I have aconfession. The truth is that the oven is not the best way to cook tri-tip. But keep reading anyway. Ihave avery good reason for sharing my techniques on how to cook tri-tip in theoven.
I think it’s fair to say, and perhaps you agree– the best way to cook tri-tip is to BBQ it over the smoky embers of red oak logs in Santa Maria, California… in an earthen pit dug into the ground… while drinking Santa Barbara Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or even arich, oaky SB County Chardonnay… with agroup of friends… atsunset.
But Ican see how these ideals might prove difficult to attain on any given Sunday. So I’m here to humbly present how Icook tri-tip in the oven… at home… without ashovel.
It’s easy too. Almost too easy. That’s partly because agood tri-tip is consistently the same piece of meat. It’s not big and it’s not too thick. So with proper handling it’s easy to cook. In fact Idon’t even use my trusty thermometer when Icook 2‑pound tri-tip in theoven.
That’s because Itie my tri-tip like aclassic roast. I’ve never seen this done when I’ve witnessed tri-tip cooked over live fire. To me however, it just makes sense. Tri-tip is awedge-shaped triangle (hence the name). It’s thicker on one end and tapers to anarrow point. Which means it won’t cook evenly if left as is. This can be agood thing when lots of people are gathered around the BBQ demanding meat anywhere between rare and (dare Isay it?) overdone.
However, at my house we don’t serve meat past medium-rare except in the rarest of circ*mstances. So Iuse cotton butcher’s string to tie my tri-tip into aneat and consistently-sized bundle.
Wine Pairing 2010 Zaca Mesa Estate Syrah Greg’sSanta Maria Styleoven-barbecued tri-tip demands aSanta Maria Valley wine, right? Yes, and I’ll get to that in aminute.However, I’m selecting the 2010 Zaca Mesa Estate Syrah, from the nearby Santa Ynez Valley. This fruit-forward wine, with flavors of ripe red and black berries, is avery accessible wine. Smokey oak and ahint of mocha, sageand[…] Grant Henry Price $16 Pairs well with barbecue, cheese, duck, mushrooms, steak, pork, sausage.Which means that aproperly tied 2‑pound tri-tip cooked in the oven, reaches the perfect pink after 30 minutes at 425 degrees– pretty much every single time.
How to Cook Tri-Tip in theOven
Still, Irealize this leaves afew questions unanswered. So let me elaborate. When you cook tri-tip in the oven you can use all those little tricks that make any roast tastebetter.
The first rule Iswear by is to season my meat well with salt and pepper before Itie it into abundle. Itry to do this several days in advance. Then wrap it in plastic and refrigerate. It really works.
Second, Iuse salt and pepper, and only salt and pepper (well, maybe garlic). Rubs are fine and can certainly add flavor. But it just doesn’t feel authentic to the Santa Maria style tri-tip Ifirst encountered in college. To me (traditional beans and relish aside) true tri-tip gets properly flavored by the red oak smoke. It’s true that there’s no red oak smoke when you cook tri-tip in the oven, but still Iresist too many strong flavors on the meatit*elf.
Lastly, Irarely bother to sear the meat before Icook it. If you’ve got abig wine with lots of tannins to serve with your tri-tip, alittle pre-searing will help achieve abitter char that will work well with the wine. However, for me, 30 minutes at 425 degrees produces anice brown crust that doesn’t overwhelm themeat.
Oh, and go ahead and use athermometer if you want to. I’m just showing off. GREG
Expand Recipe…
Tri-Tip Roast
By: GregHenry
Print ThisRecipeTotal time Yield 6Published
This recipe is timed for a2 pound tri-tip that has been tied into acompact bundle. Alarger piece of meat will take longer to cook. Use athermometer if you are unsure. For medium-rare the interior temperature should be 125 to 130 degrees when the meat is ready to remove from theoven.
Ingredients
- 1 (2‑lb) tri-tip roast
- salt and pepper (as needed for seasoning)
Directions
Lay the tri-tip flat onto aclean surface, you’ll notice that it’s wedge shaped. Liberally season all over with salt and pepper. Tuck the thinnest point under, then roll the roast into aneat and consistent sized rounded bundle.
Using butcher’s twine tie the roast in several places to assure that it maintains this shape throughout cooking. Wrap the tied roast in plastic and refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to 3days.
When ready to cook, remove the roast from the refrigerator, unwrap and bring to room temperature. Season once again lightly with salt andpepper.
Place the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Set the tied tri-tip roast on arack in ashallow roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until an insta-read thermometer registers about 125 (rare) to 135 (medium) degrees F, or according to taste. Remove from the oven and loosely cover with foil. Let the meat stand for 15 minutes.
Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
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