This delicious Grilled Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip steak is seasoned with a simple and flavorful dry rub, then grilled until tender with a slightly charred crust. Learn how to cook tri-tip perfectly on the grill plus, the best way to keep this triangle roast juicy and tender.
✔️ Santa Maria Style Tri Tip
Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip is the way the west coast does BBQ, especially California! As much as I love the flavors of classic southern barbecue (I’m especially looking at you Texas), and I greatly enjoy favorites like pulled pork, brisket and ribs, I always go back to my absolute favorite, BBQ beef tri-tip.
A conversation about BBQ in California always means tri-tip! The famous, tender cut of beef is usually seasoned with dry spices or a simple marinade and cooked on big open grills.
BBQ Tri tip sandwiches are as famous as a plate filled with thin slices of tri tip steak served with side dishes like pinquito beans, garlic bread and a big salad.
Tri-tip means so much more than just a grilled steak. It means family gatherings, fun summers, pool parties, eating al fresco, enjoying time with friends and even office luncheons with co-workers. It’s not just bbq, it’s “the meal” that gets everyone excited.
🔎 Why Is it Called Santa Maria Tri-Tip?
BBQ tri-tip originated in California’s Central Coast. Santa Maria-style tri-tip first became popular in Santa Maria Valley, hence the name of this classic barbecued dish. Although there are a couple of stories regarding the origins of this dish, butchers used to disregard this amazing cut as something to be made into ground beef and stew meat (some butchers outside of California still do). Traditionally, a whole tri-tip roast is seasoned with common spices such as garlic powder, black pepper and salt (or a spice mix called Santa Maria rub)and then cooked over red oak wood.
🔎 What Is Tri Tip Beef?
The tri-tip cut of beef is a triangle-shaped, large piece of meat cut off the bottom sirloin. Although it’s a lean cut, it’s perfectly marbled with streaks of fat running through the meat. It has a mild beefy flavor.
It’s usually sold fairly trimmed but, sometimes it comes with a fat cap on either side of the meat and a bit of silver skin. Tri tip is also sold under the names Newport steak (when cut into steaks), California cut, Santa Maria steak, Santa Maria roast, Colita de Cuadril, Punta de Anca (Latin America), Aguillote Baronne (France), Maminha (Brazil).
🔎 Why you’ll love Tri Tip Steak
- Budget Friendly: Tri tip roast is an inexpensive cut of beef with little connective tissue and muscle fibers which makes for a tender, juicy steak.
- Feeds a Crowd: Tri tip meat feeds a lot of people which makes it not only the perfect cut to use for a delicious steak dinner but also great for family gatherings and holidays.
- Fast Cooking: Tri- tip’s cooking process is quick and easy. This triangle steak is cooked at a high temperature and is best when served medium rare. Slow and low cooking is not necessary.
✔️ Tri Tip Recipe Ingredients
Be sure to check the printable recipe card below for the ingredient’s list and their exact quantities.
- Tri Tip: Get a tri-tip steak roast that weighs about 2 pounds. A bit more or less is fine.
- Basting Liquid: Red wine vinegar, oil, fresh crushed garlic, Kosher salt or sea salt.
- Dry Rub: Garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and Kosher salt or sea salt.
🔎 How to Cook Santa Maria Tri Tip
This is just a quick review of how to make this recipe. In the printable recipe card below you can find specific instructions for cooking tri tip on a gas grill or pallet grill and in a charcoal grill.
- Mix Dry Rub: In a small mixing bowl, combine all the dry rub ingredients. Set aside.
- Season: Trim off any silver skin from the tri-tip and pat dry with paper towels. Season the tri-tip with the dry rub. Allow the meat to sit at room temperature covered, for 1 hour or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you refrigerate the meat, remove it from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before grilling so it’s not cold.
- Mix Basting Liquid: Combine the basting liquid ingredients.
- Clean and Oil The Grill Grates: This is an important step that you should never skip!
- Heat up the Grill: We create 2 zones of heat. Direct heat (that’s the hot grill part) and an indirect heat side (or cooler side).
- Grill Over Direct Heat: Grill over medium-high heat uncovered for about 5-8 minutes per side, basting both sides of the meat a few times.
- Grill Over Indirect Heat: Transfer the chicken to the cooler side of the grill. Grill covered, flipping and basting the meat with the reserved basting liquid about every 5 minutes or so. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature 120°F to 125º F for medium-rare steak or 130º to 135º F for medium.
- Rest and Serve: Place roast on a cutting board and allow it to rest, tented with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before slicing. Thinly slice against the grain and serve
🔎 How to Cook Tri Tip Steak in the Oven
Absolutely! During the colder months, you can cook tri tip in the oven:
- Set the oven temperature to 400º F.
- Season the meat then heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium high heat.
- Sear the meat on both sides and then transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature 120°F to 125º F for medium-rare steak or 130º to 135º F for medium.
- Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest, tented for 10 minutes. Carve against the grain ad serve.
🔎 How to Slice Tri Tip Steak
If you look carefully, in tri-tip the grain of the meat runs two ways perpendicular to each other and they meet somewhere around the middle of the roast.
