SANTA MARIA TRI TIP
After having friends rave for yeas about being able to buy already marinated “Santa Maria” tri tips in grocery stores I searched out the secret. Anything great from a store can always be done better freshly at home, as with this dish.
I must confess that despite the alleged importance of the dry rub in this dish, the exceptionally simple basting sauce is what gives the Santa Maria style tri tip its unique, famous flavor. The seasoning mixture here is the traditional one use for this easy yet crowd pleasing favorite. For a casual party, make 3 or 4 of these roasts and serve as finger food or in sandwiches.
3 pound tri tip triangle roast
DRY RUB:
3 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
4 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons salt
BASTING SAUCE:
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ extra virgin olive oil (if you have or can find garlic olive oil, use that)
- Mix together all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl
- At least one hour prior to grilling (or up to 24 hours ahead of time), pierce the meat and coat both sides with about 1/8 cup per side of the dry rub rubbing it in as you would any dry rub. Discard or save remaining dry rub for another time.
- Preheat gas grill to a temperature of about 400 degrees
- Place tri tip, fat side up on grill and allow to cook for 7 minutes. Watch for any flare-ups of the grill as the fat begins to add fuel to your fire, adjust accordingly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil
- After the first 7 minutes turn the tri tip and baste the top of the roast generously and then cook for an additional 7 minutes
- Turn the roast again, basting again. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then turn roast every minute, basting every time you turn the roast, until the meat is cooked to your desired doneness. Medium rare is ideal, about 125 degrees in the middle. Total cooking time, depending on heat of the fire, will be 22-28 minutes. Remove meat from grill, baste thoroughly and allow to sit for 5 minutes before carving
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