Grilled Tri-tip Steak with Smoked Chile Steak Rub is grilled to a juicy medium-rare covered in deep savory flavor with a hint of smoky spice.
In this recipe, we cover how to cut steaks from a tri-tip roast, properly season your steaks, and show you how to grill steak to perfection.
Grilling steaks is one of the things we look forward to most when the weather turns warm. Steaks cook so quickly that if served with a tossed salad you can have dinner done in about 20 minutes.
For a great-tasting steak at a lower price, skip the sirloins and consider tri-tip the next time you fire up the grill.
Tri-tip steak is a lesser-known butcher’s cut steak, delivering on flavor at a lower price point (depending on regional markets). It is more often sold as a roast (the whole muscle) than as steaks, which is why I include the step of cutting a roast into steaks in this recipe.
In a previous grilled tri-tip article I covered in detail how to select the best tri-tip at the store, so be sure to check that out too!
The outcome was this mediterranean tri-tip steak bowl! Another great recipe for those of you who count macros. You will also be happy to know, it is a great meal prep recipe as the steak reheats well and the veggies can be reheated or eaten cold!
How to Properly Season a Steak
I use a custom steak rub that is seriously the best anywhere. I developed this uniquely smoky rub while teaching grilling classes at a local butcher shop. Hickory-smoked sea salt, smoked paprika, and Chipotle chili are the backbone of this recipe so it brings smoky flavor no matter the type of grill you use.
When applying a dry rub on steak it is important to either put the rub on the steak right before placing it on the grill or letting it soak into the meat at least 40 minutes before placing it on the grill (longer is even better).
It is only the salt in dry rub that truly penetrates the meat beyond the surface. The remaining ingredients serve to form a crust on the steak and will be tasted only on the surface.
With our rub recipe, we use about 1 tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. If you find that you didn’t get enough on your steak when grilling, you can always pass a little bit of rub at the table.
PRO TIP: Any steak rub that has salt in it will need at least 40 minutes for the juices to return back into the meat with the salt to properly season it. If the process is interrupted within those 40 minutes you end up with a less juicy steak.
TOP TIPS for Grilling the BEST Steaks
- Season steak for at least 40 minutes when using salt before grilling (longer is better).
- Cook steak with a source of smoke, like over wood, charcoal, or adding wood chips with gas grills. I’ve covered how to get a better smoke flavor with a gas or charcoal grill in great detail in our pulled pork recipe and our grilled pork rib recipes.
- Use an instant-read thermometer and test the steak by lifting it off the grill and inserting the probe into the side of the steak, not the top. Poking the thermometer into the top of the steak while it’s on the grill makes it hard to tell if it’s in the center. This makes the temperature reading less accurate because the probe can sink too close to the bottom closer to the heat.
- Cook to a medium-rare internal temp of 130°F, or less to keep steaks juicy and tender.
- Let the meat rest once you remove it from the grill for 8-10 minutes (either tent with foil or slide into an oven with the oven light on).
PRO TIP: It’s important not to leave the grill when grilling steaks because it only takes about 4-5 minutes per side to grill a 1 1/4-inch tri-tip steak.
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Tri-Tip Meal Prep: Dinner+Leftovers, 2 meals in one!!
FAQ
What is a good steak for meal prep?
What is tri-tip best for?
Is tri-tip a healthy cut?
Why is tri-tip so cheap?
What can you eat with a tri-tip?
The best side dishes to serve with tri-tip are mashed cauliflower, spicy green beans, and garlic potato fries. You can also serve a side of blue cheese salad, baked pinto beans, shrimp skewers, or creamed corn. Or you can use the tri-tip to make a pasta salad or serve it on a flatbread. Let’s start our list strong with some mashed cauliflower.
Is a tri-tip roast a good cut of beef?
This cut of beef is best when cooked to medium-rare. A quality tri-tip roast should be well-marbled (intermuscular fat), contributing to flavor and juiciness, making it an ideal choice for the dry heat of the oven or grill. Check out our Grilled Tri-Tip Roast recipe for more info about selecting the perfect tri-tip.
What temperature should tri-tip be cooked?
Even though tri-tip is fairly well-marbled, the meat can still be a bit tough when cooked rare or medium-rare. It’s best cooked until right at the border of medium-rare and rare, about 125ºF in the thickest part. This yields tender, rosy slices when cut properly across the grain.
How long does it take to cook a tri tip?
Cook undisturbed until well-browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the tri-tip. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tri-tip registers about 125ºF for medium, 20 to 30 minutes.