How to Grill Tri-Tip Perfectly

Learn how to grill tri-tip perfectly every time! Get all the tips you need to master this unique cut of beef.

What Is Tri-Tip?

A tri-tip is sometimes called a Santa Maria steak or California Cut, but it’s a rather large cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. It’s a little more accurate to call it a tri-tip roast rather than a steak, because like a flank steak or strip steak, it’s going to feed multiple people.

It has a triangular shape and an interesting grain pattern, so make sure to pay attention to that before cooking when it’s easier to see. When grilled and sliced correctly, tri-tip is a flavorful and tender dish. If you’d prefer to not grill it, a great way to cook tri-tip is to pan-roast it, searing it first and then finishing it in the oven.

Should I Marinate Tri-Tip Before Grilling?

Yes, I highly recommended marinating your tri-tip. My amazing tri-tip marinade has an olive oil base with lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and more. It gives the meat such great flavor.

I’ve found that marinating for 4 hours is ideal. But you can do as little as 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

The marinade doesn’t make much but is perfect if you put it in a zip-top bag and squeeze the air out. If you can remember, halfway through the marinating time, flip the bag with the meat and marinade over to better distribute the liquid.

Should I Grill Over Direct Or Indirect Heat?

Most tri-tips are about 2 to 3 inches thick at the thickest point. You can therefore do the entire thing over high direct heat on your grill. It will take 7-10 minutes per side to reach medium. 

If yours is thicker and/or your desired temperature is higher, you’ll want to move the tri-tip over to indirect heat after the 7-10 minutes per side so that it doesn’t get too dark on the outside. Take the meat off when it’s 5-10 degrees below desired internal temperature. For medium done tri-tip, I take it off at 130°F. Using a probe thermometer is perfect for keeping an eye on the temperature.

Note that tri-tip tends to be of uneven thickness. You therefore will have some slices that are more well done and some that are rarer. I find that putting the thermometer at the thickest point and having that point reach medium is best. You’ll have some thick, truly medium slices, then you’ll also have some more well-done slices where it’s thinner at the ends. And also, usually somewhere in the middle of the steak you end up with some rarer slices. So you get something for everyone from this steak, which is really great for feeding a family with different preferences, like mine.

How To Grill Tri-Tip Perfectly

Don’t salt the tri-tip steak before cooking it because there’s a lot of salt in the marinade. That’s because the marinade is acting a bit like a brine as well as a marinade. You don’t have to wipe off the marinade. Just shake off the excess before putting the steak on the grill.

Preheat your grill to high and insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part. Put the tri-tip on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 8 minutes undisturbed. However, if you’d like hashmarks, after 5 minutes, turn the tri-tip 90 degrees without flipping and continue cooking for the remaining 3 minutes.

After the tri-tip has been on the first side for 8 minutes, flip it over. Cook for 5 minutes on the second side. Then optionally turn it 90 degrees for those beautiful hashmarks and cook until the meat thermometer reaches the desired temperature. You’ll take it off at 130°F for medium and it will rise as it rests. 

If your tri-tip is particularly thick or if you’d like it more well-done, turn off one of the elements of your grill and move the tri-tip to that cooler indirect heat side so that it can come up to temperature without burning.

Sauce For Tri-Tip

A lot of recipes have you baste the tri-tip as it cooks. I don’t find it’s necessary. The marinade provides great flavor, and the meat itself gets really nice caramelization, which tastes and looks amazing. If you put a sauce, the sauce will caramelize instead. That’s fine, but I don’t like it as much. 

Instead, I like to serve a sauce on the the side for dipping, like a BBQ sauce (warm it up) or a homemade horseradish sauce.