. No basting. The flavors sound like it might be good, though. I love a good garlic/oo/vinegar marinade on sirloin. I dab it dry before grilling, as I don't like the way an oil baste makes the fire flare. Got some baja steak defrosting, I'll try that. Wed Nov 28 08:48:22 -0800 2007 3161339 11234 toodie jane 5 3161574 So, it is just a grilled steak. Then I have to say, calling a grilled steak, "Santa Maria Barbeque", barbeque, is a misnomer. Wed Nov 28 09:14:28 -0800 2007 3161298 58961 dhedges53 6 3163888 dhedges53: Flogging regional BBQ dogma is outside the realm of the op's request. My comments have been made to clarify misperceptions voiced in reponses here about SMSBBQ. Wed Nov 28 20:18:50 -0800 2007 3161574 11234 toodie jane 7 3163943 I'm glad we agree. So-called "Santa Maria" barbeque is simply a grilled steak. That is, if you have "oak briquettes", which are available to anyone. Personally, I love tri-tip, especially the way you have described it. Thanks!!!!!!! Wed Nov 28 20:43:05 -0800 2007 3163888 58961 dhedges53 8 3163957 except that tri tip isn't steak... Wed Nov 28 20:48:00 -0800 2007 3163943 11120 adamclyde 9 3164702 I believe it is an either/or situation, using steak and roast as a description. Look at this: http://www.askthemeatman.com/tri-tip.htm Has cooking tips, also. Thu Nov 29 07:47:53 -0800 2007 3163957 80937 danhole 9 3165617 Sure it is. A tri-tip is taken from the bottom of the sirloin. Check this out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip Thu Nov 29 11:50:56 -0800 2007 3163957 58961 dhedges53 10 3165726 folks, tri tip is a roast. it can be cut into steaks, yes, but it's a roast. Both links specify that clearly. A roast that can be cut into steaks. but all of that is independent of the manner of cooking. Not that any of the semantics really matter though, as all of us agree it tastes great when done well. I'm hungry now, actually, so I think I'll pick some up today... Thu Nov 29 12:18:05 -0800 2007 3165617 11120 adamclyde 11 3167283 I haven't eaten many sirloin roasts, but I have eaten several sirloin steaks, in my time. It is a 1 to 2 lb. piece of beef (described as a "Santa Maria Tri-Tip steak"), according to the link that I have just posted. If you cut a salmon steak in half, you have 2 salmon steaks cut from one salmon steak, not 2 salmon steaks cut from a salmon roast. If the tri-tip is a "roast", then the 1 1/2" Porterhouse that I ate the other day, which was pretty much the same size as a tri-tip, was a Porterhouse roast. Not to get in a pissing contest over "names", but I call it a steak. You, and anyone else here, are free to call it anything you want. All I know is that it has a beef flavor that is hard to find, anymore. Fri Nov 30 00:29:37 -0800 2007 3165726 58961 dhedges53 12 3168193 I believe the term roast is used because it is referring to the whole tri-tip muscle, not a strip cut from the muscle. A tri tip steak would be what restaurants offer as a "culottle steak"--a strip of tri-tip cut against the grain off the whole roast (or muscle) before cooking. Interesting to note the linked Wikipedia entry shows the roast improperly cut WITH the grain, instead of across it. This is a good lesson for the OP--the roast should be sliced across the grain--easily done by cutting across the point opposite the longest side. After properly rested, of course, to avoid the puddle of juice on the cutting board. Fri Nov 30 10:14:24 -0800 2007 3167283 11234 toodie jane 13 3169359 Amazing. I don't know what the picture shows, but this is what it says, just below the picture: "After cooking, the meat is sliced across the grain before serving." I remember a cooking show on Saturday Night Live, with Phil Hartman, that reminds me of this message string. Does anyone remember what that show was called? Because it certainly applies here. Fri Nov 30 16:02:02 -0800 2007 3168193 58961 dhedges53 8 3165018 dh I have attempted only to define for historic purposes that which is called SMSBBQ. Thu Nov 29 09:07:57 -0800 2007 3163943 11234 toodie jane 1 3154882 To paraphrase a great LA Times recipe, chop up about 12 cloves of garlic, mix with a good amount of salt and pepper, bind with olive oil and rub all over the tri tip. Let it sit while the grill heats up (around 30 minutes to an hour is all it really needs). Grill it quite hot to get a great sear on both sides. Then move it to the cooler side of the grill until the internal temperature reaches about 130-ish for medium. Depending on how large and thick the tri-tip is, it will only take around 20-30 minutes max. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain on a bias. Serve with tortillas and salsa, or with grilled garlic bread and pinto beans. Extremely simple and extremely tasty... Mon Nov 26 07:52:57 -0800 2007 3153838 11120 adamclyde 1 3155714 Here are some good recipes for Tri-tip that can give you an idea on how to cook it. I oven roast mine to med. rare, slice thin and serve with au jus. http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/recipe_results.asp Mon Nov 26 11:37:46 -0800 2007 3153838 80937 danhole 1 3159615 The marinades here all sound good. I would advise grilling it, searing each side over direct heat for 5 minutes per side, then moving to indirect heat until 115-120 degrees internal temperature. (Tri-tip really needs to be no more than medium rare at the most to deliver any kind of flavor, it's just the nature of the cut.) Make sure to let it rest for at least 10 minutes after removing it from the heat. And also be