This oven roasted tri tip recipe will be a crowd pleaser for your next gathering. Great for the holidays or a weekend family dinner. It is a beginner friendly roast recipe. Beef Tri tip and seasoning is all you need!
This cut is one of my favorites! It is so tender and juicy- plus a more affordable option compared to a steak or beef tenderloin.
What is a tri tip roast?
A tri-tip roast is a triangular cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. It’s known for its rich flavor, tenderness, and versatility. The most popular ways to prepare a tri tip is in the oven or grilled/smoked. It’s often seasoned with a dry rub or marinade and sliced against the grain for maximum tenderness.
I had not heard of tri tip until we started processing our own cuts of beef. It is popular BBQ style in places like California- many times around the Midwest it is cut into something else. I personally looked at our local grocery stores and could not find tri tip.
A Tri tip may also be called a Santa Maria steak, triangle steak, California cut or Newport Steak.
Start with a good cut of beef
While I understand buying directly from a farmer isn’t available for everyone, and your grocery store offerings are still a nutritious option, something about sourcing from your local farmer just tastes better.
In this recipe, I used our own 21 day dry-aged beef. Dry aging for 21 days helps improve the texture, flavor and tenderness of the beef. Dry-aged beef is not available in most average grocery stores. Learn more about the benefits of dry-aged beef here.
Our French Creek Beef is grass fed, finished on grain for about 90-120 days to provide optimal marbling. We raise them start to finish- using our own hay and grain. We sell cuts of our 21 day dry-aged beef, and also use it in our freezer meal business. Tri tip is a cut that you do not get many of when processing a steer- so it can sell quickly before we restock again.
Ingredients
Tri Tip Roast: this recipe is specific for a 2lb size.
Tallow, oil or butter for searing the roast. I used our own cookin’ tallow. Tallow has many nutritional benefits and a high smoke point. Making it great for searing a roast or even seasoning your next cast iron!
Spice Rub- our farmers blend spice rub works beautifully on this roast. Otherwise a mixture of rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and onion powder works well.
How to make the trip tip roast
- Mix up your spice rub, or just use our farmers blend rub for an even easier dinner.
- Remove the Tri tip from the packaging and rub the spice mixture into the roast. If the Tri tip still has a large amount of fat on it, you can trim a bit off and score it so that the spices really get absorbed well. Let this roast rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Why should you let the meat set out for awhile? To bring it to closer to room temp for more even cooking, and more benefits.
- Preheat the oven to 250 F. Use a large pan or cast iron skillet to sear your roast. On medium-high heat, grease your pan with tallow, butter or oil. Let the Tri tip sear on each side for about 3 minutes each.
- Once each side has been seared, transfer the roast to a roasting pan with rack. Put in oven, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. if your roast is larger/smaller, it will take a different time to cook. This will depend on how well you like your roast done. I suggest 140-150 F ‘medium or medium well. Note that the ends will likely be more “done” than the middle- which is nice when feeding a group that has different preferences!
Make sure to use a meat thermometer to make this roast perfectly! And measure the temp at the thickest area. - Once at the proper temp, remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. After rearing, transfer to cutting board and cut against the grain for most tenderness.
How to store oven Tri tip leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze this for 3 months or longer if stored properly in a deep freezer. Then, just warm in microwave to prepare.
I enjoyed eating my Tri tip leftovers on a salad or with my morning eggs.
How many will a tri tip roast feed?
This is a great question with many answers! If you are feeding a 2 lb tri tip roast, you will likely feed somewhere between 5-8 adults. This will depend widely on the style of dinner you are having (large potluck or just a couple simple sides). A tri tip roast is boneless.
What pairs well with oven roasted Tri tip?
- red wine pairs well with beef. If you’re looking to wow a crowd, make a red wine mulled cider to serve alongside the roast.
- Mashed potatoes and cheesy crockpot corn.
- A side salad like our healthy broccoli salad recipe.
- Caramel Rice Krispie bars for a simple dessert that feeds a crowd.
Other tri tip variations
I make my tri tip to serve with traditional sides like mashed potatoes, but there are many other ways to use this!
- smoke or grill the tri tip instead. This is another very popular way to prepare a tri tip.
- serve with a buttery sauce or Aus jus.
- Use a different seasoning mix. Like a Santa Maria seasoning mix or a taco/Mexi type rub and then make tacos!
FOLLOW ALONG FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE Roasted Tri tip!
Please comment, rate or give us a ‘follow’ if you enjoy this recipe! Follow Recipes from French Creek on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook for more ideas!
I hope you enjoy this Tri tip recipe! -Bobbi Jo
The Easiest Oven Roasted Tri Tip Recipe
Equipment
- 1 small mixing bowl to blend spices
- cutting board
- measuring utensils/knives
- meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 2 lb tri tip roast can use other weights, but cook time will vary.
- 1 tbsp cooking tallow to grease pan. Or use butter, oil, etc.
Spice Rub
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp maldon salt
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) to taste
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- OR use our farmers blend spice rub optional in place of regular spices
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the spices to create a rub. Or use our farmers blend spice rub.
- Remove the tri tip from any packaging and rub the spices into the roast. Note, that if you have a larger or smaller tri tip roast you may need more/less rub. If there is a fat cap on the tri tip, trim it if needed and score the cap to really rub the spices into the roast.
- After rubbing the spices in, let the roast rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes if possible. This creates more even cooking.
- Preheat oven to 250 F. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat- grease with cooking tallow, butter or oil. Sear each side of the roast for about 3 minutes per side.
- Then, transfer the roast onto the roasting pan. Bake the roast uncovered for approximately 30-45 minutes until done to your liking. Check temp with meat thermometer. I prefer the internal temp of the thickest area of the roast to be 140-150 F for a 'medium' or 'medium well' roast. This time to cook will vary widely on roast size, too.
- Once removed from oven, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain for optimal juiciness and tenderness. Slice thin.
Leave a Reply