Tri Tip Tacos
Sliced or chopped tri tip in warm tortillas with onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime. The fastest, best thing to do with leftover Santa Maria tri tip.
Tacos are the single best thing to do with leftover tri tip, and arguably a reason to cook extra on purpose. The cut already carries char and a hard-seared crust, so chopped into a warm tortilla it eats like the best carne asada you have had, with a Santa Maria backbone.
This is the Central Coast meeting the taqueria, the same Mexican-Californian lineage that shaped the barbecue in the first place. Thin against the grain, a little onion and cilantro, fresh salsa, and lime. Nothing more.
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked tri tip, sliced thin against the grain or chopped
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1/2 white onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup salsa roja or fresh salsa
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- Cotija or queso fresco, optional
- Sliced avocado, optional
Instructions
- 1
Warm the tortillas on a hot dry griddle or comal until soft and pliable, about 30 seconds a side.
Double up the tortillas for tacos this juicy so they do not fall apart in your hand.
- 2
Slice the tri tip thin against the grain, or chop it into bite-size pieces, and warm it through.
Cold leftover tri tip works, but a quick warm-up in a hot pan brings the crust back to life.
- 3
Build each taco with meat, onion, and cilantro, then top with salsa, a little cotija, and a hard squeeze of lime.
Keep the toppings simple. The beef and the salsa do the work.