Tri Tip Tacos

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.

Slice or dice the tri tip, then heat it, not the other way around. A whole roast takes too long to warm through on the stove and overcooks by the time the center is hot. Cut it thin against the grain, or chop it into bite-size pieces, then give it a fast sear on a screaming-hot griddle or in a hot pan with a little bit of oil or beef tallow, just long enough to crisp the edges and take the chill off.

Corn tortillas are traditional and hold up to the juice, but double them up either way so the taco doesn’t blow out in your hand. From there it’s cook’s choice: a spoon of salsa roja, a little cotija, avocado, and a hard squeeze of lime. Feeding a crowd? Set the meat and toppings out and let everyone build their own.

Taco night is really a table of small bowls. Beyond the salsa, put out pico de gallo for crunch and acid and guacamole for fat, and those same three bowls carry you through burritos, tortas, and whatever else you build out of the leftovers.