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Home » Cast Iron Tri Tip Roast

Cast Iron Tri Tip Roast

February 5, 2019 by Feeding Your Fam 22 Comments

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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.

Cooking Tri Tip in cast iron is such an easy way to make up a quick dinner. If you enjoy cooking in cast iron check out these other delicious dinner ideas: Boneless Pork Loin Roast with Orange Glaze, Simple One Pan Chicken and Veggies, Homemade Beef Pot Pie.

tri tip roast in a cast iron pan

What is Tri Tip 

Tri Tip is a lean, boneless triangular cut of beef that is super tender and juicy usually comes in 1.5 to 2 pounds. Cut from the Bottom Sirloin. 

It can be slow roasted, grilled, smoked or cook it in a nice cast iron skillet as demonstrated in this recipe. Tri tip is easy to cook and goes far to feed your fam.

Tri tip is doesn’t need to be cooked for hours. This tender cut can be quickly cooked and sliced against the grain for a simple way to get some deliciously cooked steak on the table!! 

sliced tri tip on a wooden cutting board

Cooking Tri Tip in a Cast Iron Skillet

The first step here is to  take your Tri Tip out of the refrigerator and allow it to come up in temperature, about 10-15 minutes, while you will start making a simple seasoning.

Tri Tip Rub

Make a simple tri tip rub with the following:

  • Sea Salt
  • Ground Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder

Liberally, and I mean liberally, sprinkle this tri tip seasoning all over your tri tip. Making sure it is seasoned on every side.

Press the seasoning into the meat with your hand. There’s no such thing as too much in this scenario! You want all those flavors to get in the meat. 

tri tip on a wooden cutting board next to a white bowl with spices

Prepare Your Cast Iron

With your cast iron over medium high heat, pour in 2 tbsp olive oil and heat until shimmering. The oil should move easily along the bottom of the pan. 

Brown the Tri Tip Roast

The first step in this recipe is to brown the meat on all sides. This helps to lock in the juices and flavor.

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 it is time to cook the roast. 

Continue cooking the roast on each side for about 8-10 minutes, turning once.

Tri tip roast cooking in a cast iron skillet with shallots, garlic, butter and rosemary.

Add Flavors to Skillet

Cook the roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 126ºF and add in the extra flavors; butter, garlic, shallots and rosemary.

As the butter melts, use a spoon to drizzle 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. 

tri tip roast in a cast iron skillet

What Temperature to Cook My Steak To?

You can easily adjust this recipe for your own fam! We like our steaks at a nice Medium temperature, so I plan on cooking to about 130ºF.

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. 

Allow Your Steak To Rest

This might just be the most important step of this recipe. Allow your steak to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Resting allows the juices to redistribute so that when you cut into your steak all the juices don’t run out and leave you with a dry steak! 

how to slice a tri tip roast

How to Slice Tri Tip

Tri tip needs to be sliced against the grain. Cutting against the grain helps it stay tender, otherwise it will be chewy and hard to eat.

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. Slice into 1/4 inch slices and serve while still warm!

Cast Iron Tri Tip Recipe and Video

Tri tip roast cooking in a cast iron skillet with shallots, garlic, butter and rosemary.
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4.78 from 9 votes

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! 
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Resting Time10 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Comfort Food
Keyword: Cast Iron Tri Tip Roast, Tri Tip Cooked in Cast Iron
Servings: 6 people
Calories:
Prevent your screen from going dark
Author: Sarah Alvord, Feeding Your Fam

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pound Tri Tip roast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 2 rosemary sprigs

TRI TIP RUB

  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder

Instructions

  • 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. 
  • Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat add olive oil. Place tri tip in skillet and brown on all sides. 
  • 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. 
  • 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
  • Allow the roast to rest before slicing against the grain. 

Video

Notes

One of my favorite easy rubs to use is this BEEF RUB from Hey Grill Hey. 
Tried this recipe?Mention @feedingyourfam or tag #feedingyourfam!

 

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.

 

This site contains affiliate links. This provides me with a small percentage if you click through and make a purchase.

