How to BBQ Tri-Tip

If you are a steak lover then tri-tip is a pretty good value pound for pound up against T-bone or a new york and when cooked succesfully every bit as good in this beef eaters opinion. So a little history from a native So Cal point of view: 30 years ago I had never heard of tri-tip steak and I didnt see it on the meat counters, that is until I moved to Santa Maria on the central coast. Tri-tip was in every meat counter in Santa Barbara County! I didnt buy any at 1st because it was funny looking, roast-like and had a useless layer of fat on one side. There were a couple of big BBQ trailors that cooked/sold the stuff every Saturday but I didnt go for that right away either until one day a fellow employee said he was going over to get tri-tip sandwiches and did I want one? So I forked over $2.50 and to this day I dont remember ever being so excited over a sandwich! The taste was fantastic, the meat was rare the way I love it and it melted in your mouth! I was hooked. now I do have a thing about getting "hooked" on stuff but thats another story....

So as I got to talking with old timers about this wonderful "Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip" I learned that it was a cut a local butcher had come up with from meat that was normally considered waiste and used for hamburger, now I cant verify that. the folks who were running the big BBQ pits liked it because it was cheap and they liked to use "Susie Q's Santa Maria Style seasoning". And there you have it, 30 years later I have seen the "tri-tip" cut everywhere from San Diego to Phoenix to Iowa city Iowa.

What to Look For

That "useless layer of fat" aint so useless! If I see that somone has trimmed that off I dont buy it. Experience has taught me that trimming that off reduces the juiciness and tenderness of your steak significantly. so do look for that heavy (1/2" thick or so) layer of fat on one side. A good piece of tri-tip should be shaped sort of like California (a little dog leg) and be well marbled with fat and the grain should run cross ways not end to end (end to end comes out tuff!). I do recomend looking for the "Susie Q's Santa Maria Style Seasoning" and it can be hard to find, I usually pick up a bunch when I'm up in Santa Maria but for yews (pun intended) who cant find it it is basically a seasoned salt base with garlic parsley and pepper. the proportions of course is theyre secret but we all know it aint rocket science.

Some Basic Success Secrets

Before you throw that puppy on the grill massage it real well with whatever your seasoning whim is (marinating works too though I'm not a huge fan). Whether you are using coal, wood or gas; open pit or covered cooker (such as a weber) these few tips will serve you well: Right off the bat get the heat real high and let the flames get close. Sear that fat side and quick brown the other. when this thing gets to sweating it will cause big flare ups so be attentive. Once it is seared the meat will not sweat nearly as much and thus retain the juices, yummy!!! You can turn the heat down now. if you have a thermometer in your grill 275 to 300 seems real good, finishing slow is excellent. It is quite difficult if not impossible to put an exact cooking time on a tri-tip. As with anything the varibles of heat and weight are very determining factors. When its rare to medium inside it will have shrunk by about 1/3rd in size and still be glistening with mosisture a bit on the out side. it will be fairly dark in color so dont take it off to soon because of that. when it passes out of the rares and into the mediums it will begin to look dryer, I dont like that but some do. A rule of thumb is 30 minutes per pound. when I am cooking a bunch of other food IE: chicken, ribs etc at the same time I like to give my tri-tips a few minutes head start and then when i figure them to be about 3/4 done (bloody bloody rare) I take them off the grill momentarily and wrap them in tin foil and put them back on the grill for a 1/2 hour or so or until everything else is ready. now the timing of that is tuff to give you, its a bit different every time depending on what and how much I am cooking but with a little practice you will develop a good instinct for it. heck, people who like to BBQ seem to do it a lot and experience does count on the grill.

Thats about it without getting tedious about the gas vs coal vs wood etc. If you want that tedium do ask and I'll be glad to pontificate. However I do want to share my favorite tri-tip side dish with you:

Down N dirty Potatoes N Onions

This is easy, fast to put together and so darn good your family and friends wont ever let you not do the Q. Per person eating (I am a er, big person) take one medium size baking potato (large potatoes dont do as well) and one small red onion and cut them into 1/4" wedges. now take a 12" to 15" square of heavy tin foil laid flat and layer the potatatoes and onions on it,potato, onion, potato, onion etc. now put about a 1/2 cube of butter or margerine on there and season it up to your hearts desire and wrap it up tight. You may want to add a second layer of tin foil so it doesnt leak on the grill. Now these need to go on the grill 1st and come off last, you may want to give them a 15-20 minute head start if you only have a small amount of meat to cook (IE:2-3 pounds of meat). Trust me, you are gonna wanna kiss me! Well, maybe not, but I bet ya gonna luv the vittles.