Beef tri-tip is an outstanding
cut of beef because it is so tender, almost like a tenderloin, but it has more
of the beef flavor. This is one that I
grilled this Summer to slice and use in wraps.
The sauce is a variation of the
classic Bearnaise sauce, usually I do the ’97 Joy of Cooking version. Instead of the traditional tarragon, I used
charred green onions, smashed garlic, and smoked black pepper to flavor the
sauce. I think this bolder flavor goes
great with grilled beef.
If you don’t feel like putting
together a double boiler or whisking egg yolks 6 to 8 minutes, I get it. You could always just doctor some good
mayonnaise with chopped grilled green onions, minced garlic, and smoked pepper
then then it out with a little chicken stock for something that’s close.
Using a fine finishing salt after
the beef is sliced draws out the best flavor from the beef. This time I used a blend of Himalayan pink
salt and black pepper from a specialty store.
My
Worcestershire sauce and shallot salt also goes very well with beef.
Grilled Beef Tri-Tip with Charred
Green Onion Bearnaise
- 1 whole beef tri-tip
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 green onions
- Finishing salt
For the Bearnaise Sauce
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon smoked black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed whole
- 3 egg yolks
- 1.5 tablespoons cold water
- ½ cup warm clarified butter
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Set up your grill
for a two zone fire (one area directly above the coals and another area that is
to the side of the coals. Preheat it to
450-500°f.
- Season the tri-tip
all over with the black pepper, kosher salt, and granulated garlic.
- Sear the tri-tip
directly over the hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes per side. If you want nice cross hatch marks, rotate
the roast a quarter turn halfway through (1.5 to 2 minutes) on each side. Meanwhile grill the green onion until charred
– about 1-2 minutes.
- Move the roast to
the indirect heat side and let roast until the tri-tip hits an internal
temperature of 125°f – about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a
small skillet on a side burner or stove top.
Add the wine, white wine vinegar, the two white ends of the green onion,
the smashed garlic clove, and ¼ teaspoon of black ground pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by
2/3rds (about 2 tablespoon remaining).
Remove from heat.
- Place a double
broiler with 1” of water on a grill side burner or stove top and bring to a
simmer. I prefer to use a medium stock
pot and a medium stainless steel mixing bowl stuck down into the pot as
shown. This is easier to whisk than a
double boiler.
- In the mixing
bowl/double boiler top OFF OF HEAT, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and water
until they are thickened and frothy – about two minutes. Don’t just stir, really whisk it as fast as
you can. Now put the bowl/double boiler
top BACK ON HEAT onto the double boiler and continue whisking until the mixture
becomes sauce like in texture – about 4 minutes. Remove
from heat.
- While continuously
whisking, slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter until it all has been
blended in. Then blend in 2 tablespoons
of the chopped green onion tops and black pepper. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Keep the sauce warm
until ready to use. A warm thermos or
insulated drink cup works well for this.
- When the roast hits
your internal temp (125f for medium rare, 135f for medium), which should take
from 45 minutes to close to 1 hour, remove from the grill and allow to rest for
5-10 minutes.
- Slice thinly, lightly
sprinkle with finishing salt of your choice.
- You can serve as
slices with some of the sauce or add lettuce, tomato, red onion, with a mission
style tortilla to make wraps like we did.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwiZ2kgPtTannJ58K-jaYFY3h0Zh0FIyA8kBnT3X27jP2WB3QrUR1BRy1cnHkJWBVLYKoYOnLJHJB4bals9B-JjkBL_n1Mp7bud3Ikjz6ty39T_ntj2o-L4BmCLkyEmTYqO6Y4jFfmTCg/s1600/DSC_0776+500+sized.jpg) |
My weapon of choice this night was my Char-Broil Kettleman. I've used it for a year and a half now and it is my favorite non-kamado charcoal grill. It’s lightweight but has plenty of space, making it an ideal tailgate grill. It’s also priced so it won’t break the bank. I got mine for free as part of my sponsorship & compensation package but I would spend my own money on this in a heartbeat. |
![Char-Broil Center Cut Lump Coal Char-Broil Half Time Chimney Starter](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WPoon2hv2dV9WqCfq6xUZ1ZmEpbfR3Gde4SvYw2KT8d1BGViCO__TrffsDmx4Ak-bAHzAdS-V6a7SN-D2eX7Et549_bWM9riQjH9AUjWTj08yxKQ8R4XQxDhAV2ldzAf0cqycZNZTYU/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+DSC_0170.jpg) |
I fired up the grill with Char-Broil's new Center Cut Lump Charcoal. It’s easy to light and gets to temp fast. I bought a box at Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. Yeah I said “box”. It’s packaged that way so that rough handling in shipping and stocking doesn’t break it into a million little pieces. You can findout more about it at Char-Broil's website. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVt90N3zYHl0qLvjIQZVyYbqkeZEhtgSy4px8oDnDyek-YFu70UZBf6a8JVihlWiulmWuJkrqbGGEO6-Ri8aXejfR_V14hqnKoIsKLPZK_HAwnCuCkONQukohbdVloDghcHn3yieSXREA/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0154.jpg) |
