How to Cook Tri-Tip

Tri-Tip roast, also known as “Triangle Roast” and “Santa Maria roast” has long been a favorite in California and along the West Coast. This distinctive cut is gaining attention across the nation for its hearty roasted flavor and juicy, tender texture. While generally well-marbled, Tri-Tip roast is still considered a lean cut and can become dry if not cooked to the proper temperature. This roast is best served medium-rare to medium. Incredibly versatile, a Tri-Tip roast is perfect for offering diverse cuts like rare or medium-rare slices from the wide, thicker end and medium slices from the narrow, thinner end. Additionally, the rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture of a Tri-Tip roast is terrific on its own or used in sandwiches and fajitas, with noodles or pasta, and on top of salads.

We're here to help you find the best way to cook Tri-Tip for your needs. Cooking Tri-Tip in the oven is easy, but you can also BBQ Tri-Tip on the grill, prepare it in a smoker or sous vide machine. Everything you need to know is in the instructions below. We've also included a chart that will tell you how long to cook Tri-Tip in the oven, on the grill, or using a specialty method. Be sure to use a meat thermometer for best results.

How to Cook Tri-Tip in the Oven

Cooking Tri-Tip roast in the oven is easy and is a great method to choose to promote full flavor. Preparing your Tri-Tip to the proper internal temperature and is critical and you should begin by making sure your meat is completely thawed. If your roast is frozen, we recommend thawing it in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Once thawed, remove your roast from the refrigerator at least one hour (but not more than two hours) before cooking to allow the roast to come to room temperature.

Season your Tri-Tip roast well. Our Kansas City Steak Original Steak Seasoning is an excellent choice.

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Follow the directions below for cooking Tri-Tip in the oven to perfection:

• Place the Tri-Tip roast fat-side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Do not add water or cover the roast and cook to desired doneness, according to the Measuring Doneness and Cooking Times Chart listed below.
• For a Tri-Tip roast that is medium-rare at the thicker end, roast for 25–30 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers at 125°F. Remember, your roast will continue to warm after removing it from the oven.
• Transfer your oven-roasted Tri-Tip to a carving board and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 10–15 minutes before carving. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise for as much as 10°F during this time (this is called "carryover cooking"). While resting, the juices in the roast will redistribute evenly throughout the meat, ensuring the best succulence, texture, and flavor. The final temperature will read 135°F.
• To check the degree of doneness, use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature for your Tri-Tip.
• Resting your meat after roasting Tri-Tip in the oven is an important step, as the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface; if you slice into it immediately after cooking, those flavorful juices will end up on your plate, not in your roast. Allowing your roast to rest will give the juices time to sink back in and throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.
• Once your Tri-Tip roast has rested, it's time to carve. Many people wonder how to cut Tri-Tip effectively. The first step is to make sure your carving knife is sharp (See our Expert Tips for How to Sharpen a Knife and Expert Tips for How to Carve a Steak).
• Take a good look at your Tri-Tip roast and note which direction the fibers are running. Slide your knife back and forth across those fibers — across the grain — cutting your oven-baked Tri-Tip into slices. Keep each slice no more than ¼ inch thick.
• To make each bite extra tender, hold your knife blade at a 45° angle; this is called "cutting on the bias." Cutting against the grain this way exposes more surface area in each fiber and keeps the fibers from being stacked directly on top of each other in each slice of meat, further weakening the bonds that hold them together.

How to Grill Tri-Tip Roast

Grilled Tri-Tip provides an unmistakable open-flame flavor that you and your guests can look forward to for dinner! There are two main methods for cooking Tri-Tip on the grill:

• Charcoal Grilling
• Gas Grilling

Regardless of which method you choose, be sure your meat is completely thawed before grilling your Tri-Tip roast. If your roast is frozen, we recommend thawing it in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Once thawed, remove your roast from the refrigerator at least one hour (but not more than two hours) before cooking to allow the roast to come to room temperature.

