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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Beef Recipes

    Tri Tip Marinade

    Published: Oct 25, 2024 by Lisa Killian ยท This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย  disclosure policy.

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    This Tri Tip Marinade is so easy and so delicious! It comes together in no time and gives you a tasty tri tip every time!

    whole marinated and cooked tri tip on cutting board.
    This tri tip marinade is so tasty!

    Tri Tip is one of my favorite cuts of meat. Growing up in CA we had this at almost every birthday or BBQ!

    What type of cut is Tri Tip?

    Tri Tip is typically a triangular shaped cut of meat from the bottom portion of a sirloin.

    Itโ€™s tasty, itโ€™s delicious, and you will love this marinade recipe!

    Tri Tip is typically covered in a Santa Maria Rub or marinade, but instead, I wanted to share one of my favorite alternative marinades!

    sliced of tri tip on cutting board.
    This is one of the juiciest tri tips ever!

    Ingredients needed Tri Tip Marinade


    • Liquids- Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, and Olive Oil
    • Garlic
    • Lemon- I use the zest and juice
    • Pepper
    • Herbs- I love using fresh parsley and basil but dried work too!
    marinade ingredients.
    With just a few ingredients you will have a great marinade!

    How to make tri tip marinade?

    • Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the all the liquids combine and no longer separate immediately when you stop whisking.
    • Place tri tip in marinade, cover and refrigerate for 2-12 hours. I typically will leave this in overnight then smoke it the next day.
    • Make sure to flip the tri tip half way through marinated to get both sides.
    whisking the marinade.
    adding tri tip to marinade.
    covering the tri tip in bowl with saran wrap.
    turing the tri tip in the marinade.
    tri tip in marinade after refrigerating.
    Marinate anywhere from 2 to 12 hours!

    How to cook tri tip?

    I typically prefer to smoke tri tip or bake my tri tip. If you are going to bake the tri tip, place the marinated meat in a baking dish and bake in a 350ยฐF oven for 20-40 minutes or until you reach an internal temp of 135ยฐF.

    If you are smoking a tri tip, preheat your smoker to 225ยฐF and smoker until you reach an internal temperature of 135ยฐF, typically 2 hrs.

    adding marinated tri tip to smoker to be cooked.
    cooked tri tip in smoker.
    Smoking or baking- both make a tasty tri tip!

    Equipment Used:

    Meat Thermometer- I love using my smoke pro for checking temperatures while cooking the tri tip, and then spot check with wither my thermapen one or my dash thermometer.  (affiliate links)

    Smoker- For this recipe I used my camp chef vault, but I also love using my camp chef pellet grill. (affiliate links)

    How to cut a tri tip?

    You want to cut perpendicular to the grain of the meat.  This will give you the juiciest slices.

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    uncooked tri tip on baking sheet.
    It's easy to see the grain of the meat before cooking!

    How to store tri tip?

    Store cooked tri tip in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    You can also freeze cooked tri tip in an air tight container in the freezer for up to a month!

    sliced tri tip close up
    This marinade is so flavorful!

    Is Tri Tip chewy?

    Tri Tip can be a little chewy since in some places since it is a cut that has a lot of fat and some cartilage and you donโ€™t cook it to a high temperature.

    Unlike a brisket or pork (for something like carnitas tacos or green chile stew), where you cook it to 200ยฐF+ to break down those chewy portions, tri tip is best cooked to medium rare, which means there might be a couple of pieces that are hard to chew.

    Beef Steak and Roast Temperatures


    • Rare: 120-130ยฐF
    • Medium Rare: 130-135ยฐ
    • Medium: 135-145ยฐF
    • Medium Well: 145-155ยฐF
    • Well: 155ยฐ+

    When cooking steaks and roasts, the meat will typically continue cooking and raise by a 5-10ยฐ degrees once you take it off the grill/smoker/oven.  Carry over cooking is more likely to occur when meat is cooked at higher temperatures.

    What to serve with tri tip?

    Tri Tip goes great with veggies like baked brussel sprouts or broccoli slaw, a tasty salad like this apple pecan salad, and definitely sour cream mashed potatoes!

    What to do with leftover tri tip?

     Any leftover tri tip we typically make into tri tip sandwiches or tri tip tacos, and I highly recommend it!

    How to make a killer tri tip marinade?

