Best 5 California Santa Maria Style Tri Tip Recipes

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**Discover the Enchanting Flavors of California's Santa Maria-Style Tri-Tip: A Culinary Journey into Bold Traditions**

In the heart of California's Central Coast, where rolling hills meet the vast Pacific Ocean, lies the charming town of Santa Maria. Renowned for its rich ranching history and vibrant culinary scene, Santa Maria has given birth to a mouthwatering specialty that has captivated barbecue enthusiasts worldwide: the Santa Maria-style tri-tip.

This iconic dish, a testament to the region's ranching heritage, showcases the unique flavor profile of tri-tip steak, a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin. Marinated in a simple yet aromatic blend of garlic, pepper, and olive oil, the tri-tip is grilled over a bed of glowing red oak embers, infusing it with a smoky, succulent goodness that tantalizes the senses.

Accompanying the tri-tip is a symphony of traditional sides that elevate the dining experience. Grilled asparagus, with its vibrant green spears and slightly charred edges, adds a touch of freshness and crunch. Cowboy beans, a hearty and flavorful concoction of beans, bacon, and spices, provide a smoky, savory counterpoint to the tender tri-tip. And no Santa Maria-style barbecue would be complete without the iconic salsa roja, a vibrant and tangy condiment made from fresh tomatoes, chiles, and cilantro, adding a burst of color and flavor to every bite.

Get ready to embark on a culinary adventure as we delve into the secrets behind this cherished California tradition. From selecting the perfect cut of tri-tip to mastering the art of grilling over red oak embers, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and techniques to recreate the authentic Santa Maria-style tri-tip experience in your own backyard. So, fire up your grill, gather your loved ones, and prepare to savor the bold and unforgettable flavors of this iconic dish.

Let's cook with our recipes!

SANTA MARIA-STYLE BBQ TRI-TIP



Santa Maria-Style BBQ Tri-Tip image

Provided by Bobby Flay | Bio & Top Recipes

Time 5h

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 27

2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 beef tri-tip, preferably with some fat on one side (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Santa Maria Pinquito Bean Relish, recipe follows
Tomato Relish, recipe follows
Grilled French Bread, recipe follows
8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 poblano chile, finely diced
1 medium Spanish onion, finely diced
2 cans pinquito or pinto beans, drained, rinsed and drained again
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, for garnishing
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with some salt
2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, finely diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf French bread, split lengthwise
Olive or canola oil, for brushing
Handful fresh parsley leaves, for garnishing

Steps:

  • In a small bowl, mix the granulated garlic, salt and pepper together and rub all over and into the meat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Prepare a charcoal grill for direct and indirect medium-high heat. Add the chips about 30 minutes before grilling the beef.
  • Set the tri-tip over direct heat, fat-side up, and sear until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Flip over and sear other side.
  • Move the tri-tip over the indirect-heat area, cover and grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 130 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain. Serve with Santa Maria Pinquito Bean Relish, Tomato Relish and Grilled French Bread.
  • Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Add the poblano and onions to the bacon fat in the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans and bacon and cook until warmed through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put into a serving bowl and top with cilantro or parsley leaves.
  • Preheat the grill for high direct heat.
  • Toss the tomatoes with the canola oil, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a grill basket. Grill, tossing once or twice, until charred on all sides. Remove the tomatoes to another bowl. Add the parsley or cilantro, olive oil, garlic paste, chiles and onions. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
  • Mash the butter, garlic and some salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle.
  • Brush the cut side of the bread lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread, cut-side down, until golden brown. Flip over and continue cooking for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the grill, slather with the garlic butter and cut each half into 4 pieces. Put the pieces on a platter and scatter parsley leaves over the top.

CALIFORNIA SANTA MARIA STYLE TRI-TIP



California Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip image

California Grill masters pride themselves in cooking tri-tip with oak wood. This takes a lot of time, and I don't have oak wood readily available. It's not cheap! When I found this recipe in an issue of Cook's Country Magazine (part of the Cook's Illustrated family) I knew I had to make this. Forget BBQ sauce... this is an amazing recipe! Cook's Illustrated adapted this recipe where you used wood chips, soaked in water. You grill the tri-tip, seasoned only with salt & pepper (the Santa Maria way) and-- towards the end-- you add the wet chips to the coals to give a smoky flavor to the meat. I'm telling you, if you love to eat red meat-- this is to die for! Seriously, it's worth trying.

Provided by FoodieWife

Categories     Roast Beef

Time 4h25m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 tri-tip roast, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups wood chips, preferably oak
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Steps:

  • Pat roast dry with paper towels. Using fork, prick roast about 20 times on each side. Combine garlic, oil, and salt and rub over roast. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  • Soak wood chips in bowl of water to cover for 15 minutes.
  • Open bottom vents on grill.
  • Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (about 100 coals) and burn until charcoal is covered with fine gray ash.
  • Pour hot coals in even layer over one half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, open lid vents completely, and let grill heat for 5 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean.
  • Using paper towels, wipe garlic paste off roast.
  • Rub pepper and garlic salt all over meat.
  • Grill directly over coals until well browned, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Carefully remove roast and cooking grate from grill and scatter wood chips over coals.
  • Replace cooking grate and arrange roast on cooler side of grill.
  • Cover, positioning lid vents directly over meat, and cook until roast registers about 130 degrees (for medium-rare), about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer meat to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve.

