This juicy and flavorful tri-tip roast is coated in a mixture of spices and then cooked in the oven to a perfect medium rare.
It's an inexpensive cut that produces impressive results. The leftovers keep well for several days and can be enjoyed cold or reheated.
There's something about roasting a large piece of meat and carving it at the table. It makes for festive holiday dinners. Pork roast, ribeye roast, and tenderloin roast are big favorites. However, they are expensive.
I opt for cheaper cuts such as London broil and tri-tip roast for everyday meals. These cuts are not as tender but have a great beefy taste. When properly sliced against the grain, they are wonderfully flavorful!
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
- Dry rub: You'll mix kosher salt, black pepper, and several spices to create a tasty dry rub that significantly enhances the flavor of the roast. I like to use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- Tri-tip roast: I get it at Costco or order it online at Wild Fork Foods. You can get two 2-pound roasts, cook them in the same pan, and get lots of tasty leftovers to last several days.
- Oil spray: This is only needed if the meat has been completely trimmed by the butcher and has no fat layer to keep it moist and juicy as it cooks.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to experiment with different spices and herbs. Spices that I tried and liked include dried thyme and dried oregano. I sometimes add a teaspoon of either of them to the spice mixture.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
Your first step is to mix salt, black pepper, and spices.
Rub the spice mixture all over the roast, massaging it in. Place the roast on a greased wire rack fitted into a rimmed roasting pan and insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into its thickest part.
Cook the roast briefly in a 500°F oven for 15 minutes. This is instead of sauteing it on the stovetop. It's much easier and achieves the same goal - browning the meat.
Turn the oven down to 350°F. Keep cooking the roast until the thermometer indicates it reaches 135°F for medium-rare or 145°F for medium. Let the meat rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
Expert Tips
Avoid overcooking
It's best to cook this cut to medium rare or medium. This ensures a tender roast. It will be tough and chewy if you cook it to medium well.
The USDA says we should cook whole roasts to 145ºF with a three-minute rest time. This is medium doneness.
Carving instructions
Since this is a fairly tough cut of meat, you should cut it against the grain. Cutting against the grain means slicing it in a way that breaks the meat fibers, making chewing easier.
The challenge is that the tri-tip has two parts, and the muscle fibers run in a different direction in each of these parts.
So you'll want to identify that direction before cooking, cut the roast into two parts, and slice each of them against the grain of that part.
Recipe FAQs
This cut comes from the sirloin, which butchers divide into top sirloin and bottom sirloin.
The top sirloin can be cut into steaks. I use it in several recipes, including steak stir-fry, beef stroganoff, Korean beef, beef kabobs, beef and broccoli, steak salad, and steak fajitas.
The bottom sirloin gives us the tri-tip, named after its triangular shape. It's also called Santa Maria Steak. It has a rich, beefy flavor and marbling that helps keep it juicy.
While it's a flavorful cut, it's also fairly tough, with many muscle fibers running throughout the meat.
That's why I recommend cutting it across the grain. Slicing across the grain severs those fibers, making chewing easier.
It's important to let the meat rest for at least 20 minutes after pulling it out of the oven.
This allows the juices to redistribute and settle, preventing them from escaping the meat as you cut it (although some juices will escape, and you can pour them back on top of the roast after slicing).
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this roast with any side dish you typically serve with steaks or roasts. Here are a few of my favorites:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
Sometimes, I slice the leftovers into strips and add them cold to a salad like this arugula salad.
If you want to use the leftovers in sandwiches or lettuce wraps, slice them thinly against the grain. Otherwise, they will be too chewy.
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Recipe Card
Tri-Tip Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ tablespoon of any other salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 whole tri-tips - about 2 pounds each
- Oil spray - I use avocado oil spray
Instructions
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper.
- If it hasn’t been trimmed by the butcher, trim the silver skin from the bottom of the roasts. Rub the spice mixture all over the roasts, pressing to ensure it adheres.
- Place the roasts, fat side up, on a greased rack in a roasting pan and allow it to get to room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F. If the meat is completely trimmed of fat, lightly spray it with oil.
- Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the roasts and set the thermometer to 135°F (medium-rare).
- Place the roasts in the 500°F oven and cook them for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Keep roasting the meat until the thermometer registers 135°F. For 2-pound roasts, this should take roughly 20 minutes (10 minutes per pound). But the only way to know for sure is to use a meat thermometer.
- Remove the roasts from the oven. Loosely cover them with foil and allow them to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving and serving them.
- When carving the meat, slice it against the grain. Since the meat fibers in tri-tip run in two different directions, you'll need to cut each roast in half at the center point and then slice each half across the grain.
Video
Notes
- I usually get tri-tip roasts at Costco. You can get two 2-pound roasts, cook them in the same pan, and get lots of tasty leftovers to last several days.
- It's best to cook tri-tip to medium rare or medium. This ensures a tender roast. It will be tough and chewy if you cook it to medium well. The USDA says we should cook whole beef roasts to 145ºF with a three-minute rest time. This is medium doneness.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Reheat them gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. Sometimes, I slice the cold leftovers into thin strips and add them to a salad.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Alex
Hello! Thanks for the great recipe! Your recipe card says rest time 1hr 20min, but step 7 says rest for 20-30 min. Which one is it? I appreciate the response!
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Alex,
Great question! The one hour and twenty minutes in the recipe card includes bringing the roast to room temperature (step 3). 🙂
Alex
Ahh that makes sense! Thanks for the clarification! 🙂
Caroline
This turned out amazing! Thanks so much for this recipe! I didn't have a meat thermometer, so I just cooked it for 10 minutes per pound as you recommended, and it was perfect. I will save this recipe to make again and again.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this roast, Caroline! I make it often for my family.