Prologue:
Once again, I can't just follow a recipe exactly as is. I always end up making tweaks. Usually it's because I'm too lazy to go to the store for that one ingredient which only comes in amounts 10 times what you'll actually be needing and which will end up taking up space in your cupboard till it expires and starts to smell forcing you to sort and clean out your kitchen to figure out where the funk is coming from and we can't have that. Sometimes I have to experiment because a recipe will call for something vile like fish sauce or mustard. Also unacceptable! Please keep this in mind if you're going to try my version of the recipe. My tweaks are italicized and asterisked.
Chapter 1: Wherein I make the best tri tip I've ever eaten.
(My little novel is just one long chapter because I don't have an editor to tell me I can't.)
Cooking time:
35 minutes for a slim tri tip. 45-1hr+ for a big fatty like the one I had.
Ingredients:
1 slab 'o tri tip. (some notes on how size matters at the end) that's what she said.
Dry Rub ingredients:
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder*
1 teaspoon dried rosemary**
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
*Didn't have onion powder, only onion flakes. Seemed to do the trick.
** I like to put my rosemary in the coffee grinder before cooking with it to avoid having sticks in my food. Who wants sticks in their dinner? Nobody, that's who.
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (or not)*
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (or not)**
1/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup beer.***
2 tbs lemon juice
*Mustard is nasty. I hate it. I will not cook with it. I refuse. Obviously, I didn't use it.
**I didn't have red wine vinegar. I only had balsamic. A great substitution. Yum.
*** I like putting beer and lemon on my meat. It's always the right choice. This time I used LeinenKugel's Sunset Wheat because that's what we had on hand. It's also good for drinking!
Combine dry ingredients.
Pat it all over the meat in a good, thick layer.
Let it sit for a while.
If you're letting it sit in the fridge, you'll need to take it out 30 min before cooking to let it come to room temp. I just let mine sit out while me and the kiddo went to the park for about 2 hours.
Combine Basting Sauce and let it sit for a bit.
 |
| Big time flames! That's what it takes. |
Drop that bad boy right on the flames. You're going to sear the meat. I was pretty sure I'd over-seared mine (aka burned) but when you baste it, the char becomes this amazing crust. You want lots of black on the outside. I promise. If any part looks too burned or dry to you, give that spot some extra attention with your basting brush.
So-if you have a slim tri tip(2 niches thick. Ish) try this grilling method:
25-30 min total cooking time
- turn every 3-4 minutes
- baste the top side after you turn it, not right before you flip it over.
With a thinner piece of meat, this should work just fine. Cook to an internal temp of 125 degrees.
If you don't: I had a huge thick one that was 3-4 inches thick on the big end. I tried the above method and got lots of charring but the middle wasn't cooking.
I was testing with a meat thermometer.
After about 20 minutes of turning and basting, I decided to go for the more traditional way of tri tipping which is to lower the flames to medium or less, move the meat off the flames, and close the lid.
I let my tri tip cook 25 more minutes this way, basting about 3 more times till I got 130f on my meat thermometer in the thickest part. No need to turn.
Take it off the grill, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Here's a quick link to meat temps:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/meat-and-poultry-temperature-guide.html
This little experiment turned out really well. Actually, it was well done on the ends and medium rare in the middle, so, perfect!
