Teriyaki Tri Tip
Tri tip marinated in soy, mirin, ginger, and brown sugar, then grilled until the teriyaki glaze caramelizes into a sticky, savory-sweet crust.
Cooking for a bigger table? The tri tip serving calculator sizes the roast for any head count.
Teriyaki works on lean tri tip because it fixes the cut’s two weak spots at once: soy and ginger season it all the way through, and the sugar builds the lacquered, caramelized crust teriyaki is known for.
The trick is treating the glaze and the marinade as two separate things. The marinade tenderizes and flavors; the reserved glaze, brushed on at the end over indirect heat, gives you shine without scorching. Sugar over an open flame goes bitter fast, so keep the glaze off direct fire.
Slice it thin against the grain and the teriyaki reads almost like a Japanese-style steak. It pairs naturally with steamed rice, grilled scallions, or a quick cucumber salad.
Tri tip takes to teriyaki as a party cut, too. Sliced thin and fanned out, the lacquered edges and rosy center look like a Japanese steakhouse plate, and the leftovers are just as good cold in rice bowls the next day. Cook it to a medium-rare 130 degrees and rest it before slicing so the juices stay in the meat, not on the board.
Which cooker to use
Charcoal grill This is the recipe as written. Sear over the hot side, move to the cool side with the lid down, and brush the reduced glaze on during the last few minutes over indirect heat only. Any glaze that lands over direct flame goes bitter in seconds.
Smoker Smoke gets you a deeper surface to lacquer onto, but the glaze will not set at smoking temperatures. Bring the roast up in the smoker, then move it to a hot grate or a cast iron pan for the last few minutes and brush the glaze on there. Sweet soy and heavy smoke also fight each other, so keep the wood light.
Sous vide The marinade goes in the bag and the bath does the cooking, then you need a torch or a ripping cast iron pan for the crust. Use the clean quarter cup you reserved in step 1 for the glaze. If you would rather reduce the bag liquid instead, boil it a full minute first, since it sat with raw beef.
Santa Maria grill Teriyaki is thicker and sweeter than most marinades, and it burns over open coals before the meat is close. On an open grate you can grill the marinated roast plain, but the glaze that makes this recipe has to go on somewhere with a lid and a cool side.
Ingredients
- 1 whole tri tip roast (2-3 lbs), trimmed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- 1
Whisk soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic until the sugar dissolves. Reserve 1/4 cup for glazing later.
Holding back a portion before the raw meat goes in gives you a clean glaze for the grill. Never reuse marinade that has touched raw beef.
- 2
Place the tri tip in a zip-top bag or dish, pour the remaining marinade over it, and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning once.
Four hours is the minimum for the flavor to penetrate. Past 12 hours the soy starts to cure the surface and the texture turns hammy.
- 3
Remove the tri tip from the marinade, pat dry, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Build a two-zone fire, hot on one side.
Patting dry is what lets the surface sear instead of steam. A wet sugar-soy surface scorches before it browns.
- 4
While the grill heats, simmer the reserved 1/4 cup marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat until it thickens into a syrupy glaze, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
Reducing concentrates the sugars so the glaze lacquers onto the meat instead of running off. Watch the last minute. It goes from syrup to scorched fast.
- 5
Sear over direct heat 5 to 7 minutes per side, then move to the cool side. Brush on the reduced glaze and cook until the center reads 130 degrees F for medium-rare.
Sugar burns. Brush the glaze only on the indirect side and keep it off open flame, or it turns black and bitter.
- 6
Rest 10 minutes, slice against the grain, and finish with green onions and sesame seeds.
The grain forks partway down a tri tip. Separate the roast into its two muscles at that fork, then carve each one across its own grain.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 42 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Sat. Fat
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 820 mg
- Cholesterol
- 105 mg
Values are estimates based on standard ingredients and serving sizes.
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