This tri-tip was HUGE weighing in at 4 pounds. You shouldn't have to clean it up too much, just trim off any exterior pieces of fat. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TGjaZ4Zi8FbIGAqg-y3jZe_Hs76PMiMQR16f_UOEEF2QKnzLHqMNV7HI8730TXrs6xFOahOEjclwz3JEjIVg6c-aOfDB4nROOOH5atddYCg2Sy-xsyXjp4fDLWTM9ngnazDWY7N88EU/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0156.jpg) |
Don't season it until just before grilling. The salt will draw out moisture from the meat. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKuGtc0hs3qEu-nOT71jB_FEjsJoPJXo7totPAOJIXs0FHqLzZirU6oUbjoLmSI8_X-qwFeq_IeHecYR_NKVHD2cGQWB546kzjKfWDfOdu2bF3Z6Q0TbX1bqhR1qrdo5-6P3M5BIDpkI/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0172.jpg) |
I set my grill up for a two zone fire. In a kamado grill I normally do a reverse sear because it's easier to get temps up than down. In a kettle grill I usually do sear THEN roast because the grill temperatures are easier to drop than raise them. |
![Recipe for grilled beef tritip How to grill a perfect beef tri-tip](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JcznhnIeiipb_LzFN7BmesG6Bq6Ao5qhWDNpt6_TxyBG6zqldjD12Bkacw7AqJex-mH7KGhsPfYJjCLo1TjIgG6mxZ9vPsOO_8zfwhmHo3aqJsUtyw-O-YUfbLIHgECNIpLHovDdjSo/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0186.jpg) |
A quick sear directly over the coals - about 3-4 minutes per side with a quarter turn half way through for those pretty grill marks. |
![Grilling beef tri-tip How to cook beef tri-tip](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wL1Vby4ZZ2QmDrOW8PaOH_NvSKHzgOBqXRi1IlMoDlmdMC_oJOVk-e_XsYIDKDXIUvBfc4Xo9KUvyHTxQso1pfz9MPeAxaSfc6S72GSFuDoKgM3GoBg_vszf2Kx77gpdX6-PW7fTxQQ/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0188.jpg) |
Since the ends are thinner than the middle, I point them away from the coals for even cooking during the roast portion. Of course you want your grill lid closed during the roast. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH5P94CpBOECIsM_-KxTy2utLDEeWI-nooxTm68BKGW0z_uG4mkImPu4hNwC-EhGpwvdTOzOvnOP7lPrpqbxHetPBmSprExGX8dKgXYeBq0REc2p87UFYBn9v-qH-0ktV8hzLbEkKAW8o/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0195.jpg) |
A quick visual for you on the reduced wine and vinegar. It started out as 6 tablespoons and ended up like this. That is concentrated flavor. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcOHbNYST2arLgYPkOe5M9tSL__M_6Ptc_s4mcAA63bKZi4AH3xSUd_i2bwI-vzNnOgo3QKsRaB9Kf_zF9-vaFe2lt62rm8BjoZEpr4FLtfwnS7Dl-4n007oG9ghIJZkUI69jrHs0L1w/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Review+DSC_2562.jpg) |
Here's how to make a double boiler for the sauce. There is about 1 inch of water in the bottom pot and you keep the water just simmering, not boiling. It shouldn't touch the top bowl. |
![How to make bearnaise sauce at home Easy bearnaise sauce recipe](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mC29c3ayQX3Ms4A4EmMn66xyBTNa6MSkXDNwce6Gaw0XzUQlCM9Qnzz2Een2CyhUNM0kj3Qk6v_8OR7YAywQeLJ6NlftA4Tedvz8iJ_1U7krlh0AyIlOo8lpHj4ssWKtCfCm89yTnCI/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0209.jpg) |
When finished your sauce should coat the back of a spoon like this. |
![Char-Broil Kettleman using my Char-Broil Kettleman grill](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg36xvx0Cw7AmQSyWqkNyuYWmYVRGxgN2Z7Tb-OcMxDA0CjrOcGf0hu3rBSBd1mkurkAIPR7Jz-6MZvjQgkUL1CB8ZvWuafgrk2YkCXJnEoTTtrW8s4kQDZkvzJKzXf3YIVKHQRm8XTh8/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0210.jpg) |
Towards the end of the roast, if your grill temp falls below 250f, just shift the roast back closer or even on top of the coals. |
![Perfectly cooked grilled tri-tip](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iEpKLYrWWsW0fLGUuFi87-vmZxUNkyYGkwfv1fUliTHuSs0-5_Ml9KCS18ukm16_IVdvDzMf8Ncy7MouiGGIXA38iNJJx2gE0bkxSGUQ2zUFl2TNT0NF6scECOcexPkvztnvOOWbEak/s640/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_0213.jpg) |
Ready to eat! |
![Grilled Tri-Tip recipe and how to Beef Tri-Tip will rise in internal temperature 5 to 7 degrees after you take it off of the grill.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrei-D5rHW-882LTjIvwMrt-IrgcwqdeK_QqSuvrOtJsQuhd65mGO5HhB5PGbuh48aCfP2Ry_QNKtjizhn70-cqpbLyWldYtHP8R4zIK8IyEw5TjQKLWTyMJU2Vy2A2Qd_-uj8-QXI4o/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_2489.jpg) |
The TRU Infrared grill grates on the Kettleman create beautiful grill marks, don't you think? |
![Grilled beef tri-tip with charred green onion bearnaise](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1WcIitrGNeoW1aPmeAVecry9V_jIDn3bZTHb21weHVnJpdwUiwsmf3JYe7zB8uHHxVhLDT4sUU7KuXeYYP4Iq_4gbV3i7xahXrFMdERe0FI4v-AENW7whI8YSqWid5P8zwjVE4rXuyA/s400/Char+Broil+Center+Cut+Lump+Charcoal+Review+DSC_2501.jpg) |
Sliced thin and drizzled with the charred green onion bearnaise for a wrap. |
Here’s a tri-tip uhhhh tip:
Only slice what you need when it’s hot and leave the rest of the roast
whole. It’s easier to slice it thinly
while the tri-tip roast is cold and firm.
Then use a razor sharp slicing knife or slicer and shave the meat as
thin as you can. This stuff makes
amazing roast beef sandwiches or cheese steak sandwiches.
[FTC Standard Disclaimer] Char-Broil is one of my sponsors and I
receive compensation for this post.