Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip Steak

You may have heard of a Santa Maria Tri-Tip, which we think is one of the most amazing ways to eat steak this May, aka National Beef Month! Tri-Tip is quickly becoming one of our favorites. We hope you enjoy cooking it just as much!

Butcher’s Corner: What is a Tri-Tip Steak?

The Tri-Tip is exactly what its name implies: a triangular cut of meat located at the “tip” of the bottom sirloin.

Tri-Tip is a boneless cut and similar in shape to a boomerang when fully trimmed, and the meat is lean but contains a lot of marbling. It goes by a variety of names: Bottom Sirloin Roast or “Butt;” Triangle Roast; and others, like “Newport Steak,” “Santa Maria Steak,” and “California’s Cut” which recall the cuts deep roots in California cuisine.

Cut of beef. Butcher diagram and scheme. Cow vintage typographic vector illustration — ^{Photo by By ~ Bitter ~ via Adobe Stock}

For best results, here are a few things to keep in mind when you are purchasing this cut of beef:

First, consider the grade of meat and the marbling is important to get as much flavor as possible. Get prime when you can. You will be rewarded!
Secondly, you can purchase it from the butcher trimmed or untrimmed, but if you are new to the cut (or don’t regularly sharpen your knives!), it might be worth the few extra dollars. Butchers will also break down the larger cut into individual portions just like other steaks, which can help reduce the cooking time.
- If you plan to trim the Tri-Tip at home, use a sharp knife to cut off any ragged ends or silver skin and as much fat as possible.
Third, get some good-quality lump charcoal or wood of your choice.
Lastly, choose a grill that will allow you to raise and lower the cooking surface and better control the heat – if possible, use (or make your own!) Santa Maria-style grill. (See more below.)

As we mentioned before, Tri-Tip is technically a steak. While it is often confused with brisket due to its shape, size, and the marbling of the meat, it does not require low and slow cooking methods like braising or smoking to produce a juicy and tender steak.

How to Season a Tri-Tip Steak?

Tri-Tip Steaks are extremely versatile in terms of seasoning – and can be made with both dry and wet rubs, we prefer a simple dry rub that lets the quality of the beef take centerstage. Our dry rub contains a mix of kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and cayenne pepper for a little heat.

^{Photo by Rose Nunez Smith via Adobe Stock}

What is the Best Way to Cook Tri-Tip Steak?

When it comes to a well-marbled, 3 to 5-pound slab of meat like Tri-Tip, many meat cooks would take one look and fire up the smoker, but that would be the wrong move with this marvelous cut of beef. Cooking a Tri-Tip is not as difficult or intimidating as it seems.

The grill is the best way to make this specific cut of meat shine. You can cook a three to five-pound Tri-Tip to medium/medium rare (reaching 125-140 degrees Fahrenheit) in just 45 minutes to an hour. At first, you may be intimidated by cooking a large cut of meat like a steak, but this cut of beef produces a large amount of meat through much less intimidating cooking methods.

What is Santa Maria-style BBQ?

One of the most popular ways to prepare Tri-Tip Steak is through methods of traditional Santa Maria-style BBQ. This specific style of barbeque hails from the Santa Maria Valley in California. In Santa Maria-style barbecue, the Tri-Tip is prepared over a Red Oak fire. It’s so delicious that the preparation has become synonymous with the region since it gained popularity in the 1950s. If you are lucky enough to have a Santa Maria-style grill, which allows you to raise and lower the cooking surface to adjust the heat, it will make your life a little easier.

NOTE: You can buy this style of grill at any number of places. However, they can also be recreated with the right materials. FarmHER CEO Raquel Gottsch Koehler’s husband, Sean, fashioned his out of an old feed bunk, square tubing, sucker rod, and some expanded metal.

Tri-Tip Beef Roasts Being Cooked at an Outdoor Festival Charred with Smoke Wafting from the Grill
By Gary Peplow — ^{Photo by Gary Peplow via Adobe Stock}

A homemade Santa Maria-style grill made with found objects — ^{Photo by Sean Koehler}

Will This Tri-Tip Recipe Still Work Without a Santa Maria-Style Grill?

Yes! Whatever grill you have will work if you take care to regulate the temperature (moving the meat to the hot or cold side of the grill when needed) and use an instant-read thermometer to regularly check the internal temperature of the meet in the center of the thickest part of the cut. Also, knowing that the thinner, smaller “tip” will cook faster than the other end of the meat.

What’s the Right Way to Slice a Tri-Tip Steak?

Even if you’ve perfectly cooked your Tri-Tip Steak, the meat can still become tough and chewy if sliced incorrectly. Doing so can be tricky if you aren’t paying attention because the cut has two distinct grain patterns.

NOTE: If you are planning to have leftovers, as this recipe highly suggests, reserve a portion of the steak whole. Wait to slice it after reheating so that it retains more natural juices nicely and does not overcook during the reheating process.

To keep your Tri-Tip Steak tender and juicy, do these three things when slicing the meat:

Allow it to rest properly. Typically, that should be at least 5-10 minutes but it may require a longer resting time depending on the thickness and weight of the meat. (While you wait, make sure to sharpen your knife!)
First, cut the steak in halves where the two grains intersect.
Reposition each portion of the steak on the cutting board and then slice each against the grain.