Posted on 01/05/2020 3:46:48 PM PST by lee martell
I am semi-retired. Meaning that I still work part time. I don't have to, but I do mainly to stay involved with other people's lives and as a healthy distraction. My job as a caregiver for disabled adults means I make them dinner, dispense medications, listen to concerns, etc. Yesterday, there was a surprise on the menu; Tri-Tip Steak. Of course I'd heard of it, but I had never eaten any. At about $13.00 a pound, my family would never have been buying it years ago, even when adjusted for inflation. Most of the staff know that I like to cook. I like trying new things with food. I call these 'my experiments'. So one of the staff left this big hunk of raw meat in a bowl. It had been marinating.
I googled "Roasting Tri-Tip Beef in the oven". I got loads of recipes. The actual cooking was simple, it was all the prep work that could take time. I kept it really simple. Place meat, fat side up on a rack. Place a metal tray one shelf down to catch any dripping grease. Set oven at 425'. Roast for 30 minutes, or about 15 min per pound. Then turn oven down to 350 or less for 30 to 40 minutes. I don't generally use a meat thermometer. And that's pretty much it.
I could see from the appearance that it was well roasted. Even carmelized in some areas. The very ends were sort of blackened, so I sliced those away. The sliced pieces looked good, some color variation, some pinkish areas, but nothing that still looked raw. That made it safe for me to serve this to other people.
I tried a slice. Wow! It was everything you could ever want a piece of roast beef to be. Tender and with a rich flavor. Not gamey. I had never tasted anything quite like it before, and I've had some good beef. It was so good, that I didn't even need ketchup, A-1 or Worstershire Sauce. So, the next time I have a spare $30.00 to experiment, I'll be buying some for myself. I'll need to learn if you must marinate it or not.
The absolute best roast beef I ever had was a slow roasted brisket. Not bbq style, just slow roasted. And I got it in a college dorm cafeteria, of all places. I’d like to roast one myself sometime, but even if you just get a point or just a flat, it’s a hefty hunk of meat. Too much for one person.
Still, if I took the time I could figure out how to use leftovers for freezable dishes such as soups or stews.
LOL - we lived right around the corner from Elks Lodge 1538.
You are making me miss Santa Maria. Lived there 21 years before retiring to (gasp!) Oregon.
Orange Roughy is an extremely long-lived fish, which inclines it to late maturation and reduced fertility. It doesn’t reproduce as often as other commercially harvested fishes - and easily becomes over-fished:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_roughy#Lifespan
Still have our pit. Unfortunately, don't do much barbecuing since Mr. Inspectorette passed away. I want to give the pit to the kids - but they live up in WA state, and it's awfully heavy to ship ;-)
Try this video from a butcher who explains all the cuts they get and where they come from on the steer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrOzwoMKzH4
We’ve been eating Tri Tip in CA for 40 years, at least.
Everyone else makes hamburger of it.
What a waste.
The packers call it bottom sirloin butt. It comes off the bottom of the pelvis bone below the top sirloin. The top sirloin is an extension of the strip loin which is what the New York steaks are cut from. There are actually two in each steer, one on each side.
I lived in Pismo for 12 years. Remember Jocko’s in Nipomo? That place is Ground Zero for Tri-Tip. Haven’t been there in a long while — I hope the high price of Tri-Tip hasn’t affected its business.
Tri tip got popular in California because way back when it was cheap. Not so anymore. Now it’s just a staple that everyone is used to.
Thanks, I will watch it later.
No, it’s probably best cooked to medium rare which isn’t raw. Raw is often described as blue. Medium rare is 130-135 F, as measured in the middle of the thickest part per meat.
If you don’t have one already, you should get a meat thermometer. You can get a good one with a quick read digital read-out for less than $20. If you roast it you can get one with a long thin cable where you insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, close the oven door on the cable leaving the digital read-out outside. You can set it so that it makes an audible sound when the meat reaches the desired temp.
If you want the internal temp to be 135, set the temp probe to 130 F. When the alarm goes off at 130F, pull the roast from the oven, put it on a plate, tent it with aluminum foil and wait at least 5 minutes. The roast will continue to cook after it’s out of the oven and, more importantly, the juices will redistribute throughout the meat. If you cut it and a lot of juice runs out you didn’t let it rest long enough and when the juice runs out your losing favor and moistness.
When I first started as a butcher in Santa Barbara, around 1977, we would run sales on tri tip at 49 cents a pound. It’s very versatile. I can still get it at around 3.99 at Costco, and at the price I grind it for hamburgers. I also smoke it whole, and slice it across the grain into individual steaks about 1 1/4 inch thick which you can then grill.
Omg I don’t fault you in the least for having had a fabulous dining room experience in college! Some of the best breakfasts I have were from weekend brunches at mine! Best made to order egg white omelettes with fresh toppings ever! Pastas too.
New York strip is my Son-in-Law’s favorite. Not sure why but he is a great cook. Porterhouse for me.
Bottom sirloin.
And the right carcass cooked the right way cannot be surpassed.
How is it labeled at Kroger? Is it actually “Tri Tip Beef” or some other name?
Not that I have anything against gun porn...😆
I used to work with a federal agent who lived locally and was about to retire. I wonder if his teeth were getting bad because he and his wife would buy a beef half and have the whole thing ground into hamburger.
Gee, all I had for supper is some leftover Prime Rib. Aldi’s had them on sale for 6.99 a Lb at Christmas so we bought 8 of them.
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