Making Tri-tip in the oven is SO easy and delicious and a total crowd-pleaser.
Sometimes when I’m developing recipes, I have to do quite a bit of testing so I end up eating A LOT of that recipe (remember all those test batches of Freezer Meatballs? I’m still happily eating my way through them).
This was another recipe I tested a bunch before making it for the site, and despite the fact that I’ve eaten more tri-tip in the last two months than I have in the last two years, it’s so good that I’m already thinking about making it again this weekend.
Tri-tip is one of those cuts of meat that is usually prepared on the BBQ, but as I’ve said before, I’m not much of a grill master. Most of my life I’ve made tri-tip in the slow cooker, and it’s pretty killer that way, especially for BBQ sandwiches, but recently, I’ve been enjoying making tri-tip in the oven, because It. Is. Amazing.
Starting tri-tip on the stove and finishing it in the oven, you get super moist and flavorful meat and that gorgeous, crispy charred exterior, all without having to step foot outside or get near a BBQ.
Seriously, as soon as you cut into the roast, you will want to start grabbing pieces to eat. I don’t usually eat while I’m shooting photos, but I’m not going to lie, I totally stopped for a snack halfway through this shoot. 😉
I grew up eating tri-tip, but when I was writing my last tri-tip recipe post, I learned that it’s actually not such a popular cut of meat around the world. So if you’re reading this going what the heck is tri-tip?, read on.
What is Tri-tip?
Tri-tip is a 1.5 to 2.5-pound, triangular-shaped cut of meat that comes from the bottom of the sirloin. It’s most popular in California and on the West Coast, but it is growing in popularity around the country.
You might find it under alternate names like “The California Cut” or “Bottom Sirloin Tip” or “Triangle Roast” (why so many names for tri-tip??).
One tri-tip will serve 4 to 6 people depending on its size and the appetite of your guests, and because of its shape, is great if you are feeding people who like different levels of doneness in their meat because the thinner end will cook quicker than the center.
Untrimmed vs Trimmed Tri-tip
Tri-tip is sold as either untrimmed or trimmed. Untrimmed tri-tip has a nice layer of fat on one side (sometimes both sides). Trimmed tri-tip will have this removed.
I like trimmed tri-tip roasts when I am cooking them in the slow cooker, but for roasting, I prefer untrimmed as the fat helps keep the meat nice and moist.
On rare occasions, I will get a tri-tip that is untrimmed on both sides. If that happens to you, you’ll want to trim one side. One side of the tri-tip will have a thick, pretty even fat cap. That’s the side you want to keep. The other side will be irregular with some muscle showing through. That’s the side you’ll want to trim.
Just use a very sharp knife to slice off the fat and any silver skin (the thin bluish, silvery membrane that sticks tightly to the meat). It doesn’t have to be pretty! You can see the hack job I did on my tri-tip below.) 🙂
Okay, with that little tri-tip lesson out of the way, are you ready to see how easy it is to cook in the oven? (Scroll all the way down for the full recipe.)
How to cook tri-tip in the oven:
- Rub tri-tip with your favorite seasoning salt.
- Heat oil in an oven-safe pan and sear the tri-tip, fat-side down.
- Flip tri-tip and pop it in the oven.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes per pound.
- Allow roast to rest for 10 minutes, and done!
How easy is that? This has seriously become one of my go-to dinners for nights I know I’m going to be tired and not want to cook, because even though there are 20 to 40 minutes of oven time, the effort is minimal and the results are sooooooo good.
The meat is fabulous if you want to build a tri-tip sandwich, but usually, I eat it exactly as is, maybe with a little macaroni salad, broccoli, or green beans as a side.
Tri-tip Recipe Notes
- If cooking more than one tri-tip roast at a time, just make sure they’re not touching in the oven pan so there’s plenty of room for air to circulate. Cook for the recommended time based off the smallest roast. You may have to pull one roast out sooner than the other, and cooking time will probably be slightly longer, particularly if roasts are crowded together or you have to open the oven multiple times to check temperatures.
