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.
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.
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.