Tri-tip is a triangular beef cut sourced from the bottom sirloin, often recognized regionally as Santa Maria steak or triangle roast. This cut offers a desirable balance of rich flavor and tenderness, making it a popular choice for grilling. Utilizing a gas grill provides excellent control over the necessary temperature zones required to cook this roast evenly. Achieving a successful result depends less on adherence to a fixed time and more on precise heat management and monitoring the meat’s internal progression.
Preparing the Tri-Tip and Gas Grill Setup
Preparation for the tri-tip begins with trimming any excessively thick layers of fat or “silver skin.” These layers can prevent seasoning from penetrating the meat surface and may interfere with even cooking. Applying a dry rub or coarse seasoning mixture should be done liberally across all surfaces.
The seasoned roast should be allowed to sit at room temperature for up to one hour. This brief tempering period is helpful because starting the cooking process with a very cold roast can lead to uneven temperature distribution, causing the outer edges to overcook before the center reaches the desired temperature.
The gas grill must be configured for two-zone cooking. This setup involves intentionally creating a direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone simultaneously. To achieve this, activate only one or two burners on high heat, while leaving the adjacent burners completely off.
The active burners create the high-temperature direct zone, while the space above the inactive burners becomes the low-temperature indirect zone. The indirect side should maintain a relatively low ambient temperature, ideally ranging between 225°F and 300°F, to allow for slow, gentle cooking. The direct side should be preheated to its highest setting, often exceeding 500°F, which is reserved for the final, rapid searing stage.
Dual-Zone Grilling Times and Technique
The most effective method for grilling a tri-tip on a gas grill is the reverse sear technique, which leverages the two-zone setup. This technique involves cooking the roast gently over the indirect heat first, and only then finishing it with a short, intense sear over the direct heat. The initial slow cooking phase allows the internal temperature of the meat to rise gradually and evenly throughout the thick, triangular cut.
Place the seasoned tri-tip on the cooler, indirect side of the grill, close the lid, and allow the low ambient heat to work. The time spent over indirect heat will depend heavily on the thickness of the roast and the grill’s actual temperature, but it typically ranges from 30 to 60 minutes. The goal during this phase is to bring the internal temperature up to a specific pulling point, usually between 115°F and 120°F. This slow, initial cooking helps the tri-tip retain more moisture.
Once the tri-tip reaches the target internal temperature, it is moved immediately to the high-heat, direct zone for searing. Searing should be brief, typically involving two to three minutes per side, flipping the roast every minute to develop a dark, flavorful crust through the Maillard reaction. This high-heat exposure caramelizes the exterior proteins and sugars, adding depth of flavor without significantly increasing the internal temperature beyond the desired final range.
The total grilling time is therefore defined by the time it takes to reach the initial internal temperature, plus the short searing period. The crucial metric for determining when to remove the roast is the final internal temperature, which correlates directly with the desired doneness level.
Doneness Temperatures
Rare: Final temperature 125°F to 130°F (Pull at 115°F to 120°F).
Medium-Rare: Final temperature 130°F to 135°F (Pull at 125°F to 130°F).
Medium: Final temperature 140°F to 145°F (Pull at 135°F to 140°F).
Medium-Well: Final temperature 150°F to 155°F (Pull at 145°F to 150°F).
Checking Internal Temperature and Resting the Meat
The only reliable way to confirm the tri-tip’s doneness is by accurately measuring its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. The probe should be inserted into the thickest part of the roast, ensuring it does not touch any bone or pass completely through to the grill grate. Since the tri-tip’s thickness is not uniform, it is helpful to check the temperature in a couple of different locations.
It is important to remove the tri-tip from the heat when the internal temperature is 5°F to 10°F lower than the final target temperature. This difference accounts for carryover cooking, where the residual heat concentrated in the center of the roast continues to cook the meat after it is removed from the grill. If the roast is left on the heat until it reaches the final desired temperature, it will inevitably overcook during the subsequent resting period.
Resting the tri-tip after grilling is a mandatory step that significantly impacts the final quality of the meat. Allowing the meat to rest for 10 to 15 minutes enables the temperature gradient to equalize and the juices to redistribute back through the muscle tissue. Slicing the roast too early will result in a loss of these flavorful juices, leaving the meat dry.
The tri-tip must be sliced correctly to ensure maximum tenderness. Due to its unique shape, the muscle fibers, or grain, run in two different directions, often meeting near the center of the triangular cut. Identify where the grain changes direction and slice each section against the grain, cutting perpendicular to the direction the muscle fibers run.