Grilled Tri Tip With Romesco

Grilled Tri Tip With Romesco

In the Prendergast home, cooking is a family affair. Although Rachel is the queen of the kitchen, Brendan is the “king of the grill.” And no recipe brings those two forces better together than this one.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, Tri tip is a lean, yet flavorful cut of beef that has always been popular in Northern California and is becoming more common on menus across the states today. From a culinary perspective, it’s part steak and part roast. You will want to marinade, season, and grill like it were a steak, but its served sliced like a roast. And although it’s by no means lacking in flavor, the relatively low fat content makes it perfect to pair with a rich sauce for the right balance…and lively Romesco sauce fits that bill.

Romesco is a Spanish tomato based sauce that pairs well with almost anything–from fish to egg dishes–but goes exceptionally well with a tri tip. The basic ingredients are simple: tomatoes, olive oil, and nuts. Our romesco adds roasted red pepper for just the right balance. Oh, and don’t forget the garlic!

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Grilled Tri-tip with Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

Tri-tip

  • 1 Tri tip roast (2-3lbs)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Romesco Sauce

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 medium roasted red pepper
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds
  • 2-4 garlic gloves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 dash red pepper flakes

Instructions

Tri Tip

  1. season the tri tip liberally with salt and pepper. OK to add garlic powder, paprika, or even a coffee ground rub steak rub if you desire.

  2. heat your grill or big green egg to medium-high heat (350-400F). If you don't have access to a grill, place the meat in a cast iron skillet under the broiler as a decent substitute

  3. Grill over direct heat, turning occasionally until meat reaches internal temp of 125 F for medium rare (is there any other way?). Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Romesco Sauce

  1. slice a red pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast under broiler until it starts to char slightly

  2. Sauté tomatoes, garlic and almonds in cast iron skillet with a tbsp of olive oil until tomatoes start to shrivel and break apart slightly.

  3. combine the roasted red pepper, garlic, tomatoes, almonds along with the quarter cup olive oil, vinegar, and pepper flakes in a food processor and buzz until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Roasted red peppers
sautéed tomatoes, almonds, and garlic ready to blend into romesco magic
The finished product