Up until recently, how I cooked and served steak was pretty standard. Sure, sometimes I’ll reverse sear them etc, but this smoked then seared Santa Maria Trip-Tip steak really surprised me, and I think it will surprise you as well. The process starts off with marinating the steak for several days, then a reverse sear and served with a salsa salad over the top; it really is excellent.
Tap/Click above to watch the recipe or scroll below to see the steps: Video – Traeger.com
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Step 1: To make the tri-tip as tasty as possible and to soften up this tougher cut of meat its first marinaded, that process starts with chopping up some onion.
Step 2: Then, place the chopped onions in a bowl and add in some balsamic vinegar.
Step 3: Next, add in small bowls of chilli flakes, garlic and onion powder, some chopped garlic, and cayenne pepper.
Step 4: Mix those ingredients together so the garlic and onion start to dissolve in the vinegar.
Step 5: Then add in a larger bowl of olive oil, black pepper and stir through.
Step 6: Place the tri-tip steak in a plastic ziplock bag and then add in the marinade mixture. Seal the bag, roll the steak in the marinade, and leave for up to three days, if possible, in the fridge.
Step 7: This is the tri-tip steak after three days of marinating, a little kosha salt is added to the top before it goes on the pellet grill/smoker.
Step 8: The tri-tip is placed on the grates at 165 to 180 degrees for three hours. At these lower temperatures, when the pellet fire is less efficient, that is when it will be producing the most smoke.
Step 9: While the tri-tip is being smoked the Salsa Mexicana can be prepared. This involves chopping up red Onions, Jalapeno Peppers, Tomatoes, and Cilantro/Coriander.
Step 10: Place all the chopped ingredients for the Salsa Mexicana in a bowl then squeeze several limes into the mixture.
Step 11: Mix all the ingredients of the salad together and let it rest in the fridge for around 30 minutes while you go back to attend to the tri-tip steak.
Step 12: After three hours at 165 degrees, the trip-tip is well smoked, but its not done, its now time for the sear for additional flavor and texture.
Step 13: With the pellet grill/smoker set to its highest temperature sear on both sides. On the Traeger, this was 10 minutes per side (500 degrees), but reduce that time if your grill has a higher temperature.
Step 14: The finished tri-tip streak has an internal temperature of 125 degrees and developed some excellent color from the smoke.
Step 15: For a trip-tip its very important to cut against the grain. It’s hard to explain that with images/words, so check out Tim’s video above for an explanation as to how to do that.
Step 16: For the presentation, a wooden longboard works nicely. Spread apart the sliced tri-tip so the Salsa Mexicana can go nicely over the top.
Step 17: However, before placing the salsa on top, give the steak a final light covering of pepper and kosher salt.
Step 18: Then it’s time to add the Salsa Mexican on top of the trip-tip. Honestly, this recipe really surprised me, and its an excellent option to try.
Hi, I’m Chris Scott. I started PelHeat.com back in 2007 and I have a background in pellet manufacturing. PelHeat.com is an educational resource on BBQ pellets, pellet grills & smokers. Check out our Pellet Grill & Smoker Database.
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