Tri Tip Tacos
You start with a tri-tip that’s cut twice, sliced thin, run through skewers and cooked hot and fast. Make roasted salsa in the blender while you wait. Then crisp tortillas with cheese in a dry pan. Bring it all together and you get the kind of tacos people say “holy crap” about.
Prep > cook on these tri tip tacos, but trust me. It’s worth the minutes.
What Goes Into Tri Tip Tacos
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tri-tip | One whole one. Cut twice, see below. |
| Taco seasoning or carne asada seasoning | Use what you like best. |
| Wooden skewers | Soak them first. |
| Roma tomatoes, jalapeños, white onion, garlic | All roasted for salsa. |
| Cilantro, lime, salt | Blended with the roasted veg. |
| Corn tortillas | Not flour for these. |
| Oaxaca cheese | Shredded. This makes the crust. |
Find exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Part One: Prep the Skewers
Cut your tri-tip into about 1″ steaks, going with the grain.
Turn each piece and cut across the grain into thin quarter inch slices.
Thread them onto your skewers.
Season liberally on all sides.
Let them rest while you make your salsa.
Why You Need To Cut Your Tri Tip Twice
This is the part people do wrong and it’s the difference between tacos that bite you back and ones that melt.
Tri-tip has grain running in two directions, which is what makes cutting it properly a little confusing. The first cut is with the grain. You’re cutting inch thick “steaks” here. Not really trying to make steaks, just cutting the roast into easy to work with chunks and lining up the grain so you can see it.
The second cut is against that grain, and it’s thin. Cutting across the muscle fibers like that shortens them. When you chew, short fibers are what your teeth interpret as being tender. Thin enough (quarter inch here) that a fast hot cook leaves it amazingly tender.
If you do both cuts with the grain you end up with long muscle fibers running down the length of every piece. Same seasoning. Same meat. Chewy taco.
Part Two: Make The Salsa
Cut tomatoes, jalapeños, onion and garlic into rough chunks and put them on a baking sheet.
Roast them until they get some good color.
Dump everything into a blender with cilantro, lime juice and salt.
Blend until you get the consistency you want. I leave some chunk to it.
Pour into a bowl and stick in fridge until the skewers are done.
Author’s Notes
It Is Very Rewarding
This is a fun way to cook tri-tip. It is very rewarding.
Cutting it nice and thin keeps it nice and tender and full of flavor when you season it.
So I highly recommend you try this. This is a great idea for lunch, or even for a good dinner.
Miguel
Part Three: Skewers and Tortillas
Get your grill screaming hot. Place skewers over direct heat and cook about 3 minutes per side.
You just want char all over, so once it has that, remove it and wrap in foil.
Take a nonstick pan and heat over medium-high. Drop about half a handful of shredded Oaxaca cheese into dry pan.
Place a corn tortilla down on top of the cheese and press gently.
Flip once the cheese crisps and browns around the edges, and let it go another minute.
Take it out of the pan cheese side down.
Place about 1/3rd of a skewer onto the tortilla. Spoon some salsa on top. Fold it up.
Times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
How Does the Cheese Crust Work?
The secret is the cheese goes in first by itself. THEN you place the tortilla on it.
As the cheese hits the pan the water cooks out of it. What’s left is mostly fat and protein which brown and crisp up. It sets into a sheet, and meanwhile the tortilla on top is getting soft from steam coming off of it. One pass in the pan gives you a crunchy shell on one side, and a soft tortilla shell on the other. Perfect.
Lift it out cheese side down so that when you add your fillings and fold the crust is on the outside, where you can see and hear it crunching.
You have to let the cheese actually cook into a solid sheet before you flip it, or it will tear and you’ll lose half of it stuck to the pan.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The salsa is the only make-ahead part of this recipe and it tastes better after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a few hours. You can also skewer your meat ahead of time if you want. Seasoned, covered and stored in the fridge.
You can’t do any of that with the tortillas though. Make them as people are eating. The cheese crust will soften in minutes after leaving the pan.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container. Since the meat is sliced thin it reheats quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different cut?
Sure. Skirt or flank both work great and are easier to cut since they only have grain one direction. Tri-tip has more intramuscular fat, which = more flavor.
What is Oaxaca cheese?
Oaxaca cheese is a Mexican melting cheese sold in a rope that pulls apart into strands, similar to a low-moisture mozzarella. Mozzarella will also work fine if you can’t find it.
Why didn’t my cheese crust stay together?
You didn’t let it cook long enough before you flipped it. It needs to set into one solid sheet before it will lift cleanly.
Related Recipes
- Authentic Carne Asada Tacos with Fresh Red Salsa
- Carne Asada Steak Fries
- Grilled Bone In Ribeyes and Smashed Parmesan Potatoes
- Smoked Braised Lamb Birria
My Gear
Everything I cook with lives here: linktr.ee/cooking_with_fire___
Explore More Recipes
Chicken | Beef | Pork | Seafood
Tri Tip Tacos with Cheese Crusted Tortillas
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut the tri-tip into roughly 1 inch steaks going with the grain. Then turn each piece and slice against the grain into thin 1/4 inch pieces. Cutting across the fibers is what keeps the meat tender.
- Thread the thin pieces onto soaked wooden skewers and season generously on all sides with taco or carne asada seasoning. Let them sit while you make the salsa.
- Cut the tomatoes, jalapeños, onion and garlic into rough chunks and put them on a pan. Roast until they take on good color and char.
- Transfer everything to a blender with the cilantro, lime juice and salt. Blend to the consistency you want, then pour into a bowl and refrigerate while you cook the skewers.
- Heat the grill to approximately 400°F to 450°F. Place the skewers over direct heat and cook hot and fast, about 3 minutes per side, until you have char all over.
- Remove the skewers and wrap them loosely in foil to keep warm while you make the tortillas.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium high. Drop about half a handful of shredded Oaxaca cheese into the dry pan, then immediately lay a corn tortilla on top of the cheese and press gently.
- Once the cheese crisps and browns around the edges, flip the tortilla and cook another minute. Remove it from the pan cheese side down.
- Add about a third of a skewer of tri-tip to the tortilla, spoon roasted salsa over it, and fold it up. Repeat for the rest.
