Fred’s Tri Tip in the Southeast

booksw

I have embarked on the journey of Fred’s Tri Tip as described by @1voyager a few weeks ago.  Thank you for the inspiration @1voyager!!  Here in the Southeast it is hard to find Tri Tip so I special ordered it from Whole Foods 2 weeks ago and picked it up today.  I am not sure if that was the right move but so far so good.



 I have friends coming over Friday for dinner so I put it in the marinade this afternoon to make it a 5 day soak.  The recipe makes 5 cups of liquid so I couldn’t use my go-to gallon zip lock.

1voyager

@booksw - Awesome. I hope you and your friends will enjoy the results. Please let us know.

BTW - We're celebrating my birthday today. Guess what I cooked...Fred's tri-tip. 

northGAcock

1voyager said:

@booksw - Awesome. I hope you and your friends will enjoy the results. Please let us know.

BTW - We're celebrating my birthday today. Guess what I cooked...Fred's tri-tip. 

You know I love a good trip down to Charleston. I also love a TriTip. No invite.. Shakin my head. Had to be excellent.

Philly35

Any info on this marinade?!? 

booksw

@Philly35- thanks for the question.  When I went back to look it up from a past thread I saw that I had missed an update from @1voyager!  I am going to add the vegemite this evening...  Here is a copy and paste of his post:

“Marinade recipe:

* 1.5 cup brewed dark roast coffee
* 1 cup Red Wine
* 1/2 cup Olive oil
* 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
* 1/3 cup Tamari sauce
* 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 2 Tbsp Molasses
* 2 Tbsp Chili powder
* 2 Tbsp Onion powder
* 2 Tbsp Paprika powder
* 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
* 5 cloves of crushed Garlic

For this experiment I added 1 heaping tablespoon of Vegemite. WOW! What a difference. It doesn't look like a Fred's, but it tastes like it. Vegemite was the missing ingredient.”

Happy birthday @1voyager  !!  

@northGAcock. You are welcome any time! The yeti store is an event (and sort of creepy)- did you have a chance to check it out?

northGAcock

booksw said:

@northGAcock. You are welcome any time! The yeti store is an event (and sort of creepy)- did you have a chance to check it out?

I did a quick in an out. I didn't have enough money on me to get into trouble (by design). My pup did land himself a well deserved (ok maybe not) Boomer Bowl. I really don't think he cares one way or the other as long as something is in it.

SoCal_Griller

Being from SoCal, I was raised on tri-tip.  All you need for good tri-tip is a little rub, especially this one: http://www.pappyschoice.com/Product%20Page_Pappys%20Choice.htm

No marinade.  Just a little rub, and reverse sear.  Santa Maria style.

JNDATHP

When we were spending our winters in Tampa, we found a local independent butcher who we convinced to order cryovac Tri tips. He did and the price was around 9 bucks a pound. 

booksw

As I started with (thanks for the wisdom @lousubcap)- I am on a journey of this cook.  It has not gone as planned and is still ongoing.  @1voyager called for a 5 day marinade and today is day 7- the meat just went on the egg.  I do not have super high hopes but it can’t be bad (I have never had anything bad on the egg unless it burned to a crisp but I didn’t eat that).  So many detours have been taken- because life happens.  First, as I said above, I read on day 1 that I should add vegemite, and I tried to find it.  At the end of day 1 I didn’t have it in hand but I had learned where I could get it (World Market/Cost Plus) and planned to go there on day 2.  That morning I got a text from the friends for whom I was making the tri tip that they had to reschedule.  Wind out of my sails, and lots of other things going on, I never picked up the vegemite.  On day 4 we got a call that my father-in-law was very ill and we got on an airplane.  I considered taking the meat out of the marinade at that point, not sure when I would be able to cook it, but I didn’t bother.  We just came back today, day 7, and the tri tip is now on the grill.

ALSO, when I set out on a new cook journey I generally read and read and read and go over all the pluses and minuses of the plate setter, the temp, sear, flame boss, etc etc.  This time I sort of stumbled into it (its already got so much stacked against it, why not).  I decided to go ahead and use the flame boss just because my brain power is sort of used up and it will help me with guess work (on a meat I have never cooked before that now has a chili-like color).

Here’s the game plan- I am going to cook to internal 115 (?) at 300 degrees, take it off, cover with foil, and then attempt to get the egg up to 600 and right before we are ready to sit down, sear it 90 seconds a side (like I do a T-Rex but that’s easier because the steak is smaller and the egg freshly lit).

If you are still reading- does that sound OK?

booksw

Ok another trip up of the tri tip- it cooked faster than I expected and 15 minutes after the flame boss said it was at 90 degrees, it had jumped to 145.  I quickly scooped it off.  I hope the probe was just too close to the fire (I didn’t use the plate setter).  Quick read temp is at 133.  So, she’s resting now and I am not sure I will bother with a sear... smells good!  When I was a kid, I loved steak with A1 Sauce and this sort of reminds me of it.  It won’t be BAD...

1voyager

@booksw - Looks like you did a great job. I hope it turned out well for you.

Funny that you mentioned loving A1 sauce when you were a kid. So did I. Now...ugh!

dmourati

A1 sauce contains raisins. That weirded me out when I learned that.

booksw

t

It cooked faster than I expected and I overshot a bit but it was still delicious- well worth the journey!

Woodbutcher

Good for you! Things don't always go as planned. I'm glad it turned out good for you.

JNDATHP

Looks great!