Marinated Tri-Tip Roast Recipe
April 2nd, 2008

Marinated Tri-Tip Roast Recipe
Spring is in the air and its time to dust off that grill! And what better way to break it in than with a good piece of red meat – an all-time favorite among our friends is tri-tip. This is primarily due to the fact that Seaside Market sells a particularly delicious burgundy marinaded version at nearly $9 per pound. For that reason we thought why not marinate it ourselves considering we can pick it up at on sale for under $2 per pound.
Tri-tip is a small boneless triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin, usually weighing in at about 2 ½ pounds. This cut of meat has a full beefy flavor, low fat content, and is relatively inexpensive. When buying tri-tip, look for a cut that has been been well trimmed but not overly so. You want a little extra fat around the outside so that it will self-baste while cooking. Give this recipe a shot and I guarantee that it will become one of your favorites as well, assuming you don’t overcook it that is ;)
Formula for Tri-Tip Steak Marinade
1-1½ ~ 2½ lbs (675 to 1,150g) tri-tip beef roast
1 large onion, chopped
¼ cup melted clarified butter (very easy to make but I buy Ghee by Purity Farms )
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup A-1 type steak sauce (Yes, there is room for A-1, but its NOT on steak!)
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup dry red wine Chianti
Procedure for Tri-Tip Marinade
1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
2. Add marinade and tri-tip to a zip top bag, being sure to remove as much air as possible. Or, if you have a fancy vacuum sealing apparatus, this is the time to whip it out. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, flipping the bag at least once during that time. The longer the better, I usually let it sit for 3 days minimum. To better incorporate flavors, massage the tri-tip through the bag twice a day.
At this point you can also throw your meat in the freezer for later use. I always buy couple roasts while on sale. You will need full 24 hours to defrost in the refrigerator.
Procedure for Grilling Tri-Tip Roast
1. Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Oak, mesquite, or hickory, really this is your preference. Take this time to warm up your grill. If you are using a charcoal grill you will want to build the fire on one side only, so you can later cook with indirect heat on the other. If you are using a gas grill, turn to high (half of the burners only).
2. Once your grill is preheated place the tri-tip (fat-side up) above the fuel side of the grill. Roast each side for 4-5 minutes to create a sear. Drain wood chips while you are searing off the roast.
3. After searing*, add the wood chips atop of the fire (if you are using a gas grill you will want to contain the chips in a foil packet poked with small holes). Move roast to the non-heated side of the grill, close lid and open vent slightly, continue cooking 12-15 minutes (or 130 degrees) for medium-rare. If you have a thermometer I encourage you to use it. While the roast is cooking, place marinade in a saucepan and heat over low heat, uncovered and reduce the liquid create reduction sauce.
*Once the steak is seared you can also finish in the oven.
4. Remove roast and tent with foil, let rest at least 15 minutes to allow the delicious juice to settle back into the roast. Slice thin across grain (not into 3 separate steaks – you know who you are) and serve with marinade reduction.
Do you have any stories or tri-tip recipes you would like to share? Leave a comment below.
Don’t forget to sign up to receive other grilling tips.
If you like red meat, you should also try the Slow-Roasted Beef Recipe.
Thanks for visiting!




April 7th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I am really digging this site, nice photos and excellent instructions!
April 7th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Jamie! Thank you for your kind words. Have you tried any recipes yet? Let us know if there is anything in particular you would like to see in the future.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:44 am
[...] you like red meat, check out the Marinated Tri-Tip Roast Recipe. Thanks for [...]
April 8th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
forget the beef, i want recipes with beer (or maybe some tuna)!
April 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Well maybe WTF Brewery needs to do some guest posting on our site!
April 8th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
[...] A fellow blogger wrote a fantastic post today on “Marinated Tri-Tip Roast Recipe”Here’s ONLY a quick extractMarinated Tri-Tip Roast Recipe Spring is in the air and its time to dust off that grill! And what better way to break it in than with a good piece of red meat – an all-time favorite among our friends is tri-tip. … [...]
April 9th, 2008 at 11:51 am
It seems in the past for me anyways that leaving site for 15 minutes = cold meat. Any suggestions?
April 10th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Mike, we recommend that you make a “tent” with an aluminum foil and loosely cover the meat. Also prior to cooking the meat, try to bring the meat back to room temperatures before throwing it on the grill. Let us know how this works for you.
All – Thanks for reading WB and posting feedback. We appreciate it!
April 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for letting the secret out homie!! yUMMM!
April 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
yup, Ricky the secret is out :) Treat your friends and family to some TTT (tasty tri-tip) this weekend.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I made this last night and I wanted to thank you! We all enjoyed it so much.. My friends want me to make it next weekend too!
Rob
Random Thoughts
June 6th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Great stuff! Is this the actual marinade from seaside market? Did you get it from the guys/gals behind the counter? I’m gonna give it a shot this weekend. Thank you.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Love the blog and info. I just grilled some tri tip with and served with grilled corn and black olive aioli. Come take a look when you have a chance.
Thanks,
Joe
http://cookingquest.wordpress.com
July 7th, 2008 at 11:29 am
@Joe Horn
Thanks for stopping by the website. I checked out your black olive aioli tri tip recipe. I am a big fan of Tri-tip , your recipe will be added to our to-do list of all recipes we want to try out. I have a feeling the first tri tip sale that I see, we will try. Keep you posted. Thank you for sharing.
March 11th, 2009 at 2:46 am
Commenting usually isnt my thing, but ive spent an hour on the site, so thanks for the info
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:17 am
Where do you find tri-tip for 2 dollars a pound I will buy 500 pounds
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Great recipe. I usually only make 1/2 the recipe for a single 2 1/2 pound roast and it ends up being plenty.
I add a bit of heavy cream to the sauce after I boil and reduce it a bit, which makes a really good cream sauce.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Just returned from a weekend of camping at Cardiff and our camp site neighbors introduced me to this stuff! I’m totally making this it this weeking for my Chula Vista friends…. thanks, will be checking out the rest of the site soon.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Speaking of Cardiff, did you get to try Bull Taco located inside the San Elijo campgrounds? When I think of concession stand food, things like boiled hotdogs, cheap hamburgers, greasy fries, pale chicken fingers, popcorn, etc. You would never know it, but this place has amazing food! Duck torta, shrimp curry tacos, foe gras tacos are some of my favorite things served at this outdoor café with a million dollar view.