The easiest recipe for juicy, flavorful Tri-Tip made on the grill or oven-roasted! Marinated overnight in seasonings and olive oil rub.
Easy Tri-Tip is a great classic Dinner Recipe for special occasions during the winter and fall, just like the Oven-Baked Salmon or BBQ Beef Short Ribs.
Sabrina’s Easy Tri-Tip (Oven or BBQ) Recipe
From how to buy Tri-Tip to how to carve Tri-Tip, I have all the tips and tricks you need to easily make the most flavorful Roast you’ve ever had. The best news it that Tri-Tip is a very forgiving cut of meat. Rest easy (while your steak is resting) knowing your roast will be crowd pleasing perfection whether it’s oven-roasted or grilled, even if you missed a tip or two.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic , dried, minced
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 pounds tri-tip roast
Instructions
Marinade:
- In a large bowl mix together the garlic salt, black pepper, brown sugar, dried minced garlic, onion powder, cayenne pepper and vegetable oil.
- Add the tri-tip roast, coat well and cover with saran wrap.
- Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to overnight.
Oven-Roasted Tri-Tip
- Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and add tri-tip to a large skillet on high heat.
- Sear the tri-tip on both sides until browned.
- Move tri-tip to roasting pan.
- Cook in the oven for 10 minutes per pound.
- Remove and tent roast with foil.
- Let meat rest 10 minutes (covered with foil), before slicing against the grain to serve.
Grilled Tri-Tip
- Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat grill to high heat and season with an oiled brush.
- Sear well on each side for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off heat on half the grill and leave meat on the side the heat is off (you’ll be cooking on indirect heat).
- Cook, covered, for 10 minutes per pound.
- Transfer meat to a large foil pan, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.
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About this Recipe
Tri-Tip Steak is an easy to prepare cut of meat with no need to trim or cut it down. You want to leave the fat as-is to lock in the natural juices and flavor while it slow roasts. The marinade also keeps this roast tender and allows the seasoning and oil to absorb in the the fat. Along with flavor, the fat from the olive oil melds with the natural fat to give you extra juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak.
Ingredients
- Tri-Tip: This prized cut of meat comes from the bottom sirloin section of a cow, which is located towards the rump and just off the back leg.
- Seasoning: We are using both garlic powder and minced dried garlic along with brown sugar and other seasonings to bring a lot of flavor to our steak. If you have a pre-made steak seasoning, feel free to use that too!
- Oil: This recipe calls for olive oil for the meat. Olive oil gives a nice flavor.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
How To Buy Tri-Tip Roast
- Ask For It – The most important thing in buying a Tri-Tip Roast is to ask for it! Ask the butcher for a “well-marbled Tri-Tip Roast.” They may also call it bottom sirloin, triangle roast, triangle tip roast, triangle steak, or California cut.
- Inspect It – The roast should be triangle-shaped, and about the same thickness end to end. A prime cut will have a thick fat membrane on one end and fat ribboned through both sides.
- Shop Local – Visit a local butcher, if possible, for a “prime cut” of beef. Local butcher cuts of meat have more fat and are well-marbled, meaning your roast is going to be packed with natural flavor.
- Grocery Stores – The better the grocery store, the better the cut of Tri-Tip you are going to get. Discount grocery stores, if they have it, are going to have lean cut Tri-Tip that will cook much faster and shrink. Stick to the high end grocery stores for a better marbled roast.
How To Carve a Tri-Tip Roast
You want to slice Tri-Tip against the grain. The easiest way to determine the “grain” of the meat is the direction the fat and cut opposite to the fat. Your roast may have fat that changes direction near the middle. To make slicing easier, cut roast in half where fat changes direction and cut each half in thin slices against the grain.
What to Pair With
No matter how you prepare this roast, it’s sure to be juicy and tender, the perfect summer barbecue dinner. Serve sliced Tri-Tip with your favorite BBQ sides like Baked Beans and Mac and Cheese. Leftovers make great sandwiches, especially smothered with Homemade BBQ Sauce and topped with Coleslaw!
How to Store
- Serve: Allow roast to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cooked Roast can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be cooled and stored.
- Store: Place sliced leftovers in a plastic storage bag or airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Enjoy leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave in 30 seconds bursts so it doesn’t overcook.
