How to Cook Tri Tip in Oven

Step 1

Make steak rub by combining spices in a small bowl. Mix well. Trim any silver skin off. Coat the tri-tip with dry rub on all sides. If the tri-tip still has the fat cap on it, score the fat cap in a criss-cross pattern and work some of the rub into the grooves. If the fat cap is very thick, trim some of it off before this to give you a thin layer of fat, then score and season. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to take the chill off.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 250ºF.

Step 3

Pan sear tri-tip. Heat 1 Tbsp avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. This can be a cast iron skillet or metal skillet. I love to use my 12-inch cast-iron skillet for this. Once hot, sear the meat on all sides until well-browned (about 10 minutes total). Move the tri-tip to a roasting pan with a rack. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet with a metal rack.

Step 4

Roast in oven. Insert a meat thermometer into the center at the thickest part and place on the center oven rack of preheated oven. Roast until until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 130ºF for medium rare and 140ºF for medium doneness. If the tri-tip still has the fat cap on it, roast it with the fat side up. Cooking time will vary depending on the weight and thickness of your roast, but it should be around 30-40 minutes for a 2 lb tri tip. As always, I recommend medium-rare steak.

Step 5

Remove and rest. Remove tri-tip from the oven and let the meat rest for 10 minutes on the roasting rack.

Step 6

Slice. Move to a cutting board and slice against the grain in thin slices with a very sharp knife. Leave in whole slices if serving as a main dish or for sandwiches. For tacos, cut slices into strips against the grain.

Step 7

Serve with your favorite sauce. I love it in slices with my creamy peppercorn herb sauce. You can also pile it high on a sandwich with bbq sauce, or stuff into tacos with plenty of fresh salsa, avocado slices, or other toppings.

Step 8

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. But let's be honest, will there really be enough leftovers to freeze?!? This flavorful piece of meat is just too good! Ours disappears pretty quickly!!