Tri-Tip Roast Prevails!
We here at Cuisine Capers know our cuts of meat. We encounter them often. So we don’t take it lightly when we announce that we’ve now named the tri-tip roast the perfect cut of grilling beef available.
This may sound silly, but we’ve made it to our advanced ages without ever really trying the tri-tip. We’re old pros at the sirloin tip roast - in fact, we recently deemed our method of cooking the sirloin tip roast to result in the Best Roast Beef Ever. Judging from the feedback of our readers, they agree - in droves. We’re also old pros at tenderloin, strip steak, filet mignon and top sirloin. Oh, let’s just admit it, we haven’t really met a cut of beef that we didn’t like, and didn’t become pros at.
But Tri-Tip? This is not a cut that is easily found in our parts. But fate was smiling down happily on me the other day at Jenifer Street Market in Madison. I was gazing fondly at the meat counter, when what should appear in my line of vision but a Tri-Tip. I scrutinized it for a moment or two, then made the plunge.
It was a mid spring’s eve, and it was a perfect night for grilling. So grill it we did. First, we through your basic spices on the roast - garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper…. anything you like to put on your beef works here. It sat at room temperature for over an hour, getting ready to meet the grill.
The grill master made one side of the charcoal grill hot, while leaving the other side devoid of direct heat. The tri-tip was placed in the direct heat for about 5 minutes on one side, then flipped for about 5 more minutes on the other side. Then the beef was moved over to the other side of the grill, devoid of direct heat. The top was placed on the grill, and there it continued to cook away, until it reached approximately 125 degrees. After resting, it was sliced into thin-to-moderately sized slices.
The end result was fabulous. Moist, tender, perfectly grill-roasted, with the most robust beef flavor imaginable, this has now entrenched itself into our repetoire as the go-to beef dish of the summer. Served alongside a simple salad of spring greens, along with grilled spring onions and asaparagus, this made for a noteworthy spring meal.
Looks fabulous
Whull, yeah! For a little extra love, drape a few slices of your favorite bacon over it while it cooks indirectly. Just before you pull it, squeeze half a lemon over it. If it ever looks a little dry, spraycan of extra virgin does the trick.
Honestly though, 2008 I vote for flank steak. It’s ability to grab marinades/rubs, hearty beef flavors, can cook quick yet leave enough red in the center for us who really enjoy it that way, is wonderful. My local El Salvadorean market slices it even thinner. Plus it’s less than 3.50 a pound! As tritips have gone up in popularity, their price has skyrocketed, even here in California. 14 dollars a piece? Uh, no. In any case, cheers!
Biggles