What Is Tri Tip?
Tri tip comes from the bottom sirloin, at the hip where the loin meets the round, just ahead of the flank. It’s a single muscle (the tensor fasciae latae, IMPS 185C untrimmed) that works enough to develop deep, beefy flavor but stays tender enough to grill hot and fast. A whole untrimmed roast runs 2½ to 4 pounds and trims to 1½ to 2½. It’s lean, so it cooks like a thick steak and comes off the fire in under an hour.
Each steer has exactly two tri tips, one per side. That, and the fact that most butchers outside California ground it for decades, kept it a regional cut.
Where the Name Comes From
Beef over red oak on the Central Coast goes back to the rancho barbecues of the 1800s. The name tri tip came in the 1950s, most often credited to Bob Schutz, a butcher at the Santa Maria Safeway, who sold the triangle as a roast instead of grinding it. The valley’s way of cooking it stuck: salt, pepper and garlic, red oak, sliced against the grain, with pinquito beans, salsa and garlic bread.
The full story is in Santa Maria BBQ history. Next to other cuts: tri tip vs brisket and tri tip vs picanha.
The Shape and the Grain
The Triangle
Tri tip has a thick end (the heel), a thin point and a middle corner. The heel can be nearly twice as thick as the point, so the heel finishes medium-rare while the point runs closer to medium. That gives the table a range of doneness from one roast.
The Grain
The grain changes direction near the middle. The fibers run one way through the heel and fan out toward the point, so slicing straight across the whole roast cuts half of it with the grain, and those slices chew tough. Cut the roast in two where the grain turns, then slice each half against its own grain. How to slice tri tip walks through it.
What to Look For at the Counter
Marbling
Look for even white flecks of fat through the meat. On a lean cut that fat is what keeps it juicy. Skip roasts with almost none; they dry out over high heat.
Color
Deep red, not brown or gray. A purple tint in a vacuum pack is normal and blooms to red after 15 to 20 minutes in the air.
Size and Thickness
A good trimmed roast runs 2 to 2½ pounds and is at least 2 inches thick at the heel. Under 2 pounds usually means it was over-trimmed, with less margin for error. Plan on half a pound of trimmed roast per person; the serving calculator scales that to any head count.
Silver Skin
Check the side opposite the fat cap for a thin, shiny membrane. It never renders and turns the surface chewy. A good butcher takes most of it off; peel off any that’s left before you season.
USDA Grades
Grade is set mostly by marbling. On a lean cut like tri tip, it decides how forgiving the roast is.
| Grade | Marbling | On the fire | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select | Slight | Dries out fast over high heat | Slow cooking and shredding |
| Choice | Moderate | Stays juicy, hot and fast or low and slow | Everyday tri tip |
| Prime | Abundant | The most forgiving; still eats well a few degrees over | A special cook |
For pull temperatures by doneness, see tri tip internal temp.
Angus and Wagyu are breeds, not grades
An Angus tri tip can be Select, Choice or Prime. The label that matters is the USDA shield. American Wagyu is a breed too, not a grade. It marbles past Prime, so pull it at the low end of the range.
What It Costs
Tri tip isn’t the bargain it once was. In California, Choice runs about $6.45 a pound right now, and the national average is up roughly 60% since 2019. Advertised prices dip hardest during grilling-season feature weeks, so timing your buy pays off.
Where to Buy
A Butcher Shop
Your best bet. A butcher can get a specific grade, cut to size and trim to order. Ask for a whole, lightly trimmed tri tip so you control the fat cap. The Locator lists 21 butcher counters that carry tri tip.
Grocery Stores and Warehouse Clubs
California chains stock tri tip year-round; elsewhere it varies. Costco reliably carries Choice at a good price per pound. Buy whole vacuum-packed roasts, not pre-seasoned ones, which often use lower grades.
Online
Ranches and online butchers ship tri tip nationwide. It’s the easiest way to get Prime or Wagyu without a local source; expect to pay for shipping.
Direct From a Ranch
On the Central Coast, many ranches sell cuts at farmers’ markets or on their own sites. You know where the beef came from and when it was processed.
Trimming and Prep
Trimmed or Untrimmed
Trimmed tri tip (most grocery counters) has the fat cap taken down and the silver skin off. Untrimmed (warehouse clubs and butcher cases, sometimes labeled peeled when only the membrane is gone) can carry a cap close to an inch thick. Untrimmed is cheaper per pound, but you lose about a fifth of the weight on the board, so the gap is smaller than it looks.
The Fat Cap
For a smoke or a long indirect cook, trim the cap to about ¼ inch so it renders. For hot direct grilling, go thinner or take it off; a thick cap over coals flares and chars. We take it off so the seasoning sits on the meat. Remove the silver skin every time: slide a thin knife under one end, angle the blade up and pull the skin against it.
Dry Brine
Salt the roast with kosher salt the night before and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge. The salt seasons it deeply and the dry surface sears better. For a full blend instead of straight salt, see the rub.
Short on time
Salt at least 45 minutes before cooking, or right before it goes on. In between, the salt has pulled moisture to the surface without letting it soak back in, and the wet surface steams instead of searing.
Before It Goes On
Take the roast out of the fridge about 30 minutes before the fire is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tri tip?
Tri tip is a boneless triangular roast from the bottom sirloin, usually 1½ to 2½ pounds trimmed. It cooks like a thick steak and serves like a roast. Grilled over red oak with salt, pepper and garlic and sliced against the grain, it’s the center of Santa Maria style barbecue.
What part of the cow is tri tip?
The bottom sirloin, where the hip meets the leg. It’s a single triangular muscle (the tensor fasciae latae) that weighs 2½ to 4 pounds untrimmed and 1½ to 2½ trimmed. Each steer has two.
What USDA grade of tri tip should I buy?
Choice for most cooks: enough marbling to stay juicy over high heat, and widely available. Prime is more forgiving but harder to find. Select is too lean for grilling. For pull temperatures by doneness, see tri tip internal temp.
Should I leave the fat cap on tri tip?
For smoking, trim it to about a quarter inch so it renders. For hot direct grilling, trim it thinner or take it off for a better crust.
Why is tri tip hard to find outside California?
For most of the 20th century, butchers elsewhere cut the bottom sirloin into other cuts or ground it. Warehouse clubs and food media made it national, but it’s still easiest to find on the West Coast.