Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip

I never used to buy tri-tip because I had no idea how to cook it. I loved eating it but didn't know how to prepare it and cook it well. This is no longer the case. When I make this tri-tip recipe, my family tells me it's one of the best meals I make. They all love it and gobble it up. It's really not hard to make so if you need a little help on cooking tri-tip, try out this recipe. You won't regret it. I found the original recipe on Allrecipes.com. You can find the original recipe here: Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip Recipe

Ingredients

Dry Rub
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp rosemary (I grind mine with a mortar and pestle before I add it in. It adds better flavor)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 beef tri-tip roast (about 2 1/2 lbs)

Marinade
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (If you don't have this, that's okay. I've made it with and without Dijon)

Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl. Coat beef on all sides with spice mixture. Put beef into a glass dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Combine marinade and add to the glass dish. Turn beef to get marinade on all sides. Uncover and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. I often do the dry rub and marinade at the same time. It's probably better letting the dry rub sit on the meat for 4 hours before adding the marinade but if you're short on time, you can do both steps at once.

Cooking
I have a small rotisserie machine that I typically cook the tri-tip on. I cook a 2.5-3 lb tri-tip for 30-40 minutes until the center is about 140 degrees. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

You can also pan fry this in a cast iron skillet or grill outside. Place meat on pre-heated grill or cast iron skillet. Brush with the garlic-vinegar mixture. Cook meat 4 minutes, flip and baste. Repeat the flip and baste process every 4 minutes until beef reaches an internal temperature of about 130-140 degrees. (I find that the 130 is a little too rare for our family). Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

I often double or triple the dry seasoning so I have extra on hand when I want to make a tri-tip.

Trippled Dry Rub
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp pepper
2 Tbsp garlic powder
4 1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp rosemary (I grind mine with a mortar and pestle before I add it in. It adds better flavor)
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Corn Edamame Salad

In the words of my friend Jen, this "tastes like summer". It came from Parents magazine, as a way to try to get kids to eat veggies. They might try it if they like corn. But adults love it, too!!

3 ears corn
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked and drained
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 slivered green sweet pepper, or your favorite color
2 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Husk corn and brush with 1 tsp. oil. Grill on medium heat about 15 minutes, or until tender, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Remove and let cool.

2. Cut kernels from the corncobs into a large bowl. Add edamame, tomato and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir dressing into corn mixture. Serve at room temperature or cover and chill for up to 3 days. Makes about 6 cups.

Note: I also have subbed 1 can corn, drained, rather than grilling the corn.

Grilled Baked Potatoes

I love baked potatoes but hate how long they take to cook. I came across this recipe at kraftfoods.com and loved it. Grilling them makes the skins so crispy and flavorful.


4 baking potatoes (2 lb.)
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Real Bacon Bits


HEAT grill to medium-high heat.
PIERCE potatoes with fork or small sharp knife. Rub with oil; sprinkle with salt.
MICROWAVE potatoes on microwaveable plate on HIGH 8 min. or until tender, turning after 4 min. Place on greased grate of grill. (you can also wrap them individually in foil before grilling, but the skins will be less crispy)
GRILL 12 to 15 min. or until potatoes are crisp and lightly browned, turning occasionally. Split potatoes. Serve topped with remaining ingredients.

Kabob Marinade

Yesterday I was looking for a good marinade to use on some beef and vegetable kabobs. When I was on allrecipes.com I found two recipes that sounded good. I liked the liquids in one of them and the seasonings in the other so I combined the two added an ingredient of my own and ended up with a DELICIOUS marinade! Definitely worth making again.

Megan's Kabob Marinade

¼ olive oil
½ cup Yoshida’s Original Gourmet Sweet and Savory Sauce (I found mine at Costco)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)

Before you put the kabobs on the grill I would recommend sprinkling them with a bit more seasoning...montreal chicken, italian or just a little salt and garlic. Whatever you like best.

This recipe can be used with beef, chicken or other preferred meats. I made the above recipe without the meat tenderizer but I think next time I would use it if I wasn't marinading overnight. If you don't have the Yoshida's sauce (which is great to have around) you can probably make something similar using Teriyaki and soy sauce.

I cubed just over 1 lb of steak and used half of the marinade on the steak. The other half I used to marinade the veggies with. Here are some ideas of good grilling veggies:
Peppers, mushrooms, baby corn, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, small pieces of corn on the cob, asparagus, artichokes, eggplant, zucchini, scallions, and onions.

Depending on the veggies you choose to use, you may not want to marinade them as long as you do the meat. Some of them also need to be grilled longer or pre-cooked before being skewered or they'll be too raw. Ie. my squash was too hard to eat.

Enjoy! It's quick to throw together...you just have to plan ahead as it needs a few hours minimum to marinade.