Grilled Tri Tip Marinade

The best way to marinate a tri tip steak? In lots of black pepper, garlic & red wine! This easy tri tip marinade creates a flavorful, juicy steak every time! After 6-8 hours in the marinade, toss the tri tip on the grill for a delicious meal!

Pair this wonderful California cut of beef with Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccolini to complete the meal.

Today’s post is sponsored by my friends at the California Beef Council.

If there’s one cut of beef that California is most known for, it’s the tri tip. The tri tip is a triangular cut of meat from the bottom sirloin. It became popular in central California in the 1950s and is sometimes called the “Santa Maria Tri Tip”.

One of the most popular ways to prepare this steak is to marinate or cook it in red wine. At Seaside Market, located in the small beach town of Cardiff-by-the-Sea in northern San Diego, they’ve prepared a tri tip so popular that it’s become known as “Cardiff Crack”.

While their secret recipe is under wraps, it does involve a black pepper red wine marinade, which I’ve recreated in this recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prepare this easy marinade recipe. And I guarantee it will be the best tri tip marinade you’ve ever tried!

I recently chatted about ways to elevate your tailgate or homegate on the Feed Me! Podcast. And this tri tip recipe was one of my recommendations. It’s so easy to marinate this tri tip the night before the big game, then toss it on the grill either at the tailgate or at home in your backyard.

How to make the best tri tip marinade

• Pour 2 cups of red wine in a large ziplock bag. I recommend using a burgundy or pinot noir.
• Add minced garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, coarse ground black pepper, paprika, mustard powder and honey to the bag.
• Close the bag and shake all of the marinade ingredients together.
• Place a 2-3 lb trimmed tri tip in the bag with the marinade.
  • Quick Tip! When shopping for a tri tip, it could be labeled tri tip or tri tip roast at the meat counter. They’re the same thing and both work great for this recipe. Depending on where you live, you might have to ask your butcher for tri tip if it’s not already available in the meat counter.
• Close the bag and place the marinating tri tip in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight. Do not marinate the tri tip for more than 24 hours or the fibers in the meat can break down too much and make it mushy.

How to grill tri tip

One of my favorite ways to cook a tri tip is on the grill. The key to grilling tri tip is to sear it over high heat, then continue cooking it without direct heat. To do this, you’ll want to heat one side of your grill over high heat and leave the other side of the grill turned off.

1. Once the heated side of the grill is very hot, remove the tri tip from the marinade and place it on the heated side of the grill. Discard the marinade.
2. Sear the tri tip for 1-2 minutes per side.
3. Move the tri tip to the unheated side of the grill, keeping the other side of the grill on high heat.
4. Grill for 10-15 minutes per side or until a thermometer reaches 140°F for medium rare, which is the temperature I recommend for tri tip.
5. Remove the tri tip from the grill, place on a cutting board and loosely wrap with foil.
6. Allow the tri tip to rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

How to slice a tri tip

When slicing the tri tip, you’ll notice that the grains run in different directions on the tri tip. Slice the long triangular tip from the other end of the tri tip where the grains intersect, then slice each piece of the tri tip against the grain.

For a visual of what this looks like, my friends at Traeger have a great video and image on their website for how to carve a tri tip.

What goes good with tri tip?

Grilled tri tip is perfect for dinner at home, tailgating at the stadium or entertaining friends at a BBQ. You can even turn it into an excellent low carb meal. Depending on the occasion, I have some scrumptious serving suggestions!

• For dinner at home, pair the tri tip with a side of greens and potatoes. You’ll love this tri tip recipe with these Maple Apple Brussels Sprouts and Rosemary Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes!
• For tailgating at the stadium, pair the tri tip with a side of my Dad’s Famous Baked Beans. You can easily keep the beans warm in a slow cooker at the tailgate. This spicy macaroni salad is also the perfect pairing and can easily be prepped the day before the tailgate.
• For entertaining friends at a BBQ, serve the tri tip with Grilled Zucchini and this crowd favorite Bacon Tomato Avocado Pasta Salad or this amazing Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad.
• Since this tri tip recipe is only 5 carbs per serving, you can easily add it to a low carb meal, paired with Cauliflower Rice or THE BEST Roasted Cauliflower Salad.

More great beef recipes to toss on the grill

• Buffalo Cheesesteak Foil Packs
• Cajun Steak Tacos
• Coffee Crusted Tri Tip
• Chipotle Lime Carne Asada Tacos
• Grilled New York Strip Steak with Peppercorn Crust
• Rosemary Steak Skewers

And don’t miss my recipe for The BEST Sirloin Marinade and my Top 10 Grilling Tips, sure to make you a grill master in no time!

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