Tri-tip

Is there anyplace else in the world other than California and a few near-by areas that a (IMHO) very special cut of meat called a "tritip"? I know for a fact that anyplace east of the Mississippi river, it is largely unheard of. I wondered where else it is equally unknown...I was cooking up one of these beauties on the grill tonight for a treat for dinner and was being glad that I knew of the cut and knew how to prepare it. If you have not had this before, imagine the tenderest, most succulent and juicy steak you have ever had, done to perfection...only this is the size of a small roast. In my case I have developed a special Hawaiian teriyaki sauce I use to marinade and later baste the meat as it is grilling. When done, it has a sweet yet spicy crust on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. I slice it up at a 45 degree angle into paper-thin slices. This stuff in the bomb.

I noticed that too. I moved to Ohio from California and no one here has heard of delicious tri-tip. It's very lean too, yet so juicy.

This is because California cows are mountain cows and so have much more developed triceps than their lowland brethren.

Mmmm - smells like heart disease! I'd chase that with some raw garlic and whole-wheat toast for good measure...

The odd thing about tritip is that there are many parts of the US that know nothing of it but a friend of mine in Australia knew all about it (and complained bitterly about how expensive this stuff was there). The other good thing about it is that once you have your recipe down and don't start with a dodgy cut of meat, it is almost impossible to screw up. Regular steak on the other hand (think filet mignon, rib-eye, porterhouse, etc) are almost impossible for me to get right. Either its too done or not done enough (although I would have to go a long ways to call it that; love it "on the hoof", a habit I picked up when living in Virginia) and in every case the meat is never as tender as it seems anyone else can get it. This stuff melts in your mouth...

As for the garlic Sabastiani, I always put a significant amount of fresh crushed garlic in the marinade (brown sugar, pineapple juice, soy sauce, shot of cooking sherry, fresh garlic, fresh ginger; bring it all to a boil then let it cool to room temp before marinading the meat 30m before grilling) so I am covered there. Not so sure about the whole wheat toast though

I propose a cboard meat party at jeffcobb's place :)

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Originally Posted by MK27

This is because California cows are mountain cows and so have much more developed triceps than their lowland brethren.

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Hmmm doesn't look like a tricep to me...according to wikipedia it comes from part of the bottom sirloin:

Poor cow. Every part of it makes for some good eating. :D

I haven't seen any tri-tips out in the east here but definitely had them in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and even in Illinois. Now I'm hungry.

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Originally Posted by Bubba

Poor cow. Every part of it makes for some good eating. :D

I haven't seen any tri-tips out in the east here but definitely had them in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and even in Illinois. Now I'm hungry.

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I am not surprised by any of those places other than Illinois...I have a lot of Chicago friends, none of which had heard of it. Of course after checking the wikipedia article on this, it seems that most places outside of California have their own local pet-name for it (Culotte cut, etc). Thus I am starting to suspect it is better-known than I thought, just not by this name.

As for being hungry, this is one of the few red-meats that taste as good the next day as the day it was cooked and brother do I have lefovers! 29m to go until lunch-time...heh.

booo! you guys/gals suck... now I'm hungry!

Suggestions? (besides tritip?)

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Originally Posted by doubleanti

booo! you guys/gals suck... now I'm hungry!

Suggestions? (besides tritip?)

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Sorry, that is what I am having. :)

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Originally Posted by jeffcobb

Sorry, that is what I am having. :)

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Squid forever.

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Originally Posted by jeffcobb

As for the garlic Sabastiani, I always put a significant amount of fresh crushed garlic in the marinade (brown sugar, pineapple juice, soy sauce, shot of cooking sherry, fresh garlic, fresh ginger; bring it all to a boil then let it cool to room temp before marinading the meat 30m before grilling) so I am covered there. Not so sure about the whole wheat toast though

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Ooh, nice - that does sound like a good marinade! I bet that'd be good on chicken or pork, too.

Anyway, yes, garlic really does do wonders for the arteries and such. Unfortunately, though, the medicinal properties are basically nullified by the cooking process - you really do have to eat it raw to benefit from it. I always eat it as is, but if you have trouble eating it straight you can just grind it up with something like artichokes, tomato, and parmesan, or what have you. And as far as whole grains are concerned, they are extremely important, as they help keep the digestive system clean and also reduce cholesterol (although garlic is a much more powerful agent for that).

Am I the only one here who actually cooks meat and doesn't just burn its surface a bit? Do you also eat raw chicken and salmon?

At least in Northern Europe we cook it so that it's well done (meaning it's pretty much the same in the center and on the outside) but still juicy. It can take several hours to cook meat this way. That's why we only use the grill for smaller pieces (cooking does not necessarily mean grilling). If sometimes a small piece of the meat is not well cooked then I throw it away.

Also it's very good when the meat is cut into very thin slices and then cooked.

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Originally Posted by maxorator

Am I the only one here who actually cooks meat and doesn't just burn its surface a bit? Do you also eat raw chicken and salmon?

At least in Northern Europe we cook it so that it's well done (meaning it's pretty much the same in the center and on the outside) but still juicy. It can take several hours to cook meat this way. That's why we only use the grill for smaller pieces (cooking does not necessarily mean grilling). If sometimes a small piece of the meat is not well cooked then I throw it away.

Also it's very good when the meat is cut into very thin slices and then cooked.

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With decent meat you need to have it a little "pink" at least. Otherwise its not as nice.

You cant do this with with chicken though as it usually has rather high levels of salmonella

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Originally Posted by maxorator

Do you also eat raw chicken and salmon?

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LOVE raw salmon.

We have tri-tip here in Texas, and it is known by that name as well.

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I propose a cboard meat party at jeffcobb's place

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I agree :)

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Originally Posted by DavidP

We have tri-tip here in Texas, and it is known by that name as well.



I agree :)

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Bring it!

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Originally Posted by Fordy

With decent meat you need to have it a little "pink" at least. Otherwise its not as nice.

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With beef it depends on the cut. I used to only cook sirloin. This is a fairly cheap cut, and to get it to come out tender, I always had to cook it on the rare side.

For years, I assumed that I liked rare steak. Then I discovered New York strip. I can cook this cut to a higher level of doneness and still maintain tenderness. I realized that what I liked wasn't rare meat, but tender meat.

Anyway, I never marinade beef any more. I rub it with a simple mix of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and occasionally a few other things, and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before throwing it on the grill. Then I BURN it over flame for about 60 seconds per side, move it off the direct heat and finish it slowly. Then it can be eaten without a knife.