What do you do when organic steaks are not available? Buy something else. Last time I went shopping, the only organic beef I could find aside from ground was tri-tip. I always enjoy tri-tip at restaurants, so why do I often neglect to buy it at the market? I guess I think of it as a barbecue meat, and since I don’t have a grill, I decide to leave cooking tri-tip to someone who does.
This reasoning doesn’t have any merit obviously. The main thing to understand is that tri-tip is a lean cut, so you really don’t want to overcook it. There are lots of recipes out there suggesting that a dry rub will help tenderize it. Let me know which is your favorite preparation.
Cooking Time for Tri-Tip
Examining my unusually small tri-tip, which was only a pound, I decided that I could treat it like a steak. For me that means heating a skillet in the oven at 500 and then putting the seasoned, oiled tri-tip on that hot skillet under the broiler. The steaks I usually buy take about 4 1/2 minutes using this method. As the tri-tip was bigger and thicker, I decided to start with 6 minutes and then evaluate. At that point, I decided to flip it over and cook an additional 4 minutes and then let rest on a warm plate for 15 minutes covered with foil. Learning to cook intuitively means you can gain confidence in cooking without a recipe.
I had considered searing and baking the tri-tip, but for one this small one, I decided it was unnecessary. I have seen general guidelines for handling a bigger tri-tip in that manner to be 10-15 minutes per pound and in this case 10 minutes under the broiler was just right.
The time allowed for the meat to rest gives me a chance to put some vegetables on a cookie sheet to roast in the oven. And then of course I couldn’t waste the browned goodness left in my skillet. That’s a sauce waiting to happen. Diced onions and water help scrape up all that flavor. Wine or stock would be great instead, but I decided there was plenty going on here without it. Minced garlic and sliced mushrooms finish it off. Season with salt and enjoy the masterpiece you cooked without a recipe.
The tiny bit of leftovers topped a delicious salad for lunch the next day. Served with guacamole and chips, it was also a simple and satisfying meal.
Read Make Steak next for more on broiling steak and glamming up some veggies.
I love steak. Especially cooked.