How To Cut Tri-tip with Step-by-Step Instructions

The next best thing to brisket is tri-tip. It is great for brisket-style cooking and can be smoked, roasted, barbequed, and grilled without spending hours cooking, unlike brisket.

Once considered as ground meat for hamburgers, tri-tip beef became popular over 50 years ago thanks to a Santa Maria meat market owner who cooked up tri-tip like a steak.

While this meat is full of flavor and versatile to cook, there is one big problem that can ruin its taste and texture. And that is cutting tri-tip. If you slice it wrong, the tender and juicy meat you cooked will turn rubbery and tough, leaving you dismayed and upset.

Why is it important to cut tri-tip correctly?

Tri-tip is a triangular shape of meat with muscle grain that runs in two different directions. The grain of the meat is basically the direction the muscle fibers grew.

It’s easier to see the grain before you start cooking the meat. The muscle grain will run the long way in the skinny part of the tri-tip, and then suddenly, about two-thirds of the way up, the grain will suddenly run at a 45º angle in the wider part of the tri-tip. This makes slicing tri-tip a tad difficult.

The tenderness of the meat depends on how it is sliced after cooking. Slicing the right way means you have to slice the meat against the grain for tender, flavorful cuts. That’s why it’s important to know how to slice tri-tip.

Should you cut tri-tip raw or cooked?

You can cut tri-tip when it is raw or after it is cooked. But it is highly recommended to cook it whole, so it maintains the juices, keeping it moist inside and giving you more tender meat than when cooking in individual pieces.

Besides, it is also easier to cut the meat after it is cooked.

What do you need to cut tri-tip?

There are a few things that you need from your kitchen to slice tri-tip. These are:

• A sharp knife: For small tri-tip, you can get away with a chef’s knife. For larger pieces, use a carving knife with a longer and narrower blade than a chef’s knife.
• A cutting board: A good sturdy cutting board is a must for slicing tri-tip. Get one with grooves on the side to collect the juices and oils that flow out while slicing.
• Towels: Use a wet towel under the cutting board to stop it from sliding when you’re cutting. Keep paper towels handy to wipe a spill or to wipe down your knife.
• A serving platter: Cut some slices and place them on a serving platter immediately.

Cutting cooked tri-tip: step-by-step instructions

Before you slice into cooked tri-tip, let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to thicken, resulting in tender meat. If you cut it immediately after cooking, the juices will pour out, leaving the meat dry and chewy.

To slice tri-tip, follow the steps below:

• Place the meat on a cutting board and remove the fat cap gently using a sharp knife.
• Locate where the 2 grains meet. This usually starts from the point of the triangle part of the meat, along a large seam of fat to the opposite side.
• Cut the tri-tip into 2 pieces along this line where the 2 grains intersect. One side should be longer than the other.
• Inspect the meat to see which way the grain is running—slice perpendicular to the grain. For the long half of the meat, turn the meat approximately at a 30° angle toward you and slice. For the other half, turn the meat to position the point of the meat to your left or your right and then slice.
• Cut thin slices for tender meat about the width of a no. 2 pencil. You can cut thinner slices for sandwiches.
• You can also use a bias cut by angling the knife slightly when slicing.

Quick tri-tip cutting tips

Here are important tips to keep in mind when slicing tri-tip. Follow these, and you won’t go wrong.

• Always use a sharp knife to produce clean cuts.
• Use long, smooth, controlled slicing motions when slicing.
• Always cut against the grain of the meat. Remember, tri-tip has 2 distinct muscle grains.

How to prep tri-tip before cooking

If you have bought untrimmed tri-tip, cut off the silver skin and the fatty chunks as much as possible, although a bit of fat is fine to leave on.

At this point, you can slice the raw meat to cook each steak slice individually. Use the method described above to cut against the muscle grain of the meat in the two sections of the tri-tip.

How to cook tri-tip

Tri-tip is always the best when it is cooked medium-rare. Cook it in an oven at a low temperature of 275ºF. You can even smoke it under indirect high heat for about 45 minutes. Aim for an internal temperature of 125ºF–130ºF. Check with a meat thermometer inserted horizontally in the thickest part of the meat. Remember, because the tips are thinner than the rest of the meat, they will be more done.

Once done, transfer the tri-tip to a hot pan to sear lightly on the outside or place it directly over charcoal.

Buy, prep, cook, and slice tri-tip

Slicing tri-tip can be tricky, but it is easy and quick once you get the hang of it. You just have to remember a few simple rules and follow the steps mentioned above. So why not make a delicious tri-tip today?

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