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Filed Under: 30 Minute Meal, Dinner

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Blanton

    January 12, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    Hi I am cooking this tri tip at this very moment so I cannot comment on the flavor but I am Sur it will be delectable😄 however I have a question. Is there a reason we are using a cast iron skillet as opposed to a regular skillet??? 👍👋👏😄

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      January 13, 2020 at 11:19 am

      Hey Lisa, You can definitely use a regular skillet if you don’t have a cast iron skillet. I prefer to use a cast iron skillet because they are known to distribute the heat more evenly ensuring that meat is browned perfectly. Hope this turned out great for you. Thanks for your comment!

      Reply
  2. Kim

    April 13, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    I didn’t see the over temperature listed

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      April 14, 2020 at 8:00 am

      This recipe does not require the oven. This is cooked right on the stove.

      Reply
  3. Mazal

    May 14, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    Looks delicious! One thing though, I scrolled through like 5x and I can’t see/find the video? What am I missing?

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      May 15, 2020 at 10:08 am

      Oh no, that is odd. I can see it when I look it up. It is under the ‘Cooking Tri Tip in a Cast Iron Skillet’. I also have it available on YouTube if you still can’t find it on my site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8c8CSbr0f8

      Reply
  4. Astrid Alvarado

    July 4, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    I love this recipe, have used it couple times and we love it!

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      July 7, 2020 at 9:37 am

      So happy you like it!! Thanks!!

      Reply
  5. dreanica

    July 18, 2020 at 2:13 pm

    5 stars
    Tri-tip on the grill has always been our ‘gold’ standard. But we tried tri-tip in our cast iron
    last night and it simply ‘rocked!!’ Love your post! We do a very similar method stovetop method for rib-eye steak and salmon. Appreciate the pointers and the only thing we missed last night was the smokey grapevine finish…but we don’t miss the char-infused clothing. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      July 22, 2020 at 10:09 am

      So happy you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave me a comment!!

      Reply
  6. Caroline Blackwell

    January 20, 2021 at 8:06 am

    Trying this recipe tonight.

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      January 20, 2021 at 8:42 am

      Hope you love it!!

      Reply
  7. HAP

    January 1, 2022 at 1:17 pm

    What sides do you serve with this recipe? Do you use a dipping sauce with the meat or eat it like steak? Thanks for your help!

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      January 3, 2022 at 9:35 am

      I like to serve this with green beans, asparagus, baked potatoes, fruit or just a simple salad. You can definitely use a dipping sauce if you prefer, my kids like A-1. Personally, I like to drizzle the butter from the pan over the steak, it has great flavor!!

      Reply
  8. Deborah

    January 2, 2022 at 4:15 pm

    5 stars
    The flavor was amazing! I made this with a side salad and oven roasted baby broccoli.

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      January 3, 2022 at 9:37 am

      Sounds like a perfect meal! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!! ❤️

      Reply
  9. POOKIE

    September 21, 2022 at 4:43 am

    i love tri tip…my oven isn’t working so i cook my roast in a cast iron on the stovetop, but no matter the amt of evoo & the med – med-hi flame, my tri tip always gets very charred…why?

    Reply
    • Feeding Your Fam

      September 21, 2022 at 9:57 am

      It sounds like it is cooking too hot for too long. I would try to cook it maybe on medium low or even low and then turn it up for the last few minutes to get a nice bark on the outside.

      Reply
      • pookie

        December 8, 2022 at 2:57 pm

        5 stars
        even at a low flame, it still gets very charreed…how much olive oil for a 2 12 lbs in a 12 inch skillet maybe a bit more, but not too much oil would help? what do you think?

        Reply
        • Feeding Your Fam

          December 8, 2022 at 2:59 pm

          I would use 2 tablespoons of oil for a 12 inch skillet.

          Reply
  10. POOKIE

    November 25, 2022 at 12:33 am

    i love your recipe, however, i always have this problem: i have a lodge cast iron skillet in which i make my roast tri tip, but no matter how ‘medium-low’ i make the gas flame, the roast always charrs….every time…why?

    Reply
  11. POOKIE

    November 25, 2022 at 12:35 am

    just saw that i had left you a similar comment before…it still charrs no matter what.

    Reply

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Hey there!! I’m Sarah and I am so happy you have stopped by!! I love cooking and sharing family friendly recipes that can be easily thrown together, because let’s be honest, cooking for a family can sometimes be like a really bad episode of Chopped!! Find your next meal here!!

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