Santa Maria Tri Tip
This Santa Maria tri tip slow cooks over charcoal and hickory wood on an adjustable grate with the fat cap down most of the time. It’s rubbed with a wet mud before it ever sees fire and finishes with chimichurri.
What You’ll Need For Santa Maria Tri Tip
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tri-Tip | One whole tri-tip, fat cap intact. |
| Olive Oil | To help form the dry ingredients into mud. |
| Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder | The holy trinity of Santa Maria seasoning. |
| Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Oregano | Personal additions. |
| Charcoal and Hickory | Charcoal to start, then hickory splits to maintain smoke. |
| Parsley, Cilantro, Garlic | The chimichurri green sauce. |
| Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Lemon Juice | Things to bind the chimichurri together. |
| Red Pepper Flakes, Salt, Pepper | Season chimichurri to your taste. |
See recipe card below for exact amounts.
Mix the Dry Rub
Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and oregano together in a bowl.
Add olive oil until it transforms from dry spice into a loose/runny paste.
Apply liberally to all sides of the tri-tip.
Prepare the Grill
Heat coals in your grill, then add a split of hickory once the coals are ready.
Add tri-tip fat side down, then raise the cooking grate up high from the fire.
Allow to cook for about an hour and ten minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 100°.
Flip, then grill another 20-25 minutes adjusting the grate height as needed.
Add wood as needed by stuffing more splits down the sides of the fire.
Remove from grill at 135°, rest for 10 minutes, then slice super thin against the grain.
Cook times and temperatures can be found in the recipe card below.
Why Adjusting the Grate Height is Important
Adjustable grates aren’t exclusive to Santa Maria grills, but they’re their signature. This style of grill features a crank that lifts and lowers the grate above the fire.
Instead of thermostat or even a lid, the primary control you have over temperature is distance. When the fire is ripping, you crank that grate up high. When it’s dying down, you drop it back down. You’re basically reading the fire and adjusting throughout the cook, hence why Santa Maria style BBQ is a hands-on cook instead of set it and forget it.
You also cook fat cap down first because the dripping fat both flavors the meat as it renders slow into the fire and protects the meat from direct radiant heat. It’s only flipped so the other side can crisp up a little.
A Couple Honest Caveats
If you were to grill strictly Santa Maria style, you’d be using red oak wood. That’s the traditional wood of the region and it’s what makes it taste like Santa Maria tri-tip. I smoked mine with hickory, which lends a heavier flavor than oak. It still tastes amazing, just not traditional.
Same goes for my rub. Traditional Santa Maria seasoning only uses salt, pepper and garlic. I wanted this steak to POP, so I went heavy on paprika, onion powder and oregano. You do you.
Make the Chimichurri
Finely chop parsley, cilantro and garlic then mix with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Place in refrigerator until tri-tip is finished.
Why Pull at 135°?
For me and my family, 135° internal temperature is perfect for medium rare. The USDA recommends pulling whole cuts of beef at 145°. Do whatever you’re comfortable with, just know the higher you go the less juicy it’ll be.
Make sure to let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Slice as thin as possible against the grain, then change directions when the grain does. Tri-tip has two directional grains and the second half fights you if you try to slice with it.
Author’s Notes
A Very Rewarding Cook
This is a very very satisfying cook. Very nice cook. It takes a while, but the tri-tip just becomes very smoky, really nice flavor.
The fat cap renders perfectly, nice and crispy on the outside. Just a very rewarding cook.
You can serve it with your favorite sides. That could be a salad, you can do beans, mac and cheese, or you can even make a taco from it.
Miguel
Tips From Miguel
- Start with fat cap down. It protects the meat and the drippings feed the fire, which is where a lot of that smoke flavor comes back from.
- Never leave it over intense flame. No matter how you’re cooking it, if the fire is too hot move it up.
- Keep feeding those splits. You need smoke the entire time, keep adding wood.
- Slice super thin. As thin as you can. If you leave this steak too thick it’s going to chew tough.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The chimichurri can be made up to several days in advance, it tastes better the longer it sits anyway. Mix everything together, cover and refrigerate until you need it.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Cold leftover tri-tip makes one hell of a taco.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special grill?
Nope. Santa Maria grills are adjustable height grates over an open fire. You can achieve the same effect with any grill or smoker. You’ll be playing with vents and coals instead of a grate crank and fat cap down still applies.
Is Santa Maria tri-tip always grilled?
Historically it’s cooked over charcoal and wood together, so anything that gives you both will work. Grill, smoker or pit, the method matters less than the fuel.
What wood does traditional Santa Maria use?
Wood from the Santa Maria basin is mostly oak, thus why traditional Santa Maria style tri-tip tastes like oak. Hickory was my wood of choice because it’s what I had, it just has a heavier smoke than oak.
Do I need to slice it against the grain?
You shouldn’t eat any steak with the grain long, always slice against it. Tri-tip is a special beast because it changes directions about halfway through. Start one direction, then when you notice the grain shift, shift with it.
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Santa Maria Tri Tip with Chimichurri
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the tri-tip dry and trim away any loose pieces of meat, hanging fat or uneven edges. Do not remove the fat cap. It protects the meat during the cook and renders down over the fire.
- Combine the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and dried oregano. Add the olive oil a little at a time, mixing until you have a loose, slightly runny paste.
- Slather the seasoning mud generously over every side of the tri-tip.
- Set up your grill with charcoal and get a good fire going. Once the coals are ready, add a split of hickory for smoke.
- Place the tri-tip on the grill fat cap down and raise the grate so it sits well above the direct heat. Cook about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches approximately 100°F.
- Flip the tri-tip and cook another 20 to 25 minutes, adjusting the grate height as the fire changes, until the internal temperature reaches approximately 135°F for medium rare.
- Keep adding hickory splits down the sides of the fire throughout the cook. Keep the tri-tip elevated and never leave it sitting over an aggressive flame.
- While the tri-tip cooks, finely chop the parsley, cilantro and garlic and combine with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
- Remove the tri-tip from the grill and rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
- Slice very thin against the grain, changing direction when the grain does. Arrange on a platter and spoon the chilled chimichurri over the top.
