Santa Maria Tri Tip

Santa Maria Style Tri-tip
Rich Miller 
Morro Bay, CA

2 (3 pound) tri-tip roasts
Basting Sauce, recipe follows
Seasoning Salt Mixture: recipe follows

Seasoning Salt Mixture:
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 tablespoons granulated garlic
6 tablespoons salt

Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl

Basting Sauce:
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup garlic-infused vegetable oil

Whisk together vinegar and oil in a small bowl.

Coat both sides of the tri-tip roasts with the seasoning mixture, rubbing it in as you would a dry rub. Let the seasoned tri-tip rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Sear each side of the tri-tip at 600 to 700 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes each. Remove seared tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest while bringing the BGE temperature down to 350 to 400 degrees. During this cool down period I usually toss in a couple of oak chunks. Put tri-tip back in the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 126 degrees for medium rare, basting with the sauce every 5 to 10 minutes. Remove tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest 15 minutes. Cut into ½” slices against the grain.

This recipe is from Foodnetwork.com’s website. It is titled “Santa Maria Style BBQ” Oakwood Grilled Tri-tip. It is as close to authentic Santa Maria tri-tip as I have been able to find.

Remember if you don’t use the Basting Sauce, decrease the salt to 2 tablespoons.