SANTA MARIA-STYLE GRILLED TRI-TIP



Santa Maria-Style Grilled Tri-Tip image

This style of cooking a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin comes from California's vaqueros, the Mexican cowboys who worked cattle in California's Central Valley in the 1800s. It's rubbed with lots of salt, pepper and garlic, then cooked relatively fast over red oak and traditionally served with pink beans called pinquintos.

Provided by Kim Severson

Categories     dinner, easy, weekday, main course

Time 1h30m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 beef tri-tip (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), preferably with some fat on one side

Steps:

  • In small bowl, mix garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley; rub well into meat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, soak 2 cups red oak chips in water for at least 20 minutes (optional). Prepare a medium-size fire on one side of a charcoal or gas grill. Add chips to fire, if using. Set tri-tip over fire, fat side up (with a gas grill, close lid), and brown well, 3 to 5 minutes; turn over and brown other side.
  • Move meat over area of the grill without fire, cover, and turn every 10 minutes or so, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125 to 130 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.
  • Place meat on cutting board to rest at least 15 minutes. Slice across the grain.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 227, UnsaturatedFat 6 grams, Carbohydrate 2 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 303 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams

GRILLED OR OVEN-ROASTED SANTA MARIA TRI-TIP



Grilled or Oven-Roasted Santa Maria Tri-Tip image

You might need to ask your butcher (assuming you have one) or even a store meat manager to order in a tri-tip roast. Two pounds is a good size, but if you come across a larger one, by all means grab it as the extra meat makes amazing sandwiches. The trick is to carve the tri-tip against the grain, which can change directions in this cut. So before you rub it and roast it, take a look at the raw meat and see which direction the long strands of muscle fiber are running on each part of the roast. After the roast has been cooked, and it has rested for 15 minutes or so, slice the roast in two at the place where the fibers change direction. Carve each piece separately.

Provided by Kim Severson

Categories     dinner, lunch, barbecues, steaks and chops, main course

Time 40m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 2

1 whole tri-tip, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons beef rub of your choice (see recipe)

Steps:

  • Trim silver skin. The meat may have a thick layer of fat, some of which can be sliced off, but keep a good amount to help baste meat.
  • Sprinkle meat with rub and massage lightly all over. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or as long as overnight. Remove from refrigerator an hour before cooking.
  • Prepare charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high. Place roast on grill and sear one side well, 6 to 8 minutes, checking for flare-ups. Turn the roast and sear other side for about the same time. Then lower gas to medium-high or move the meat to a cooler part of the charcoal grill.
  • Turn meat again and cook another 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and cook again. A 2-pound roast will require about 20 to 25 minutes total cooking time. The roast is ready when an instant-read thermometer reaches 130 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
  • Rest roast on a cutting board 10 to 20 minutes. Slice against the grain. The roast is shaped like a boomerang, so either cut it in half at the center of the angle, or slice against the grain on one side, turn the roast and slice against the grain on the other side.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 158, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 0 grams, Fat 9 grams, Protein 19 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 47 milligrams, TransFat 0 grams

SANTA MARIA GRILLED TRI-TIP BEEF



Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip Beef image

The town of Santa Maria, California, is home to one of America's most delicious barbecue specialties: black-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside, grilled beef tri-tip steak. The tri-tip is cut from the bottom sirloin, and if cooked properly produces a very flavorful, extremely juicy piece of beef.

Provided by Chef John

Categories     Main Dish Recipes

Time 5h15m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 12

2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (2 1/2 pound) beef tri-tip roast
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
4 cloves crushed garlic
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Steps:

  • Stir salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, rosemary, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Place beef in a glass baking dish and coat beef on all sides with spice mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  • Combine vinegar, vegetable oil, crushed garlic, and Dijon mustard together in a sealable container. Cover the container and shake to blend ingredients.
  • Remove beef from refrigerator, uncover, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
  • Place meat on preheated grill and brush with garlic-vinegar mixture. Cook meat for 4 minutes, flip, and baste. Repeat the flip and baste process every 4 minutes until beef starts to firm and is reddish-pink and juicy in the center, 25 to 30 minutes total. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 452.4 calories, Carbohydrate 3.6 g, Cholesterol 166.2 mg, Fat 24.1 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 52.5 g, SaturatedFat 5.8 g, Sodium 854.9 mg, Sugar 0.4 g

Tips:

  • Choose the right meat: Look for a well-marbled tri-tip roast, about 2 to 3 pounds in size. The marbling will help keep the meat moist and flavorful during cooking.
  • Trim the meat: Remove any excess fat from the roast, leaving a thin layer to help keep the meat moist.
  • Season the meat: Sprinkle the roast generously with the Santa Maria-style seasoning, making sure to coat all sides. You can also add additional seasonings, such as garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika, to taste.
  • Cook the meat over a hot fire: Sear the roast over high heat for a few minutes per side, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare.
  • Let the meat rest: Once the roast is cooked, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. This will help the juices redistribute throughout the meat, making it more tender and flavorful.

Conclusion:

Santa Maria-style tri-tip is a delicious and easy-to-prepare dish that is perfect for a backyard barbecue or a special occasion. With its simple ingredients and bold flavors, this dish is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. So fire up the grill and give it a try!

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