We all know that slicing beef against the grain is a must if you want to enjoy tender and juicy steak. In the case of tri-tip, the same rule applies, the only thing you need to do is find the center point where the two different directions meet and slice the meat thinly, with the knife at a slight angle and always against the grain.
🔎 How Much Tri Tip Per Person?
When serving tri-tip as the only protein main dish, paired with a couple of side dishes, I recommend you calculate about 8 ounces (1/2 pound) per adult and 4 ounces (1/4 pound) per child. If you want to have leftovers, or you have guests with big appetites, then it’s best to calculate 12 ounces (3/4 pound) per person.
Do you keep the tri-tip roast fat cap on?
Sometimes, tri-tip is sold at the grocery store untrimmed with a thin fat cap on. Removing it is up to you. Although I prefer trimming it off, the fat cap can help keeping the meat moist because as the fat renders, it goes into the meat. The fat cap however, doesn’t add extra flavor to the steak, unlike the fat within the meat aka marbling which adds a ton of flavor.
Since tri-tip cooks quickly and there’s not time to fat to completely melt, I prefer trimming it. When I used to cater events, I always trimmed it off before grilling the meat because that was easier than cutting it off afterwards. The last thing you want to do is served fatty meat at a big event where people are actually paying you to cook a more than fabulous meal!
Check how a trim and untrimmed tri tip roast looks here.
🔪 Tri Tip Steak Recipe Tips
- Slice the steak against the grain. Check the photo above that shows you the two different ways that tri-tip fibers (or grain) run.
- Always rest the meat for at least 10 minutes before slicing it or serving it.
- If you purchase a tri-tip steak roast that still has the fat cap attached, you can trim it off or keep it on. I personally always remove it but, the fat cap can help in keeping the meat extra moist.
- Season the meat and allow it to sit at room temperature for an hour. This not only flavors the meat but also helps tenderize it.
- For best results, always check the level of doneness with an instant-read meat thermometer.
🔎 What to Serve With Santa Maria Tri Tip
So many different side dishes go well with steak. Here are a few favorites to serve with this Santa-Maria style tri-tip.
Easy Pico de Gallo
Classic Santa Maria-style Tri Tip is usually served with authentic Pico de gallo and we have the best recipe for you!
✔️ Tri Tip Steak Recipe Make Ahead and Storage
Making Ahead: You can season the beef tri-tip roast 2 days in advanced. Wrap it tightly or store it in a large storage bag in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, remove it from the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before grilling so it’s not cold.
Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheating: You can reheat tri tip in a preheated 300ºF oven. Place the meat in an oven safe container and add a few tablespoons of broth (I use chicken broth), cover with aluminum foil and reheat until the meat is warm through (about 10 minutes). The steak can also be warmed up in the microwave at 60% power in small 30-seconds intervals until warm through.
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Santa Maria Tri Tip
Ingredients
For the Basting Liquid:
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
For the Dry Rub:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Beef:
- 2 lbs beef tri-tip roast, (one tri tip of approx 2 pounds)
To Serve:
- Salsa Fresca, (optional)
- Pico de Gallo, (optional)
Instructions
Beef and Dry Rub:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the dry rub ingredients. Set aside.
- Trim off any silver skin from the roast and then, pat it dry with paper towels. Season the tri-tip with the dry rub. Rub the seasoning all over the meat to coat it well.
- Allow the meat to sit at room temperature covered, for 1 hour or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you refrigerate the meat, remove it from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before grilling so it’s not cold.
Basting Liquid:
- Combine the basting liquid ingredients in a sealable container. Cover and shake vigorously until well blended. You can also whisk all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
For a Gas or Pallet Grill
- Clean and oil the grill grates. You can brush the grates with oil or use cooking spray. Preheat an outdoor gas grill to medium-high heat (between 400 – 425ºƒ) and turn off the burners on one side of the grill to create 2 cooking zones. A direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone.
For a Charcoal Grill
- Clean and oil the grill grates. Light a chimney with enough charcoal to cover half of the grill (Fill a charcoal chimney ¾ full). When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out the coals on one side of the grill, leaving the other side empty. This creates 2-zones, a zone of direct heat and a zone for indirect heat. Set the clean and oiled cooking grate in place, cover the grill, and allow to preheat for about 5 minutes.
Instructions for all grills
- Place the tri-tip on the grill over direct heat (the side that is lit), and cook for about 5-8 minutes per side, basting both sides of the meat a few times. Next, move the meat to the cooler side of the grill and close the lid.
- Grill over indirect heat covered, flipping and basting the meat with the reserved basting liquid about every 5 minutes or so. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 120°F to 125º F for medium rare or 130º to 135º F for medium.
- Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow it to rest, tented with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before slicing. Thinly slice against the grain and serve
Notes
- Slice the steak against the grain. Check the photo above that shows you the two different ways that tri-tip fibers (or grain) run.
- Always rest the meat for at least 10 minutes before slicing it or serving it.
- If you purchase a tri-tip steak roast that still has the fat cap attached, you can trim it off or keep it on. I personally always remove it but, the fat cap can help in keeping the meat extra moist.
- Season the meat and allow it to sit at room temperature for an our. This not only flavors the meat but also helps tenderize it.
- Tri tip is best when served at medium-rare or medium.
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