Tri Tip over Open Fire – Santa Maria Style!

Byamazingfoodstv


I fired up the Santa Maria grill for a big ol’ Tri Tip cooked right over open fire. Just salt, pepper, and flames — that’s all you need when you’re working with good beef and real coals. This Open Fire Tri Tip gets a killer bark, a perfect medium rare, and big-time flavor from that live fire.

#tritip #santamaria #howtobbqright

WHAT MALCOM USED IN THIS RECIPE:
– Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub
– Thermoworks RFX
– 12″ Brisket Slicer
– Al Frugoni Chimi Churri Seasoning
– BBQ Gloves
– Disposable BBQ Boards

Open Fire Tri-Tip

This one’s all about salt, pepper… and FIRE.

Ingredients:
– 1 whole Tri-Tip roast (untrimmed)
– Killer Hogs TX Brisket Rub (or salt, coarse black pepper, garlic blend)

Instructions:
1. Don’t Trim a Thing
Leave all the fat and sinew on that big, beautiful tri-tip. That’s how Mr. Al Frugoni—the king of live fire—does it, and we’re sticking to it.

2. Season Heavy
Hit it generously with TX Brisket Rub (or your favorite salt & pepper blend). Don’t be shy—we want a big crust.

3. Build the Fire
Start a fire using wood splits and lump charcoal. Once you’ve got a solid coal bed, rake the coals under your cooking grate and let it heat up.

4. Sear Over High Heat
Place the tri-tip directly over the hot coals and press it into the grate for good contact. Flip every 3–4 minutes to build a deep sear and bark on both sides.

5. Finish Over Medium Heat
Once seared, move it a bit higher above the coals or to indirect heat. Keep flipping every few minutes until the internal temp hits 125–130°F for medium-rare.

6. Rest and Slice
Let it rest for 20 minutes. Then slice it against the grain—split it down the middle crook first, since the grain runs different ways.

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38 Comments

  4. Great job, Malcom! But, here in California we are not in Argentina. Save your Chimi and drag those slices in the resting and slicing juice. Mop more of that juice with some garlic bread you toasted on that Santa Maria while the meat rested…

  18. I live outside of Phoenix. Tri-tip roasts are in all the stores here. The Tri-tip roast comes from the bottom Sirloin. It's not a great cut of beef compared to the rib roast, top sirloin or short loin, with little to no fat on it but cooked and sliced the right way it does have a great taste! It does need to cook a little longer in temp 132-138 compared to a ribeye or NY strip. Unfortunately Tri-tip roasts are getting more expensive now because everyone wants to cook them!

  28. This is the correct way to cook Tri-tip West Coast style! I always cringe when I see people try to cook it like a brisket. There’s no fat and it’s not tough so it doesn’t need low and slow to render anything. I will say, I think most take it closer to medium (around 140) because it still presents very much like medium rare that way. And everyone is different but usually I’ve seen it with less seasoning. But to each their own!

  29. In South Africa we call this cook style a "Braai". I usually cook mine in a similar way. Usually time it for 5 mins a side for around 30 mins in total. +-25cm from he coals. It'll eventually start to slow down the cook as the coals die off.

  31. It would have been good for Malcom to leave his thermometer in the tri-tip and let us know the peak carry-over temp during the 20 minute rest. I guarantee it would have gone up another 10 degrees and wouldn't have been as rare as it seemed when he took it off the pit.

  33. As an almost lifetime resident of Santa Maria, I endorse this content.

    I was telling someone about SM Style once.
    "just salt, pepper, and garlic powder…"
    "no sauce?"
    "nope"
    "where's the flavor come from?"
    "the oak"

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