sure to slice perpindicular to the grain. Cooked too well-done, not allowing the meat to rest or slicing parallel to the grain will all guarantee a less than spectacular meal. Tue Nov 27 15:15:50 -0800 2007 3153838 13900 kevine 1 3160197 My FIL seasons it heavily, then throws it into a blazing-hot grill pan with the range hood sucking at full blast, and proceeds to ignore it except to turn it now and then and poke at it periodically. When he likes how it pokes he turns everything off and calls for someone to carve. It's always delicious. After contemplating just what kind of meat it really is, I got one and braised it. Utterly delicious. Told Pops about it, and I thought he was going to hit me. "You POT-ROASTED TRI-TIP??" he bellowed, and stalked off into the other room. A month or so later I read that the fabled Tafelspitz, the most prized cut of the three used in the classic Viennese boiled beef, is in fact tri-tip... Tue Nov 27 18:34:23 -0800 2007 3153838 11478 Will Owen 1 3160616 I hunted all over online for recipes for Santa Maria-style tri tip and the traditional accompaniments. I wound up assembling and combining recipes from several sources for a spice rub, a basting sauce, a salsa and side dish of pinquito beans. This menu has become one of our summertime standards. http://www.casagordita.com/tritip.htm Tue Nov 27 21:58:20 -0800 2007 3153838 27327 MsMaryMc 2 3161225 what is really nice instead of adding the rosemary to the meat, is to tie branches of rosemary together and use it as the basting brush. You will get the rosemary, because some leaves will fall - just a great basting brush anyway. Went to Portugese families BBQ, the older gentlemen who are the ones that man the BBQ pit, did this with the Vino' Dhos (totally spelling that wrong I know) but anyway so we tried it with the Tri tip, since it calls for it in most Santa Maria tri-tip. Best recipe we have tried... Wed Nov 28 07:37:39 -0800 2007 3160616 50431 chef chicklet 1 3163973 Do you have to BBQ ? I have never cooked tri-tip on BBQ. I always roast in the oven. I marinate meat in mixture of red wine, chopped garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce,cayenne, balsamic vinegar + seafood grill spice mix( salt & other spices mixture). I would leave them is fridge up to 2 days. seafood spice mix sound weired, but It add great flavor. Wed Nov 28 20:56:24 -0800 2007 3153838 143837 ymushi 2 3164708 Actually I have never grilled a tri-tip, myself. Like you, I oven roast! What do you mean by seafood spice mix? Is that like for a crab boil, or something else? (Can you sense I don't eat much seafood ;-) LOL) Thu Nov 29 07:49:55 -0800 2007 3163973 80937 danhole 3 3166906 seafood grill spice mix (actually 'grill rub' ) from farmer brothers. yes, It is spice mix. name said 'sea food' but actually great with meat. I use it for vinaigrette too. I don't know about other company's stuff. but this one I use is very useful. Thu Nov 29 19:30:51 -0800 2007 3164708 143837 ymushi 2 3165168 I'm with you on the oven roasting. I usually place in a hotel pan along with shallots and large dice portobello mushrooms to soak up any juice that is released from the meat. Add a few crumbles of gorgonzola when it's done...delicious. Thu Nov 29 09:48:49 -0800 2007 3163973 67548 azhotdish 1 3165022 Here's a teriyaki marinade that is delicious when used with beef. I originally started using it 30 years ago on flank steak. Now I use it occasionally on tri tip, and it is a crowd pleaser: 1/2 cup soy sauce vinegar and heated honey to your taste (try for a balance) 2 T chopped fresh garlic 2 T chopped fresh ginger root 2 T chopped green onion Place meat ( We remove the fat cap from tri tip first because we don't like the flavor imparted from flareups)and marinade in a zipper bag, excluding air. Marinate a whole tri tip for several hours to overnight, or 1- 1/2" steaks for 20 minutes. Grill over coals or briquettes till med rare for best flavor. I haven't cooked this in the oven, but I think it would be best done in a very hot--400 to 450 degree--oven. Pat dry before placing in roasting pan and turn once. Cook to about 130 and let sit for 20 min before carving for med rare. Please let us know what your experiences are! Thu Nov 29 09:09:07 -0800 2007 3153838 11234 toodie jane 1 3165421 found this while reading the current thread on toaster oven cuisine: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/298176#1647859 Thu Nov 29 10:57:22 -0800 2007 3153838 11234 toodie jane 1 3169401 Hey miss_mia, Cooking tri-tip is easy and delicious marinated and roasted. There are two really great recipes on chow. One marinated in hoisin and ginger http://www.chow.com/recipes/10775 and one in harissa http://www.chow.com/recipes/10774 Fri Nov 30 16:17:55 -0800 2007 3153838 48651 kramos 1 5145490 Santa Maria Tri-Tip... As someone who has the misfortune to actually LIVE in Santa Maria, let me tell you... come the weekend all sorts of portable BBQs pop up everywhere selling Tri-Tip.... Guess the Santa Marians take their Tri-Tip seriously. Still trying to figure out what they do so special that they get their own "style" cause since its all quick BBQ-ed its all usually tough. Back home we stuck the thing in a smoker for about 8 hours and it FELL apart. Sat Oct 31 13:50:35 -0700 2009 3153838 1120685 Lizzyness 2 5146193 Coast Live Oak coals from logs is the ticket for Santa Maria Style. Best cooked at 300 degrees or under. Tender. Juicy. Sublime. Sat Oct 31 23:10:18 -0700 2009 5145490 11234 toodie jane