Tri Tip Burrito

Tri tip and the burrito are a natural fit, and the Central Coast has its own claim here. Pile the cut with rice, pinquito beans, cheese, and salsa, and you have a full meal built straight out of the leftovers, the same beans that sit on the Santa Maria plate doing double duty inside the tortilla.

Want the California burrito move? Add a handful of fries inside before you roll. It is messy, it is huge, and it is exactly what you want after a long cook.

Start with the meat warm, not blasted in a microwave. Chop or slice the cold tri tip against the grain and heat the pieces fast in a hot pan so they stay juicy once they are wrapped.

A burrito lives or dies on the build. Keep the filling in a tight line a third of the way up the tortilla so you have room to fold, and do not overload it or it splits. Warm pinquito beans and rice go down first as the base, then the beef, cheese, and salsa, so the heavy, wet stuff is anchored and the tortilla stays sealed. Roll it tight and crisp it seam-side down in a dry pan for a minute, because that toasted seam is what keeps a big burrito from coming apart in your hands.

Guacamole can go inside the burrito or beside it, but pick one. Inside, it goes in cold and last, right before the fold, so it never sits against the hot beef long enough to turn grey and loose.