Ingredients
- 2 (3-pound) tri-tip roasts
- Basting Sauce, recipe follows
- Seasoning Salt Mixture, recipe follows
Directions
Heat a grill to low.
Coat both sides of the tri-tips with half of the seasoning mixture, rubbing it in as you would a dry rub. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Place the tri-tips over a low temperature fire, 1 with fat side up, and the other with fat side down. Turn as the first side gets crispy, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Be careful of flare-ups, as the dripping fat will fuel the fire. Turn the tri-tips before the heat pushes juices out the top, and continue to turn using this timing method throughout the cooking process. After turning, baste with sauce and season lightly, 4 times per side. Continue turning until the tri-tips are cooked to your liking. Remove from fire and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into 1/2-inch slices against the grain.
Seasoning Salt Mixture:
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 6 tablespoons salt
Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.
Basting Sauce:
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup garlic-infused vegetable oil
- Whisk together vinegar and oil in a small bowl.
* Guest Recipe
A viewer or guest of the show, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested this recipe and therefore cannot make representation as to the results.
Photo: "Santa Maria Style BBQ" Oakwood Grilled Tri-tip Recipe
















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By transmog
Los Olivos, CA
on April 14, 2013
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Got one of these on my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker right now. (No water in the pan and four nice hunks of red oak on top of the coals.
Regarding the seasoning, just make your own. I use a mix of salt, garlic powder, and MSG as a base. (Just like Susie. Next I add a little cayenne and ground cumin to taste. (I season mine well and let it sit at room temp for about an hour.
BTW, to the person saying 6 Tbs of salt is too much: yeah, it is. It is a rub mixture to be used only as much as makes sense. I find 2Tbs is plenty for a large roast. I also re-season after slicing. The baste is optional, but tasty.
Tonight we're going kicked-up torta style sandwiches. Garlic butter on french bread roll, a schmear of refried beans, homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, and a few nice slices of tri-tip. MMmmmmmm...
By dkwine
on March 10, 2013
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This is an awesome recipe, Frank Ostini has been Bbqing forever in the Santa Maria area, I have had his BBQ before and it's awesome. If your from the area then you know there are 20-30 different groups of people bbqing in some parking lot in Santa Maria any given weekend. Santa Maria style is not one specific recipe, it is a style. If you buy franks seasoning it says on the label to experiment with the recipe and if you find seething you like better to use that. So try his to start and if you think a little tweak would be better try it. I personally use beer instead of red wine vinegar and real garlic with olive oil instead of an infused oil. Good luck. Never put holes in your tri tip, turn it with tongs and let it rest for 10+ minutes after you grill. Oak is best, red oak if you can get it.
By TeeDeeDubya
on May 01, 2011
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I use this recipe now every time I cook Tri Tip. Surprised all of the "locals" wasted good beef on this recipe when they have their own style perfected. Unless they didn't actually try the recipe before they trashed it. Naw, that would not be cool.
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