Season your Tri-Tip roast well.

Grilled Tri-Tip: Charcoal Vs. Gas Grill

How to Grill Tri-Tip on a Charcoal Grill

Prepare your charcoal grill for indirect cooking by arranging an equal number of charcoal briquettes on each side, leaving an empty area in the middle of the grill. When coals are medium, ash-covered (about 25 minutes), add a few new briquettes to each side. Position the cooking rack handles over coals so adding extra briquettes is easy. Then, place your seasoned Tri-Tip roast on a cooking rack directly over the coals. Sear for 2–3 minutes, turning once to brown both sides. Move your roast to the center of the grill for indirect cooking and cover with the grill lid, cooking to the desired doneness using the times listed in the Cooking Times Chart below.

How to Grill Tri-Tip on a Gas Grill

Preheat your grill on high. Then, sear your well-seasoned Tri-Tip roast 2–3 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Move to the center of the grill and turn off the burners directly under the roast. Close the grill lid and continue to grill to the desired doneness, according to the times listed in the Cooking Times Chart below.

Grilled Tri-Tip Roast Medium-Rare (recommended)

• For a Tri-Tip roast that is medium-rare at the thicker end, continue to grill over indirect heat for 20–25 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers at 125°F. Remember, your roast will continue to warm after removing it from the grill.
• Transfer your oven-roasted Tri-Tip to a carving board and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 10–15 minutes before carving. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise for as much as 10°F during this time (this is called "carryover cooking"). While resting, the juices in the roast will redistribute evenly throughout the meat, ensuring the best succulence, texture, and flavor. The final temperature will read 135°F.
• To check the degree of doneness, use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your Tri-Tip. This will help ensure your final cooking temperature is accurate and your roast is not dried out.
• Resting your meat after roasting Tri-Tip in the oven is an important step, as the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface; if you slice into it immediately after cooking, those flavorful juices will end up on your plate, not in your roast. Allowing your roast to rest will give the juices time to sink back in and throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.
• Once your Tri-Tip roast has rested, it's time to carve. Many people wonder how to cut Tri-Tip effectively. The first step is to make sure your carving knife is sharp (See our Expert Tips for How to Sharpen a Knife and Expert Tips for How to Carve a Steak).
• Take a good look at your Tri-Tip roast and note which direction the fibers are running. Slide your knife back and forth across those fibers — across the grain — so your Tri-Tip cut is separated into slices. Keep each slice no more than ¼ inch thick.
• To make each bite extra tender, hold your knife blade at a 45° angle; this is called "cutting on the bias". Cutting Tri-Tip against the grain this way exposes more surface area in each fiber and keeps the fibers from being stacked directly on top of each other in each slice of meat, further weakening the bonds that hold them together.

Specialty Tri-Tip Cooking

Interested in trying an adventurous Tri-Tip cooking method for dinner? Preparing your roast in the oven or on the grill are both tested and true ways to cook your Tri-Tip roast, but there are also several specialty methods to enjoy, including using a smoker, sous vide machine, or a slow cooker.

With each method, we recommend thawing your roast in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Once thawed, remove your roast from the refrigerator at least one hour (but not more than two hours) before cooking to allow the roast to come to room temperature. Season your roast as desired with a Tri-Tip rub; Kansas City Steak Original Steak Seasoning is an excellent choice. Alternatively, you can marinate your Tri-Tip. If using a marinade recipe for your Tri-Tip, marinate for at least one hour. For best results, we recommend marinating overnight when possible. For perfect doneness, we recommend using a meat thermometer.

Smoked Tri-Tip

Smoking Tri-Tip is the perfect choice for enhancing the flavor of your roast and it is a popular method used by many! Smoking time varies greatly depending on the cut of meat, thickness of the cut, quality of smoker, smoke and smoke retention, wind, etc. It is best to use a meat thermometer and base doneness off internal temperature.

