Grilled Tri Tip

Posted By: Amy 11 Comments on Grilled Tri Tip Rate this post!

Posted: Jul 23, 2024

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This perfectly-grilled tri tip with garlicky Sicilian herb sauce is a 20-minute cookout dinner. With lovely char marks and a juicy interior, this simple recipe will make you feel like a grill master!

Why You’ll Love This Grilled Tri Tip Roast

The homemade Sicilian sauce is what takes this juicy, grilled tri tip dinner to the next level.

• Perfect for summer. It’s way better than your regular grilled steak and much quicker too.
• Italian-inspired. The thyme-oregano garlic sauce with lemon juice adds fresh and herby Italian flair to every bite.
• Better than a restaurant. Cook it to your preferred doneness, add a garlicky spice rub, and serve it with as much sauce as you want.
• Versatile. You can marinate it, swap the sauce, and serve it with a bunch of veggie sides.

Recipe Ingredients

Seasoning the tri tip with only salt and pepper lets the beef’s flavor really shine through. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient amounts.

For the Sicilian Sauce

• Thyme – Rosemary is a good swap.
• Oregano – You can use dried or fresh.
• Garlic – It needs to be fresh garlic for a bit of texture in the sauce. Garlic paste is fine too.
• Salt – I prefer kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt.
• Lemon juice – Reduce the amount by half if you use lime juice.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – Avocado oil works too.

For the Tri Tip

• Tri-tip beef roast – It can be fresh or frozen (thawed).
• Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly-cracked pepper are best.

What Is Tri Tip?

Beef tri tip is a small, triangular cut that comes from the cow’s lower half. It sits in the corner of the back legs, where they connect to the stomach area. If you know where different cuts of beef are located, you can find the tri tip where the flank, shank, and round come together. It’s got a strong beef flavor, is relatively lean but has good amount of fat, and is quite tender when grilled. Flank steak and skirt steak are great swaps for it in this recipe.

How To Make Grilled Tri Tip

The diagonal cuts on the beef roast allow the fat to melt into the center of the meat for the juiciest, most tender bite. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.

• Make the sauce. Process the garlic and herbs until the garlic’s finely chopped. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Blend again and season with salt and pepper. Set it aside.
• Score it. Set out the roast and make diagonal cuts about 1″ apart over its entire surface. Turn it around and make the diagonal cuts in the opposite direction to make a diamond pattern. Season with salt on all sides.

• Roast it. Set the grill to medium-high. Grill the roast for for 4 minutes, flip it, and grill for another 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and close the grill’s lid. Let it cook in the residual heat for another 10 minutes.
• Serve. Remove the roast from the grill. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with sauce on top. Enjoy!

Tips & Variations

Patting the steak dry and then not moving it around once it hits the grill makes a huge difference in how juicy your beef roast turns out.

• Swap the sauce. If you’re not in the mood for Sicilian herb sauce, use my Oregano Pesto, chimichurri, or your favorite salsa verde instead.
• Marinate it. Place the roast in a large Ziploc bag. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili oil, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1 rosemary sprig. Seal the bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. Discard excess marinade and cook as usual.
• Pat it dry. Before you grill the steak, pat it dry on all sides with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will help you get a lovely brown sear on the meat.
• Add a spice rub. Mix 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried dill, and 2 teaspoons paprika in a small bowl until smooth. Rub it onto the steak before grilling for more depth and flavor.
• Stop moving it. Once the steak hits the grill, don’t move it around or flip often. Only flip it once for the juiciest steak with a nice sear on the outside. Moving and flipping doesn’t let the steak brown properly.

Grilled Tri Tip Temperature

Set the grill to medium-high heat (400F) and cook the steak to your preferred doneness:

• Rare. 2 to 3 minutes per side. The internal temperature should be 125F. The steak will be red on the inside.
• Medium-rare. 3-4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature’s 130F. The beef will be seared on the outside but will have a juicy, pink center.
• Medium well. Go for 5-6 minutes per side. The internal temperature should read 150F. It’ll be mostly browned but will have a light pink center.
• Well done. 6-8 minutes per side, with an internal temperature of 160F. There’ll be no red bits on the meat whatsoever.

Serving Suggestions

This juicy grilled tri tip is the perfect dinner with a side of Air Fryer Crispy Mini Potatoes. For salad options, try my Spring Mix Salad or Easy Tomato Burrata Salad. Other side ideas include my Instant Pot Artichoke and Perfect Grilled Corn.

How To Store & Reheat Leftovers

Store any leftovers within 30 minutes of cooking to prevent spoilage.

• Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The sauce can be stored for up to 3 days.
• To reheat it: Sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon water and microwave it in 20-second increments. You can also use a pan over medium heat for 7-8 minutes.

More Recipes To Try On The Grill

• Grilled Pork Chops and Peaches
• Spicy Grilled Shrimp
• Maple Mustard Grilled Chicken
• Grilled Paella
• Perfect Grilled Corn

Grilled Tri Tip

This juicy grilled tri tip recipe with homemade Sicilian herb sauce is an easy dinner for your next summer cookout.

Print Rate Pin

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sicilian Sauce:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice {juice from 1 lemon}
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Roast:

• 2-3 pound tri-tip beef roast or flank steak
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Sicilian Sauce:

• Blend thyme, garlic, oregano and salt in a processor until garlic is finely chopped. While processor is running add lemon juice and olive oil. Season with pepper to taste. Set aside.

Roast:

• Set out roast at least 30 minutes before you plan on cooking and cut several gashes about 1 inch apart over the entire surface of the meat using a sharp knife, then turn and move the other way to create a crisscross or diamond pattern. Make cuts that are uniform in both length and depth, then sprinkle both sides of roast evenly with salt.
• Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place roast on grill and cook 4 minutes and flip to cook an additional 4 minutes.
• Turn off heat directly under your roast, close grill lid and cook an additional 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your roast.
• Remove from heat and let meat rest at least 10 minutes before thinly slicing and serving with sauce over top.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

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