Easy Tri Tip in the Oven (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook tri-tip in the oven covered or uncovered? ›

Place the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set the tied tri-tip roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until an insta-read thermometer registers about 125 (rare) to 135 (medium) degrees F, or according to taste.

Then, preheat the oven to 350 F and cook the tri tip until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 F. This should take approximately 15-17 minutes.

The ideal cooking temperature for a tri-tip cut is 200-250 °F or 93-121 °C (for indirect heat). This will enable you to cook the meat slowly over low temperature. It ensures an even cook helps avoid overcooking the outside of the meat.

Tri-tip is a tender, boneless roast, sometimes cut into steaks. As a roast, it benefits from long cooking at a low temperature, allowing the heat to slowly melt the connective tissues in the muscle to make it extremely tender. Wrapping it in foil ensures that the moisture stays in the meat.

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Follow the directions below for cooking Tri-Tip in the oven to perfection: Place the Tri-Tip roast fat-side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Do not add water or cover the roast and cook to desired doneness, according to the Measuring Doneness and Cooking Times Chart listed below.

The best techniques for how to cook tri-tip steak are fast-cooking methods, meaning less time in the kitchen and more time for eating. This particular cut comes from the bottom sirloin, which also makes a delicious roast.

Grill the tri tip and flip it every 6-7 minutes. Mop liberally with mopping liquid and a sauce mop after each time you flip the meat. Continue to grill until your roast is within 10 degrees of your final target temperature (see the next section for a list of temperatures).

Sear roast for 3-4 mins on each side, only turning once. After both sides are quickly seared, you'll transfer that pan right into the oven. Cook for about 10mins per pound, until it comes to temperature (see temp guide below). Tri tip is best, and most tender, when cooked to medium rare or less.

The longer you cook tri-tip the more tender it will become, so you can choose your time according to what you are trying to accomplish. For a more traditional texture you can cook it until it is just heated through, usually 3 to 4 hours.

Transfer to indirect heat (between 250-300 degrees F) and cover the grill, letting the tri-tip cook until it reaches 130 degrees F on an instant read digital meat thermometer (affiliate link) inserted into the thickest part of the meat for a medium-rare tri-tip. This should take roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

How do you know when tri-tip is done without a thermometer? ›

If you don't have one, however, or if it's not within reach when you need it, the touch test also works: Touch the cut of meat with your finger and then feel the fleshy part of your hand underneath your thumb. The meat is raw if it feels like the fleshy part.

Sear until browned, about 4 minutes on the first side. Use a hamburger press or pot lid to push the meat into the pan to get an even sear. Lift the tri-tip out of the pan, swirl the oil and juices to coat the pan again, then flip the tri-tip and sear, pressing down as before, until browned, about 3 minutes.

Let the tri-tip cook for about 3 hours at 250°F (121°C) or until the thickest part measures 160°F (71°C) as read by an accurate meat thermometer. To check the meat temperature, I used the new Thermapen ONE which reads in only one second! When the tri tip reaches 160°F (71°C), wrap tightly in pink butcher paper.

The key to being able to smoke a tri tip like a brisket (low and slow so you get fall-apart meat goodness) is to begin with a Prime cut tri tip. You need enough fat in your steak because tri tip is leaner than a brisket.

Conventional Oven Instructions:

Place tri tip into an oven-proof dish, pour mop sauce onto tri tip, cover and place in the oven. 3. Reheat for approximately 20 minutes until 165 degrees. Enjoy!

Season it in advance to give the seasoning time to penetrate the meat and enhance its flavor. Let it come to room temperature before cooking for more even doneness.

Should I poke holes in the tri-tip before marinating? Poking holes in the meat before marinating can help the flavors penetrate the meat more deeply, but it's an optional step. Some people also don't poke holes in the meat so the juices don't run out when cooking.