How to grill tri-tip, medium-rare and tender.
A lean cut leaves no margin for a guess. Here is the reverse sear I cook it by: slow to temperature, hard sear over the coals, pulled at the right number, and sliced across a grain that changes direction halfway through. No marinade, no theater.
Tri-tip forgives the grill and punishes two details: how far you cook it and how you cut it. Everything below protects those two.
The method is a reverse sear, which is just the asador's order applied to a roast: read the fire, cook gently to bring the inside up, then sear hard at the end for the crust. It works on a Santa Maria grill, a kettle, or any two-zone fire. If you want the Central Coast original (salt, pepper, garlic, red oak, and the plate it rides on), that is the Santa Maria recipe. This is the universal one.
Five steps, in the order that matters
Salt early
Pat the tri-tip dry and season it on all sides with coarse salt and pepper (add granulated garlic for a Santa Maria profile). If you have an hour, salt it and leave it uncovered in the fridge; the surface dries and you get a better crust. No marinade. The cut does not need it.
Build a two-zone fire
Burn hardwood down to a bed of coals, or bank lump charcoal to one side, so you have a hot direct zone and a cooler indirect zone. On a Santa Maria grill, set the grate high to start. You want to cook gently first and sear last.
Cook indirect, fat cap up
Lay the tri-tip over the cooler zone, fat side up, and let it climb slowly. Read the heat by the back of your hand over the grate, a five-count of heat is right. Pull cuts come later; for now you are just walking the internal temperature up toward 115 degrees.
Sear over the coals
When the center hits about 115 degrees, move the roast over the hot zone (or crank the grate down). Sear hard on both sides until a deep mahogany crust forms and the center reads 128 to 130 degrees for medium-rare. This is the loud, fast part, two to four minutes a side.
Rest, then read the grain
Rest the roast 10 minutes under loose foil; it will carry over to 130 to 135. While it rests, find the grain. Tri-tip has two grain directions that meet at the bend. Cut the roast in two at the bend, then slice each half thin, across its own grain. Never one long slice the same direction.
What you need
The fire
- Salt early, pat dry. No marinade.
- Two-zone fire: a hot side, a cooler side.
- Cook indirect, fat-cap up, to about 115F.
- Sear hard over the coals to 128-130F.
- Rest 10 min. Slice thin, against the grain at the bend.
Tri-tip is lean, so the slice is half the cook. Two grain directions meet at the bend, so cut to the bend, then turn the roast. Slice it one way and even a perfect cook eats tough.
From Kocinero · Experience you can't fake. Verdicts you can't buy. · kocinero.com/how-to-grill-tri-tip
Best on the grill it was built for
The reverse sear works anywhere, but the crank-height grate over oak coals is what makes a tri-tip sing. Here is how to choose it.
Santa Maria grills
The open-fire, crank-height grill made for exactly this: gentle to temperature, then drop the grate for the sear.
Read the guideBest wood for the fire
Red oak is the Central Coast standard for tri-tip. What to burn, what "red oak" really is, and what to keep off the fire.
Read the guideCommon questions
What temperature do you grill tri-tip to?
Pull tri-tip off the heat at 128 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare; it will carry over to 130 to 135 while it rests. Because tri-tip is lean, going past medium (140) dries it out, so a thermometer matters more here than on a fatty cut.
Should you grill tri-tip fast or with a reverse sear?
A reverse sear (cook gently to about 115 degrees, then sear hard over the coals) gives the most even medium-rare on a thick cut and the best crust, which is why it is the method here. A hot-and-fast direct grill works on smaller roasts but risks a gray band under the crust on a thick one.
Which way do you slice tri-tip?
Always against the grain, but tri-tip has two grain directions that meet at the bend of the triangle. Cut the roast in half at the bend first, then slice each half thin across its own grain. Slicing the whole roast one direction leaves half of it chewy.
Do you trim the fat cap off tri-tip before grilling?
No. Leave the fat cap on and grill it fat side up during the indirect phase so it bastes the lean meat as it renders. You can trim any thick, hard pockets, but the cap is flavor and protection for a lean cut.
Pull it at the number. Cut it across the grain.
Do those two things and a lean cut eats like a celebration. Cook it over the grill it was made for.