Tri Tip is a super flavorful, tender and delicious cut of beef! This recipe has just a few ingredients and is easily cooked on a stove top in cast iron or a skillet.
How to Cook A Tri Tip Roast
Tri Tip is a triangular cut of beef that is super tender and juicy. It can be slow roasted, grilled, smoked like in this recipe from Hey Grill Hey, or I like to cook it in a nice cast iron skillet. Prior to cooking, take your Tri Tip out of the refrigerator and allow it to come up in temperature, about 10-15 minutes. Next you will start with a simple seasoning base. I like to use Hey Grill Hey’s Beef Rub.
If you don’t have this, you can make a simple rub of 1 tablespoon Sea Salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper, 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder and 1 tablespoon Onion Powder. Liberally, and I mean liberally, get it all over and covered in all the spicy goodness, there’s no such thing as too much in this scenario! You want all those flavors to get in the meat.
Cooking Tri Tip in a Skillet
This is a simple and quick way to get some deliciously cooked steak on the table!! Tri tip is tender and juicy and doesn’t need to be cooked for hours. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any heavy duty skillet will work. First, get some olive oil heated up in a cast iron or heavy skillet on medium high heat. Brown the roast on all sides to help seal in the juices, this will take about 2 minutes on each side. Once it is browned on all sides, you will let it cook on each side for about 7-8 minutes, turning once.
Bring the roast up to 126ºf and add in the extra flavors; butters, garlic, shallots and rosemary. As the butter melts, use a spoon to spoon the butter, garlic and shallots over the tri tip as it continues to come up to temperature. Depending on how you like your steak cooked, pull it about 5 degrees below your desired temperature.
What Temperature to Cook My Steak To
You can easily adjust the recipe for your own fam! We like our steaks at a nice Medium temperature, so I plan on cooking to about 130ºF and then I will remove it from the pan and allow it took continue to come up to temperature while it rests for about 10 minutes. The following is a guide for what final temperature you would cook it to from Rare to Well Done. Please note that at 10º prior to removing it from the pan, you will add the shallots, garlic, butter and rosemary and at 5º prior to your desired doneness you will remove it and allow it to rest.
- Rare: Final temperature 115ºF
- Medium Rare: Final temperature 125ºF
- Medium: Final temperature 135ºF
- Medium Well: Final temperature 140ºF
- Well Done: Final temperature 150ºF
The best way to check the doneness of your steak is with an instant read thermometer.
How to Slice Tri Tip
After your cooked Tri Tip has rested to allow the juices to redistribute and come up to temperature, it is time to slice and EAT!!! Tri tip is a cut that needs to be sliced against the grain to help it stay tender. Because of its shape, the muscles run in different directions, it is easiest to slice the two pieces apart and then slice those against the grain like in the photo above. This is a great, quick tutorial on how to slice Tri Tip if you are having a difficult time seeing the grains. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and serve while still warm!
Tri Tip Recipe and Video
Cast Iron Skillet Tri Tip Roast
Tri tip is a tender and juicy cut of beef. This meal comes together so easy and is perfect for any night of the week!
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound Tri Tip roast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Hey Grill Hey Steak Rub See recipe notes if rub is not available
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
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Remove tri tip from refrigerator, season liberally with spices on all sides and allow to come up in temperature about 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients.
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Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat add olive oil. Place tri tip in skillet and brown on all sides.
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Turn heat down to medium and cook tri tip for about 7 minutes on each side, flipping once. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 125-126ºF add in butter, garlic, shallots and rosemary. With a spoon, spoon the melted butter over the roast as it continues to cook and come up to temperature.
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Remove the roast from the pan once it is 5 degrees below your desired doneness, see post above. For this recipe the roast was cooked to 130ºF
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Allow the roast to rest before slicing against the grain.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
You can make your own simple rub with 1 tbsp of each sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Combine and liberally season meat.
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