Santa Maria Tri Tip (Big Green Egg or Gas Grill)

My meaty love letter to the California Central Coast, and a shout out to the Lake Fire firefighters!

Finley Farmstand, Santa Ynez, CA

The Central Coast of California is where I’ve chosen to put down roots for this next chapter of my life; the Santa Ynez Valley, to be more precise. We've been going up here for 15 years, loving the food, the wine, the farm stands of fresh veggies, and the beauty of the vines and horse pastures. This is the closest I’ve ever felt to belonging in a place. Living in Los Angeles was a wild ride, but it never felt like home, despite raising a child there.

Right now, we are having a pretty bad wildfire called the Lake Fire. We are totally safe, and so are the folks I know who are in the evacuation zone. I just wanted to give a giant shout-out to all the firefighters and personnel who are working through 105 degree days and single digit humidity to try to contain this beast of a wildfire. You are so appreciated, and we can’t wait until this is all over. You are truly doing the Lord’s work, and I just wanted to take a moment to sing your praises.

Now onto the main meat event…

The BBQ/smoked meat specialty in the Santa Ynez Valley is the Santa Maria Tri Tip roast. It’s flipping amazing, and it’s so common, you’ll find a Santa Maria grill in most of the locals’ backyards. I have this grill on my Christmas wish list.

For any of you who are following along at home, you know this is one of my all time favorite recipes that never made it into one of my cookbooks. It shall live here for all who love beef to enjoy.

I created my own homemade Santa Maria dry rub, outlined in this recipe, which you are welcome and encouraged to use. It’s delish. However, I developed the Eat Happy Kitchen BBQ Dust to be an homage to the Santa Maria dry rub. I’ve been exclusively making my tri tips with the BBQ Dust ever since we launched the spice blend two years prior.

It used to be a lot harder to find a tri tip cut sirloin in every region of the US, but it’s much more common now (and often referred to as a triangle cut roast in the midwest). You can also use a top sirloin roast, picanha, flank steak, or flat iron.

I use the Meater+ thermometer or this digital instant thermometer. The temperature stages are important with this roast, so make sure you stick to the internal temps and adjust the heat accordingly. Once you make this a few times, it will become second nature, and it’s almost impossible to mess it up.

Santa Maria Tri Tip is next level when using a Big Green Egg or combo grill/smoker, but a regular gas grill works wonderful well too. I make this roast year round, for guests for dinner parties, and for a yummy Sunday dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

As always, here’s the downloadable, printable version of this recipe.

Enjoy.

XOXO

Anna

SANTA MARIA TRI TIP (Big Green Egg or Gas Grill)

Note: you can use 2-3 tablespoons of Eat Happy Kitchen BBQ Dust in place of the spice mix.

(Serves 4-6)

• 2-3 pound tri tip roast

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1/2 tablespoon salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne

Lay the tri tip roast on a large baking sheet. Whisk together remaining ingredients into a dry rub. Rub the spice blend all over the roast and refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight. Remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare the grill or Big Green Egg to 250 degrees. Place the tri tip on the grill, with a digital meat thermometer inserted into the larger end of the roast (I used the MEATER+). Close the lid and let cook, preferably on indirect heat for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 115-117 degrees.

Turn the grill or Big Green Egg up to 500 degrees, and sear the roast on direct heat, 2-3 minutes per side, until the internal temp rises to 145 (medium) or 150 (medium well) degrees. Remove from the heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly, then serve, reserving excess juices for pouring over meat.