Tri-Tip Rubs


 
D

D Jennings

TVWBB Fan
Since Tri-Tip is a California thing, I'm asking you CA guys. What's your ultimate Tr-Tip rub. Please no premixed store bought stuff.

Also would you consder Tri-Tip Qing or grilling?
 
It's not just a Calif thing!
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But here's one I've used for years--first developed when I lived and cooked in the Bay.

2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 t freshly ground white pepper
1 t freshly ground green pepper
2 T granulated onion
4 T granulated garlic
2 T ground guajillo chile
1 T thyme
1/2 t ground bay leaf

Salt the tri on both sides and allow to sit several minutes till the salt draws some moisture. Apply the rub over the salt then allow the tri to come to room temp before cooking, about an hour. (This makes more rub than you need for a single tri-tip.)

To me it's grill-roasting.
 
It's usually grilled at high temp, but you can do it at lower temp in the WSM as long as you sear it off at the end, like I did here:

Tri-tip

Sorry, but my favorite rub for tri-tip is still a product called Susie Q from Santa Maria, CA, heart of tri-tip country in central California. You can approximate it using the recipe in the article linked above.

Regards,
Chris
 
umm, here in the calif valley
where tri tip is king, most just
coat the thing with mustard and
kosher salt overnight and throw it
on the grill for some direct grilling.
 
We're partial to a lingering soak in Chaka's, followed by a nice sear and an indirect finish.

Plain ol' salt and fresh cracked black pepper never dissapoints, but Chris' suggested Susie Q is about as traditional as it gets for true Santa Maria style tri-tip.
 
OK I am not from California. But we do raise beef
here in Illinois and the Tri-Tip is included with
almost every one of them. Rub your tip with olive oil and then add equal parts celery salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
 
Here's a couple of my favorites.

Cowboy rub

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried ground thyme
1 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans

Jack Straw's Lazy Lightnin' rub

2 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
3 teaspoon finely ground french roast coffee beans
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon onion powder

Santa Maria Rub

1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 ½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Tri tip is best on the grill. Sear it on both sides then finish indirectly or better yet use a spit cage on you kettle. Pull it at 127-130, tent loosely with foil for 20 mins. or so for med rare.
 
The Santa Maria's Rub listed above is my all time favorite. Highly recommend grilling rather than BBQ. Not to mention ... its just so simple and everyone at your table will simply love it!
 
Try this, it is good on any beef.

My Beef Rub

2 TBSP Kosher salt
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP dried thyme leaves
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1-1/2 tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tsp ground savory
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
It's not just a Calif thing!
icon_smile.gif


But here's one I've used for years--first developed when I lived and cooked in the Bay.

2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 t freshly ground white pepper
1 t freshly ground green pepper
2 T granulated onion
4 T granulated garlic
2 T ground guajillo chile
1 T thyme
1/2 t ground bay leaf

Salt the tri on both sides and allow to sit several minutes till the salt draws some moisture. Apply the rub over the salt then allow the tri to come to room temp before cooking, about an hour. (This makes more rub than you need for a single tri-tip.)

To me it's grill-roasting.
Click to expand...

Kevin,
I just so happened to have some guajillo on hand so I decided to tri (tip) this rub...fantastic (used pink instead of white peppercorns)! I am totally sold on the salt the meat first - none in the rub concept. Glad it made extra, this will be a standard steak seasoning.
Many thanks (again)
Don
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
It's not just a Calif thing!
icon_smile.gif


But here's one I've used for years--first developed when I lived and cooked in the Bay.
Click to expand...
I can't help but wonder if your talking about the SF Bay area, and if so the irony to me would be funny..., kinda like, "it's not a Cali thing, but here's a recipe I developed in Cali..."
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Either that or you actually cooked in a bay somewhere, but that would seem hard to keep the coals lit...hehehe
 
The operative word is 'just'.
icon_smile.gif
But, yes, the SF Bay area. I lived in the City in the later 70s and early 80s; in Marin the last year there.
 
Kevin,

I love Marin, great area. I'm not crazy about the city, don't think I could live there.

Marin Joe's does a decent grilled steak, IMO, stop there occasionally when I head up north...they do use charcoal...

Memphis Minnie's is pretty good in the city, not good enough to want me to live there, but good to stop at...
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One of the only reasons tri-tip has been popular is Cali, is because the butchers cut it!
icon_smile.gif
They are in every cow after all, and Cali certainly doesn't have a monopoly on cows...
 
But here's one I've used for years--first developed when I lived and cooked in the Bay.

2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 t freshly ground white pepper
1 t freshly ground green pepper
2 T granulated onion
4 T granulated garlic
2 T ground guajillo chile
1 T thyme
1/2 t ground bay leaf
Click to expand...

I made this mix and really liked it. The only change was that I backed off on the garlic by half.

Its much more interesting than the Suzy Q clones.
 
I'm not from CA, but I'll still tell you my rub. I've been using it for a few years and always go back to it, and it's very simple:

equal parts of Kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper and white pepper

I typically get the meat out of the fridge and season, light the kettle for an indirect cook with the coals piled high on 1 side only, cook indirect with some mesquite or oak smoke, then reverse sear to medium rare.
 
My Tri-Tip mix is similar to most you see here but I want to put a plug in for cooking it low n slow. Read how The Dueling Bubbas do it in "Weber's Charcoal Grilling-The Art of Cooking with Live Fire" cookbook. I tried it and I like it better then grilled.
 
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