Note: Meat cooked under 130°F should not be cooked longer than 2½ hours at a time due to food safety concerns.

To begin, fire up your smoker and preheat it to 250°F.

• Place your well-seasoned or marinated Tri-Tip onto the grates of your smoker, close the lid, and smoke the meat until it reaches about 5°F below the desired internal doneness temperature (see our Measuring Doneness Chart below).
• After removing from the smoker, you can check for smoking doneness by temperature, which will be about 5°F below final doneness. This is because your roast will warm an additional 5°F when resting. Temperatures are as follows:
  • Rare: 120°F
  • Medium-Rare: 130°F
  • Medium: 140°F
  • Medium-Well: 150°F

  Tri-Tip Sous Vide

  The sous vide method for Tri-Tip removes all of the guesswork from the cooking process and is easy to use. While you will want to closely monitor your sous vide Tri-Tip temperature, your roast can be cooked exactly to your desired doneness. This is because sous vide uses a low-heat, long-time cooking process which allows for evenly cooked roasts from end to end and guarantees every bite is as tender and juicy as the first.

  Note: meat cooked under 130°F should not be cooked longer than 2½ hours at a time due to food safety concerns.

  Here are the steps to follow when using the sous vide method:

  • Preheat your water bath: Fill your sous vide container up with warm water and set the sous vide device to the appropriate temperature for desired doneness. The sous vide device should be set as follows:
    • Rare: 122°F
    • Medium-Rare: 129°F
    • Medium: 135°F
    • Medium-Well: 145°F
    • Make sure the water bath has fully reached the desired temperature for cooking before adding in the roast.
    • Place the packaged roast in the water bath and allow it to cook for the recommended amount of time, based on your desired degree of doneness. For a 1½–2 lb. cut, your Tri-Tip sous vide time will be 2–4 hours.
    • Once your roast is finished cooking, remove it from the sous vide and take the roast out of the packaging.
    • Preheat a skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes (this can be done on a grill or in your kitchen). A hot skillet delivers the best sear.
    • Lightly coat the bottom of your skillet with high smoke point oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil. Place your roast on the skillet and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Sear until the roast reaches the final desired internal temperature, according to the Measuring Doneness Chart below.
    • The sear will give your roast the rich golden-brown color and enhanced flavor that is typically associated with grilled roasts.
    • Serve immediately. Unlike other methods of cooking a roast, the low-heat and long-time cooking technique used in sous vide does not draw the juices of the meat to the surface so additional resting time is not needed.

    How to Slow Cook a Tri-Tip

    Tri-Tip prepared in a slow cooker adds amazing flavor and tenderness to your roast. It is also an easy method to follow that is hands-off and only requires you to follow a few simple steps.

    Here are the steps to follow when cooking a Tri-Tip roast in a slow cooker:

    • If preferred, cover the bottom of the slow cooker with any vegetables or other seasonings you would like to add. We recommend adding Kansas City Steak Original Steak Seasoning. This can be added to your already seasoned or marinated Tri-Tip roast.
    • Place your marinated or seasoned Tri-Tip into the center slow cooker. Additionally, we recommend adding beef cooking stock or beef broth to the slow cooker to maintain juiciness and flavor.
    • Cook on low for 6–7 hours. Then, cook for 1 additional hour on high. If you prefer your meat to have a lower degree of doneness (see our Measuring Doneness Chart below), use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature after 4–5 hours of cooking. The internal temperature for your Tri-Tip should be monitored so your roast is both cooked to taste and to prevent it from drying out.
    • Once the Tri-Tip has reached the degree of doneness you like, remove it from the slow cooker.
    • Lastly, slice against the grain and serve.

    Cooking Times for Tri-Tip

    Select a cooking method for your Tri-Tip and follow the recommended cooking times for the best results. For perfect doneness, we recommend you use a meat thermometer and use the Measuring Doneness Chart, below.