Tri Tip Roast is rubbed with a smoky spice mix, briefly pan seared to caramelize the exterior, then roasted in the oven until rare and tender.
Ingredients
2lbtri tip roast
1tsppaprika
1/2tspfreshly ground black pepper
1/2tspchipotle chile pepper
kosher salt
tallow or neutral cooking oilfor searing
Instructions
Start a day ahead of time. Trim all the silverskin from the meat if necessary, then rub the paprika, black pepper, and chipotle chile pepper all over the meat.
Wrap the meat tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day, so the flavors can penetrate the beef.
Ninety minutes before you plan to cook the meat, take it out of the refrigerator. You may skip this if absolutely essential, but the meat will not be as moist (see notes).
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season very generously with salt on all sides. I usually do about 2 tsp total.
Add enough tallow or oil to coat the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet, and heat over medium high heat. When the fat shimmers, sear the meat for 2 minutes on the first side, until golden brown. Turn the meat over, then sear for 1 minute. For the most even cooking, transfer the meat to a wire rack, otherwise, simply transfer the entire skillet to the oven.
Roast the beef for 35-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 125 degrees F.
Remove the meat to a rack or board, and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing, loosely tented with foil, so the juices can redistribute. Cut into thin slices and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller's Santa Maria Tri Tip recipe. I changed the spices slightly, roast directly in the skillet, and skip the rosemary garlic butter basting, as I find it clashing with the chipotle flavor.The Warm-up: When ready to cook, ideally you'll want to take the beef out of the fridge and let it sit out on the counter for 90 minutes to warm up. This takes the chill off the meat and makes it so the cut requires less cooking, which means less drying out and more moist meat. It makes a noticeable difference, but if you must and are in a hurry, you can skip it.Storing leftovers: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.Freezing: Wrap tightly to prevent freezer burn, then place in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.Reheating: Reheated beef is never as good as the freshly cooked stuff, and you will need to be incredibly careful not to overcook the meat when reheating. If reheating from frozen, first thaw the beef in the fridge overnight. To reheat, I recommend placing in a 300F oven for about 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the beef, until warmed through. I don’t recommend the microwave, as it’s very easy to overheat the meat. Personally, I don’t like to reheat the beef at all, and will instead slice it and enjoy it cold in a Steak Salad.