- Freeze: Once cooled, place leftover slices in a sealed container or freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or serving cold.
Frequent Questions
Use the spices and brown sugar in this recipe along with dried rosemary and oregano to make a Santa Maria dry rub. Leave out the oil and rub the dry mixture all over the roast before allowing to rest for 30 minutes.
Absolutely! Serve Tri-Tip with Chimichurri Sauce or use it as a marinade! This garlicky cilantro-parsley sauce is a staple in South and Central America, and one bite of it on any steak will make you a true believer in it.
If you are having trouble finding Tri-Tip Roast, you can use London broil or a thick, well-marbled sirloin steak. The cooking times will be similar, just be sure to check for the internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Some cuts of meat have a thin layer of connective tissue that is incredibly tough to chew and doesn’t cook down, even with high heat. It’s not pleasant to try to eat and should be removed before eating. Some untrimmed Tri-Tip will have this silver skin and a nice layer of fat around one edge. I recommend trimming the silver skin and proceed cooking with the fat to help it stay nice and juicy!
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More Delicious Roast Recipes
Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Awesome flavor and easy to make!!!
Thank you Stacey and thank you for the 5 star review!!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect! Absolutely delicious! I will be making this again.
I surprised my Husband and made this steak for him, so he wouldn’t have to grill it when he got home. And he loved it, and it was perfectly cooked and a new thing for me! So thank you for your detailed instructions. They helped a lot.
I let it marinate overnight and cooked it in the oven. So flavorful and juicy! My boys are already asking when we can have it again. 🙂
This is seriously ahhmazing!! My husband really loved it!
Could I sub olive oil for the veg oil? We have someone who has issues w veg oils
That should be fine!
Wow! This was delicious! And so easy! I made it tonight according to the recipe except I had no dried garlic so I used fresh. Took a chance that the fresh garlic might burn, but it was just fine! I had a 2 lb tri-tip roast and seared it in my cast iron skillet, then put the skillet right into the oven. Cooked it for 20 mins, checked the temp and it was rare. I cooked it about 6 more minutes and it was perfect. My family loved it! I will definitely be making this again!!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Camille. Thanks for the 5 stars.
If you cook a tri tip roast until well done, or almost well done, will it be tough? My husband likes his roast and steak well done, but my son and I prefer it to be medium (cooked but red in the middle, whatever that is). I have a three lb. tri tip and am in a dilemma about how to please everyone. Son and I will eat well done meat, but don’t want it to be tough. All I can think of is to cut some of it off at the point where we like it, and roast the rest longer for my husband. Can you cook it in a slow cooker and have it well done but tender?
I haven’t tested it in the slow cooker so I can’t speak to that, I would do as you suggested, cook to your preferred temperature first then finish cooking for your husband. It won’t be tender well done, so I would keep a piece in the oven just for him.
Is there some reason you didn’t post my comment? Maybe you haven’t seen it yet?
Or: I realize that I only gave you 3 stars, so maybe you didn’t want to lower your overall rating?
My question is how long should you cook it if it’s only one or two pounds? You said 10 minutes per pound, but it came out half raw…
You do NOT need to post this, but please either post my other one or could you answer me by email?
I am so sorry, I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.
I don’t change/omit ratings, but we get about 100 comments a day and sometimes comments get lost. I am happy to post this, and would love to help. How big was your tri-tip? I’ve never had a 1 pound tri-tip so perhaps the timing is off. I would love to hear more about this. Sorry for the delay!
Although the seasoning was great, I followed the recipe exactly and it was totally RAW in the middle. I’m guessing that 10 minutes per pound doesn’t apply when it’s only 1 pound.
It was only for me, and I like it rare, so ate what I could. Will finish cooking it tomorrow. And I’ll use a meat thermometer.
Was delicious!
Fantastic!
Great directions! The tri tip recipe was so easy.
Thanks, Ruth.
Is it okay to just put cast-iron skillet in oven?
Yes 🙂 I hope you enjoy it.
I am blown away by this tri tip! It’s absolutely perfect!
Thanks, Anna. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This tri tip was amazing, super juicy and tender. I served it with roasted potatoes and veggies and it made for the best family dinner.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lily. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Really great flavor! I love the brown sugar, helps to give it a nice caramelization!
Thanks, Betsy. Totally agree!