Sous Vide Tri Tip with Southwest Seasoning

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If you have ever struggled with cooking a tri tip then this recipe is for you. Cooked for eight hours and then perfectly seasoned and seared, this Sous Vide Tri Tip with Southwest Seasoning is the tender, delicious steak you’ve been looking for.

close up sliced sous vide tri tip on platter

Tri tip is one of my favorite cuts of steak. It is a real deal California specialty, and when done right a real treat. It was my number one seller for casual catering, and I thought I had done it every way possible and mastered it. Then I tried the sous vide.

This cut of beef is very lean and because it doesn’t have much marbling, it isn’t as forgiving as other beef roasts. When it is overcooked, it can be very tough and dry. The sous vide solves the problem of overcooking. The stable temperature of the water bath cooks the whole roast evenly from outside in.

Finishing the tri tip just involves southwest seasoning and a quick sear.

Serve this delicious dish with some of the Central Valley’s Favorite Side Dishes.

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Make this recipe, because…

Ingredients

Instructions

FAQs

Tips for Success

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Sous Vide Tri Tip with Southwest Seasoning

Southwest Seasoning

Make this recipe, because…

Sous Vide takes the guess-work out of cooking. The meat will be the perfect temperature from the outside to center every time.

The Southwest seasoning blend delivers the rich spices you expect from good barbecue while keeping you out of the heat.

The perfect searing technique ensures a delectably crisp outer crust around the perfectly tender inside.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1

Trim tri tip to leave a modest fat cap on top. Ensure that you remove any silver skin.

Step 2

Preheat a pot of water with the sous vide immersion circulator to the desired temperature.
Seal roast in a vacuum bag. You can also place it in a food storage bag and dip the bag in water to displace the air before sealing.
Cook the sealed meat in the water bath for 6-8 hours.

Step 3

Remove the cooked roast from the water bath. Take it out of the sealed bag and pat it dry.

This is the ugly duckling phase of cooking. Likely your meat will look a bit gray and boiled. No worries, the color is just on the very outside of the meat and will disappear when you sear the roast. The inside will be as pink as you intended it to be.

Step 4

Measure and mix your dry spices to make the southwest seasoning.
Rub the tri tip roast with the southwest seasoning or your favorite spice blend.

Step 5

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of canola oil to coat the pan.
Place the seasoned tri tip fat side down to sear the outside. Let cook for 2-3 minutes.

Step 6

Then, turn it over and brown the back side for another 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Remove the tri tip and set it on a cutting board and cover it with foil. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes.
Finally, slice into ¼ inch pieces, cutting against the grain.
Serve with your favorite side dishes.

The fat cap conceals the grain direction on top. Before slicing, turn the roast over to the back side and get a good look at the grain to make sure you are planning your slices to cut against it.

FAQs

What is tri tip?

Tri tip is a triangular shaped cut from the tip of the sirloin. It is a lean piece of beef with a very reasonable price point. The low fat content makes it a choice for lean protein, but also makes it a little bit tricky to cook without drying it out. Temperature control is the key to success no matter what method you use to cook it.

What Temperature is Best for a Tri tip in the Sous Vide?

Cooking temperature is mostly about preference. Medium-rare to medium are ideal and that gives you a temperature range from 132° to 145°. After 140°, the moisture loss is much higher and while the roast will still be evenly cooked, you could still have a dry piece of meat. It is best to stay under 140°.

It is also important to note that once you commit to cooking meat in the water bath for over four hours, the temperature should be above 130° to prevent food-borne illness.

Should I season meat before putting it in the sous vide?

I don’t recommend seasoning or marinating most meats before they go into the sous vide. This is especially true for cuts that you plan to cook for several hours. The acids and salt will break down the outer layer of meat and change the texture for the worse. Salt in particular can leave the outside of a roast tasting like cured meat.

Why do you cut meat against the grain?

Cutting against the grain breaks the long muscle fibers in the meat. The short fibers are easier to chew and thus more tender and delicious.

Tips for Success

Take an extra minute to inspect the fat cap on your tri tip. Leave the majority of the fat cap intact as it will render in the sous vide and make a juicy crisp crust after searing. Do remove any silver skill as it will not render and will be inedible no matter how long it is cooked.
Give your searing pan time to get hot.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, to coat the searing pan. This will allow for quick browning without burning.
Let the tri tip rest a full 10 minutes before slicing. This will keep the juices from flowing out as you slice.
Look at the underside of the tri tip to identify the direction of the grain. You will see that tri tip grain goes in two directions. Every roast is a little different, so you will need to choose a cutting angle that allows you to stay against the grain the whole way through or you will need to cut part of the roast one way, and change directions when you reach the change in grain.