How to Grill Tri-Tip and Other Beef

In Chef Fennessey’s backyard, Grilled Tri Tip is a very popular dish that is fun to prepare and affords plenty of creative dishes and leftover ideas. So she kicks of ChefsLine’s guide to Grilling Beef with two very helpful videos: How to Grill Tri Tip and How to Carve Beef.

How to Grill Tri Tip

Last modified on 2008-06-29 19:26:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Dish ideas for your grilled tri-tip steak

Last modified on 2008-07-14 18:13:11 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Chef Robyn has given us some great information on tri tip, both grilling and slicing. And we bet you’re wondering what to do with all that lovely steak. Well, I have a few suggestions, that are quick and delicious.

First, a great Caesar salad featuring your grilled tri-tip. Just prepare your romaine, toss romaine with my caesar vinaigrette (below) and top with beef and croutons.

Caesar Vinaigrette
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets, drained, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely minced capers
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
cracked black pepper

Combine first five ingredients and then whisk in oils until dressing comes together. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Then, toss with greens and serve with sliced steak.

Soft Tacos
Also, tri-tip is fantastic for soft tacos, especially grilled, as Chef Robyn has shown. All you will need are some sauteed onions and peppers, small flour tortillas (usually 6 inch) and some salsa and sour cream. Warm your tortillas, and to each flap, add some sliced steak, and some onions and peppers, garnish with salsa and sour cream. Great summer quick pick!

Philly Cheeseteak
And finally, if you’re in the mood for something a bit heartier, you can use the tri-tip for a great Philly Cheesesteak. Again, you’ll need some sauteed onions ( & peppers, only if you wish), some good sub rolls and some provolone cheese. In a pie pan or other oven safe pan, take your sliced steak, pile with onions, cover with slice or two of provolone and put in 400 degree oven until provolone is melted and a little bubbly. Remove and slide into toasted sub roll. It’ a hit!, beef salad, quick lunch recipes

How to Carve Grilled Tri-Tip

Last modified on 2008-06-29 19:27:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The Best Beef For Grilling

Last modified on 2008-06-13 22:01:06 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Hamburgers aside, there are two key types of beef suitable for grilling: most of the tender cuts and a few of the tough cuts.

The tender cuts great for grilling are the loin steaks: rib eye, T-bone, Porter House, New York Strip, Sirloin, and Filet Mignon. These cuts are naturally tender and should be well-marbled with fat. In general, all steaks should be grilled over medium heat. For a ribeye, Chef Erika recommends seasoning with salt & pepper or a rub if you like. Cook for 5-6 minutes each side. Your final internal temperature will be 130-135 for medium rare and 140-145 for medium. Be sure to rest for no less than 5 minutes before serving.

Instead of fat, the tough cuts suitable for grilling have lots of striated connective tissue in them: Flank steak, Hanger steak, and Flat Iron steak. The trick to these latter cuts is to cook them very quickly on the outside, serve them no more than medium rare, and slice them very thinly across the grain. The odd beast in this menagerie is the tri-tip.

Tri-tips are actually a small roast and originated as a cut in Texas, but didn’t find popularity until reaching Santa Rosa, California where it became hugely popular. It gains its name from its triangular shape and that results from being cut from the end of two different muscles. It can be tough, so look for plenty of marbling, but is packed with beefy flavor.

We hear more and more about the merits of grass-fed versus grain-fed beef. This is literally “a matter of taste.” Grass-fed beef usually has a deeper, richer flavor than grain-fed beef and is higher in good fats and lower in bad fats, but it’s usually not as well-marbled and not as tender (the breed of cattle can make a big difference here: Angus and Hereford are the best choices for grass-fed beef). La Cense is one well established brand of grass-fed beef that ships directly to consumers. Grain-fed beef is uniformly more tender, partially because the cattle are kept in small lots and can’t exercise, but also milder in flavor. The best beef in world - Kobe and Wagyu from Japan - graze on grass but are also fed some grain.

Welcome us to your backyard!

Chef Rod Woodley is ChefsLine’s resident grill master. Subscribers to ChefsLine’s premium membership can book live phone or webcam consultations with him to learn the finer points of charcoal and gas grilling techniques. Rod also hosts a Fish and Seafood Grilling class that you can purchase and experience - it’s just $15.95!

Chef Jackie offers a cooking class on Homemade Oils, Rubs, and Marinades - that is a great way to explore adding flavor to a whole host of cuts of beef for grilling.

How to roast buffalo

Last modified on 2008-07-16 20:33:41 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Using my Delongi counter top convection oven / rotisserie, I plan to cook a buffalo roast for a party. The instructions for the rotisserie are vague as far as cooking time. My questions are:

Do I bring the roast to room temperature before cooking?
Do I add the meat rub after I sear the meat?
Approximately how long will my 5 pound buffalo arm roast take to roast?

The oven has a set temperature, that is kind of too hot at 425 degrees so I may leave the door ajar while roasting.

Smoked Tri Tip

Last modified on 2008-07-16 20:32:25 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Suggested cooking temp and rough time estimate with very accurate water smoker?