Grilled Tri-Tip with Santa Maria Salsa

A close-up view of a grilled trip-tip with Santa Maria salsa on a cutting board next to a large knife.

Grilled Tri-Tip with Santa Maria Salsa

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American / California

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Dry Brine: 1

Total Time: 2 5

Servings:

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Grilled Tri-Tip with Santa Maria Salsa is truly an explosion of flavor. The meat is incredibly flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. And the Santa Maria salsa is the perfect complement to the beefy cut of meat. Perfect for your next BBQ!

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Equipment

1 Gas, charcoal, or electric grill

Ingredients

For the Tri-Tip

1 2 lb tri-tip steak fat trimmed off
2 tablespoon coarse Kosher salt or sea salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar dark
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard

For the Santa Maria Salsa

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes drained
2 stalks celery finely chopped
3 scallions chopped, green and white parts
2 Anaheim peppers seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro chopped
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oregano dried
1 teaspoon basil dried
1 teaspoon hot sauce ie, Tobasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce
1½ teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

Prepare the Grilled Tri-Tip

Sprinkle the coarse Kosher (or sea) salt all over the tri-tip. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
1 2 lb tri-tip steak, 2 tablespoon coarse Kosher salt
In a small bowl, mix together the black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, and dry mustard.
2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Fire your grill up for 2-zone cooking. One side with direct heat and the other side with no heat.
Remove the tri-tip from the refrigerator. Dust off the excess salt, but leave enough of it to season the steak. Sprinkle the rub all over the meat. Use your fingers to press it into the steak.
Place the tri-tip on the indirect heat side of your grill and lower the lid. Cook until an internal temperature reaches 110°F, about 30 to 45 minutes. Flip the meat about halfway while cooking.
Move the tri-tip to the direct heat side of the grill and cook until an internal temperature of 130°F is reached. Remove from the grill and let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes (the temperature will rise to 135°F).
Slice against the grain and then top with the salsa, with extra served at the table.

Make the Santa Maria Salsa

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. (You can make this up to several hours of grilling, or you can make it while the tri-tip is chilling with salt in the fridge).
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, 2 stalks celery, 3 scallions, 2 Anaheim peppers, ¼ cup cilantro, 2 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1½ teaspoon garlic salt

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

If you can't find tri-tip, ask your butcher if he/she can special order it for you.

You'll want to brush a decent amount of the salt off of the meat after it has brined in the fridge. Leave enough so the meat is seasoned with the salt, but not so much that is too salty. Brush off excess and you should be fine.

135°F is medium-rare. Bring the meat to 145°F for medium (very little pink inside).

This sliced tri-tip makes amazing sandwiches, too. The salsa is a great condiment, too.

Leftovers will keep for 5 days in the fridge. The salsa will keep for 1 week but loses its freshness after several days.

Nutrition