Have you ever made a California cut of meat called Tri-Tip? The Traveling Locavores made their first San Diego style grilled Tri-Tip while in Temecula, and it was OUTSTANDING!
Visiting my cousin in San Diego
Steve and I drove to San Diego for the day, to visit my cousin Donna and her beau. I know. I know. I have a lot of cousins. I’m very blessed in that department, and this nomadic lifestyle of ours has given us the opportunity to visit them all across the country. But I digress… This particular cousin just rented a house right near the beach. They just moved to San Diego together and found this fabulous place that was completely furnished and appointed with top of the line items. All they had to bring was their clothes.
The owner of my cousin’s lives in this house that is attached to theirs. We loved all of the whimsical adornments.
We had a wonderful visit chatting away on one of their ocean view decks. While continuing to catch up with our lives since our last visit we enjoyed some wonderful cheese, crackers and mini salamis. I had to know where she got those amazing mini salamis and the Triple Cream Brie.
The owner’s front porch
Turns out there’s a market, right opposite the ocean, that’s really close to their house. It’s called Seaside Market in Cardiff, CA. They are known for their “World Famous Tri Tip” referred to as “crack” that’s marinated in burgundy and black pepper. We absolutely HAD to go.
We said our goodbyes and immediately drove to the Seaside Market. I could have spent hours there, along with an arm and a leg. It’s the market of my dreams! Our first stop was the meat counter to purchase our piece of Crack. We bought enough for us to have hot off the grill one night and then chilled in a salad another night.
Our next shop was in the extensive cheese department for some of that Brie. And then we began our search for the mini salamis. There they were hanging on a display. With several varieties we had a tough time deciding which one to get. But we ended up with the one with black pepper. The salami minis are made by Creminelli Fine Meats. I’m sure you’d like to know where you can find them. I did a Google search and found them at Whole Foods and a couple of other places.
They’re really delicious and fun to serve with cheese. I like cutting them in half with a kitchen shears and then serving them in a little pile near my cheese.
Back to the Tri-Tip, we couldn’t wait for the next night to grill our new find. But since we actually had to wait, we put the marinated meat in the fridge until the next evening.
“Crack” Grilled Tri-Tip
While Steve was getting the coals ready, I took the meat out of the fridge to warm a bit. Before putting it on the grill I dabbed off the excess marinade and seasoned the Tri-Tip all over with salt only, since there was lots of black pepper in the marinade.
Searing over hot coals in our Weber Jumbo Joe
One side done, other side getting there.
Once the grill was hot Steve seared the meat on both sides and moved it to the indirect heat to continue to cook to medium rare. After resting for about 5 minutes I sliced the meat and couldn’t believe how tender it was. I served it with garlic and horseradish mashed potatoes. And though I did put A1 on the table, the meat was so incredibly flavorful and juicy that neither of us wanted anything on it.
Delicious San Diego Style Grilled Tri-Tip
San Diego Style Grilled Tri-Tip with Garlic Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
We were so impressed with the tenderness and flavor that the very next night I used our leftover San Diego Style Grilled Tri-Tip to make a fabulous Black and Blue Salad the very next night!
Look for my next post as I will be publishing the recipe for those yummy garlic horseradish mashed potatoes.
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San Diego Style Grilled Tri-Tip
Tri-Tip so good that it’s known as “CRACK”! This delicious cut of the bottom sirloin is marinated in burgundy wine and black pepper. Then it’s grilled over hot coals to a perfect medium rare. Just how I like it!
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 (1 1/2 – 2-pound) piece of Tri-Tip or bottom sirloin
1 bottle of burgundy wine
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Mix together the wine, pepper, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Place the Tri-Tip into a gallon size zipper bag and place that in a deep sided pot. Pour the contents of the bowl over the meat in the bag and seal the bag, releasing any air in the bag. Place the bag with the meat in the fridge and allow to marinate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct and indirect cooking. For a charcoal grill, our preference, make a mound of hot coals to one side of center and spread them thinly to the opposite side. For a gas grill have one burner set to medium-high and the other burner off.
Take the meat out of the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling. Let the excess marinade drip off and discard the bag with the liquid. Use paper towels to dab off the extra moisture and season with kosher salt, liberally all over the Tri-Tip.
When the grill is ready, sear the meat on both sides over the direct heat, about 4-7 minutes per side, until the meat is brown and caramelized.
Move the meat to the indirect heat and grill another 7-12 minutes per side for medium rare. Use a meat thermometer at the thickest point to check for doneness. For medium rare we always take the meat off when the instant read thermometer registers 125º F. Carry over heat will continue to cook the meat while it’s resting.
Remove the Tri-Tip from the grill and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
We like to repurpose left overs, so I cut the remaining sliced meat into bite size pieces and added it to salad greens and veggies along with crumbled blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. The San Diego style grilled Tri-Tip was so delicious in that Black and Blue Salad!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes plus 4-24 hours marinating time
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: California
