Tri Tip in the Oven

The key to a great tri tip is getting a beautiful, crisp crust on the outside and the perfect medium center. Oven roasting delivers every time.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American, American Classic

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Rest Plus Slicing 15

Total Time 1

Servings People

Calories 425kcal

Author Diana Reis

Ingredients

2 Pounds Tri Tip Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Tri Tip Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Coarse Salt
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
1 Teaspoon Granulated Onion
½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ Teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
½ Teaspoon Dried Parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° and set the baking rack in the middle.
Pat the tri tip dry using a paper towel.
Coat the roast with olive oil and tri tip seasoning or your favorite seasoning mix and place on the baking sheet fat cap up.
Next, cook the roast to 5 degrees below desired final temperature. For best results, use a meat thermometer and begin checking a few minutes before it should be done.
Then, remove it from the oven, cover with foil, and let rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
The roast will continue cooking and the temperature will rise by approximately 5 degrees as it sits. (see time and temperature chart below)
Slice to the desired thickness, and serve with your favorite side dishes.

Notes

Tri Tip Temperature Chart

Doneness	Temp Removed From Oven	Rested/Final Temp	Cooking Time Per Pound
Rare	120°	125°	13 Minutes
Medium Rare	130	135°	15 Minutes
Medium	140°	145°	16 Minutes
Medium-Well	145°	155°	17 Minutes
Well	155°	165°	18 Minutes

How to Cut Tri Tip the Right Way

The most important thing to remember when slicing tri tip is to cut against the grain. This can be a little bit tricky because the triangular shaped roast will have grain running in two directions.
The first step is to identify the grain direction. You can do this by turning the roast over and looking at the bottom side where it is more defined.
Then, place your knife perpendicular to the grain and slice to the desired thickness. When I serve tri tip as the main dish, I cut ¼ inch slices. You can go thicker to have more steak-like pieces or thinner for tri tip sandwiches.

Why cut tri tip against the grain?

In the picture below, I’ve cut a piece with the grain to compare it to a piece cut against the grain.

You’ll notice that the piece cut with the grain still has the long fibers still intact. The long fibers are stronger and harder to chew.

The piece cut against or perpendicular to the grain has short, easy to chew fibers. The knife easily cuts through meat doing the hard work for you.

How many people will a tri tip serve?

This will depend on how big the tri tip is and how big your appetite is. I recommend around ⅓ of a pound raw weight per person. A two pound roast will serve up to six people.

Nutrition