- Looking for more meaty main dishes? Try (my favorite) Crispy Carnitas and Country-style Ribs.
Tri-tip in the Oven
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Large oven-safe skillet
- Instant-read thermometer
Tri-tip
- 1 untrimmed tri-tip*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Seasoning salt*
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Trim any silver skin from the bottom of the tri-tip and sprinkle the entire thing with seasoning salt, gently rubbing it into the surface.
- On the stove, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-safe skillet. Once oil is hot place tri-tip, fat-side down, in the pan. Cook for 4 minutes, or until well-seared. Flip meat and place pan in the oven.
- Roast for 10 to 15 minutes per pound (start checking the internal temp at about 20 minutes for a medium-sized roast). Cook until internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat reads 135°F for medium-rare to 145° for medium (the roast in the photos was pulled at 145°F). Tent with foil to keep warm and allow meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Slice roast against the grain by cutting it in half at the center point and then across the grain on each end and enjoy!
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Recipe Adapted from The New York Times
Linda says
Although absolutely delicious, am I the only one whose oven was a complete greasy disaster after roasting? The fat, both in the pan and on the roast itself, splattered something awful. It was the first item I cooked in my new oven so I wasn’t very pleased! 🙁
Tracy says
Hi, Linda. Glad you enjoyed the roast, but I’m so sorry to hear about your new oven. Unfortunately, splatter is pretty par for the course when cooking roasts, especially pieces with fat caps like this at high temps. If you wanted to make it again in the future, you might try covering it with foil for part of the cooking time as recommended here: https://dengarden.com/cleaning/How-to-avoid-oven-messes It wont’ completely contain the splatters, but will help minimize it.
Mike says
I used a pot instead of a pan. The all-clad pots and pans are made of the same material (sears well) and the pot gave an extra 6 inches of splatter containing area. I also tossed in some broccoli and mushrooms at the 15 min mark and covered with foil. It all came out super tasty.
Tracy says
This is a really helpful tip. Thanks for sharing!
Bernadette says
I made this tri tip exactly how it is written. It was really very good. Both the 3 year old and the 60 year old as well as myself loved it. It was my first time making this type of roast….thsnks for sharing the recipe. I tried to give 5 stars, but for some reason my phone won’t allow it, but 5 STARS.
Tracy says
Thanks, Bernadette! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it!!
Alan Arnold says
I’ve been grilling tri tip for years with variations of the Santa Maria seasoning but last night was my first attempt at roasting one in the oven. It came out perfect. This is my new go to method for tri tip. Thanks for the post.
Tracy says
This makes me so genuinely happy to hear, Alan! Thanks for reporting back!
Tin says
Can I use a cast iron Dutch oven, this is only pan I have that can go from stove to oven .
Tracy says
Yup, that will work just fine.
Jim says
Turned out better than the tri tip I bbqed Sunday!!!
Tracy says
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear!
Jo says
Do you think I can cook this ahead of time? I’m bringing it to a family dinner and thought it easier if it’s alradu cooked. Should I cut it up and reheat covers in foil or leave it uncut and reheat that way?
Tracy says
Hi, Jo, it’s usually recommended to reheat roasts low and slow, which takes as much time as cooking the roast does. If possible, I would cook it at home and then transport it warm. There are a bunch of good tips for transporting beef in this thread: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/40593/transporting-roast-beef or in this post (which is about turkeys, but would apply to roasts as well): http://blog.chefd.com/small-bytes/how-to-transport-a-fully-cooked-turkey-and-still-keep-it-warm Hope that helps!
Kathy says
hello Tracy I have never cooked a tri’tip before so googled directions . I am so very glad that I found your site! Looking forward to trying this tonight. One thing that I didn’t find in the coments was if you can freez the leftovers and any helpful hints concerning that. Thamk Thank you for sharing this with all of us
Tracy says
Hi, Kathy, I hope you enjoy it!! And I don’t usually freeze cooked tri-tip like this, but my best recommendation would be to freeze it immediately and double wrap it to protect it in the freezer.