    You need acid, fat, and salt for a great marinade. Using soy sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and basil and parsley make a delicious well balanced marinade,

    How long to marinade tri tip?

    I recommend marinating at least 2 hrs. or as long as overnight/12 hrs.

    tri tip sandwich being held in had and cut in half.
    Leftover tri tip sandwiches are a fav here!

    For more smoked recipes check out my smoked ribeye, smoked cream cheese, smoked deviled eggs, smoked beer can chicken and smoked chicken legs!

    Food Safety

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 130 ยฐF
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    tri tip marinated pinterest pin
    Don't forget to pin this recipe!

    Video

    HTMLFont size
    marinated tri tip featured image.

    Tri Tip Marinade

    This Tri Tip Marinade is so easy and so delicious! It comes together in no time and gives you a tasty tri tip every time!
    4.08 from 28 votes
    Print Pin
    Author: Lisa Killian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Marinating Time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8

    Ingredients

    • โ…“ cup Soy Sauce
    • โ…“ cup Worcestershire Sauce
    • ยฝ cup Olive Oil
    • 2 tbs Minced Garlic or 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 3 tbs Lemon Juice ~1 lemon's worth of juice
    • Zest from Lemon
    • 3 tbs fresh Parsley chopped or 1 tbs Dried Parsley
    • ยฝ cup Basil chopped or 2 tbs Dried Basil
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • 2-3 lb Tri Tip

    Instructions

    • In a medium sized bowl add all the marinade ingredients and whisk. You want to form an emulsion of the oil and the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, so whisk until they are combined and donโ€™t separate. The liquid will turn a lighter creamy color.
      โ…“ cup Soy Sauce, โ…“ cup Worcestershire Sauce, ยฝ cup Olive Oil, 2 tbs Minced Garlic or 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 3 tbs Lemon Juice, Zest from Lemon, 3 tbs fresh Parsley chopped, ยฝ cup Basil chopped, 1 teaspoon Pepper
      whisking the marinade.
    • Place the tri tip in the marinade, cover then refrigerate. You can also put the marinade and tri tip in a gallon zip loc bag.
      2-3 lb Tri Tip
      turing the tri tip in the marinade.
    • Allow Tri Tip to marinate at least 2 hours but up to 12 hrs. Flip the tri tip half way through marinating.
      tri tip in marinade after refrigerating.
    • To cook I prefer to bake or smoke the tri tip. If baking place tri tip in a baking dish and bake in oven preheated to 350ยฐF until an internal temperature reaches 135ยฐF for medium rare (about 20-40 minutes). To smoke, preheat smoker to 225ยฐF, the smoke until tri tip reaches an internal temperature of 135ยฐF.
      cooked tri tip in smoker.
    • Once done cooking allow to rest for 10 minutes then slice and enjoy!
      tri tip whole cooked on cutting board.

    Notes

    Tips and Tricks
    • *Refrigerating the marinade will harden the olive oil which is ok and expected!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 216IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg

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    Comments

      4.08 from 28 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kristie VanOrnum says

      June 15, 2023 at 3:19 pm

      I have seen a tri tip since I left Cali. I lived in Santa Maria, Nipomo & San Luis Obispo. Any ideas on how I could get one in Dallas, Texas? The marinade looks &:sounds tasty. Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Kristie VanOrnum says

        June 15, 2023 at 3:22 pm

        THAT IS "I HAVE NOT SEEN A TRI-TIP SINCE I LEFT CALI"!! STUPID THUMBS

        Reply
      • Lisa says

        June 26, 2023 at 2:19 pm

        More places carry them now thankfully! I'm in NM and get mine from Albertson's or Sam's Club. Costco probably carries them too. Hope you find one!

        Reply
    2. Kyle says

      March 09, 2023 at 12:36 am

      Would you think it's advisable to heat up the marinade in a pan first in order to infuse some of those flavors in particular the garlic? I've done that in the past with other marinades but being that this one is more of an emulsion I worry that it might not be as advisable. Please advise.

      Reply
      • Lisa says

        March 13, 2023 at 2:33 pm

        I don't see why you can't try it. Sounds tasty! Maybe just let the marinade cool completely before adding the meat.

        Reply
    3. Lisa says

      February 13, 2023 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      So good! My favorite marinade!

      Reply
      • Lisa says

        February 13, 2023 at 1:49 pm

        Yay! So glad!

        Reply
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