Grilling a Tri Tip Roast

  Sliced thin for fajitas or enjoyed by itself with a nice baked potato. The tri-tip roast holds its own as one of the most tasty and also under-appreciated cuts of beef.  The term “tri-tip” is derived from the fact that the tri-tip roast is triangular-shaped and it is the tip of the sirloin. So, if you have your cow map handy (who doesn’t?), then you know where this cut come from. Up until the 1950′s, this very lean cut of beef was typically made into ground beef. If not sliced thin against the grain, it can be quite chewy, so it was just easier to ground it up into burgers.  Our friends out in California are credited for changing all of that when the tri-tip roast itself became a local specialty in Santa Maria. They loved it so much that the tri-tip roast is still occasionally labeled the “Santa Maria Steak”

Although tri-tips soak up marinades like a sponge, I like to keep it simple most of the time and prepare a simple rub. In fact, I usually stick with the same method that made this cut so popular in Santa Maria. Tri-tips are great with  Brady's Spicy Meat Rub and then cooked slow over an indirect heat source. This simple rub allows for the taste of the tri-tip roast to shine through. It makes it so simple, a bottle of Brady's Rub and a piece of tri tip and your ready for a great meal.  

Ingredients

1 Tri-tip roast

1 Bottle of Brady's Spicy Meat Rub

Directions

1. Rub a generous amount of Brady's Spicy Meat Rub over all of the surfaces of the tri-tip.
2. Leave the rubbed-down roast on the counter at room temperature for about 45 minutes before cooking.  
3. Light your grill and prepare for indirect grilling. This means lighting one side of the grill on high, while leaving the other side unlit. If you are using a charcoal grill, pile the coals to one side of the grill.
4. Once the grill is hot and ready, place the tri-tip roast on the hot side and sear for a few minutes on each side. Our goal during the sear is to create a nice dark crust on the outside of the roast. The goal here is  to create some delicious caramelization out of the rub and surface juices of the tri-tip.
5. After you have seared all sides of the roast and have the color you like on the outside, move the tri-tip over to the cool side of the grill and then close the lid.
6. We are going to now roast the, well, roast on the cooler side of the grill, much like an oven. How long is it going to take?  The real answer is “it depends”, but a total time of 25 – 30 minutes for a smaller tri-tip is usually a good starting guess.  Each tri-tip roast and grill is different though, so you really need to use a meat thermometer to make sure the roast is cooked to perfection. To most, that means medium-rare, or around 130 degrees. We want to remove at 130 degrees, which will allow the temperature to rise about 5 degrees while we rest. If you have a remote probe thermometer, this is a perfect use for it, so that you don’t have to open the lid each time.
7. Once the tri-tip roast has reached your desired doneness, remove it from the grill and let it rest on a platter for 10 minutes.
8. Slice the roast against the grain for maximum tenderness.

There you have it, fool-proof tri-tip roast.  I’m sure once you try it for the first time, I’m betting you will wish you discovered this great cut of meat a long time ago.