Joy Ichikawa says
So you flip the meat after searing ONLY the fat side, which means the meaty triangle side is face up? And it gets that charred as depicted in your photos?
Tracy says
Hi, Joy, the pan is still hot enough that the meat gets seared when you flip it and put it into a hot oven to cook (fat-side up). The roast in the photos was made following this exact recipe, so that’s what it looks like after cooking. The really charred bits are fattier parts of the meat. The lean meat won’t get so crispy and dark like that but is nicely seared. Hope that helps!
Romney says
Thanks for this! I followed your instructions and it came out perfect! I can’t wait to make it again!
Tracy says
Thanks for reporting back, Romney! Glad you enjoyed it!
Astro Gremlin says
So simple and so perfect. I used Lawry’s seasoned salt. Threw in a handful of carrots around the meat.
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it. I really have to try adding carrots next time!
Lena Sanchez says
This is an awesome post! Thank you so much. I’ve always been intimidated with cooking tri tip, so stayed away even though it is so amazingly delicious. Now im inspired and unintimidated. Gonna make this tonight. Thank you!!
Tracy says
Thanks, Lena! Hope you enjoy it!!
Jaci Tatro says
This is on the menu for Easter! One question… Do I knock the temp down from 425 or just keep it that hot as the meat cooks?
Tracy says
Hi, Jaci, it cooks at 425 the entire time. Hope you enjoy it!
Y says
You really should specify this somewhere in the article…
Tracy says
Hey, Y, the steps in the post are more of a quick overview. Definitely refer to the recipe if you want to make this. It has full instructions (including oven temp). Hope that helps!
Fernanda Dupriest says
I made this with a rub I found online and it was perfect!
I live in an apartment, so no grill for me, so finding this recipe was really great.
If anyone wants an AMAZING rub for this recipe, here’s my tip:
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil
I let it marinate in the fridge for just a coupe of hours and then followed this recipe and it turned out amazing the temperature of the meat (it was so great looking that I forgot to take a picture because my husband and I just wanted to eat it! hahaha).
So, thanks!!!
Tracy says
Thanks, Fernanda! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it. And thanks for for sharing your tri-tip rub recipe!!
Chris Lepper says
Love this! I’ve always cooked trimmed tri-tip but this is amazing. From now on it’s untrimmed for me unless I’m cutting steaks out of the tri-tip.
I used a thermometer and pulled the roast when it reached 130. It kept rising to 145 which is exactly where I like it. (It was a 4.5 pound roast.) Thanks for the recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks for taking the time to report back, Chris. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Janet Selinka says
This looks and sounds delicious ( and I just ate breakfast) I wish my butcher was open now so I could make a test run before I cook it for picky eaters ! Love your recipes!
Tracy says
Thank you, Janet!!
Donna says
Thank you. Your info is appreciated. Have not cooked it yet. Have never cooked this meat so afraid of overcooking or undercooking & not seasoned right. I should probably do a test run before cooking this for others….again thank you!
Tracy says
Hi, Donna, I always recommend doing a test run because it means less stress when cooking for others since you know you’ve already done it successfully once! As for over/undercooking, invest in a meat thermometer. It takes all the guess work out of cooking meat. I LOVE them.
Donna says
Can I cover my baking pan or iron skillet with Reynolds wrap so inside of stove Isn’t splattered with juice & meat? Would it affect cooking time &flavor. Also thinking of cooking red potatoes & carrots with meat on top
Also how many pounds of meat for 3 adults & 4 kids who are big meat eaters when it tastes really good.
What other seasonings do you suggest?
Tracy says
Hi, Donna, I wouldn’t cover the meat because the crust might not come out as nice and crispy. I haven’t made this with veggies in the pan before, but Tim, a couple comments up had great success with it, he said, “Decided to throw some diced potatoes and carrots in my broiler pan for about 15 mins before putting the seared roasts on top of the veggies.”
For that many people, I would do two tri-tip roasts. You can sear them separately and then roast together in the same baking dish. And for seasoning, a good seasoning salt can be used over everything, veggies included. I’ve used both Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and Pappy’s Choice Seasoning and like both quite a bit.