Santa Maria Tri-Tip with Sweet Peppers & Savory Mexican Rice

Santa Maria Tri Tip with Savory Mexican Rice

It's grillin season (ok, we grill year round) butttt - grilling a Tri Tip is one of our favorites. Just leave yours a little on the rare side to it doesn't turn chewy...just sayin'.   The best advice I have to offer is to purchase a digital temp reader for your BBQing - it takes the guess work out of 'is this done?" I love grilling a tri tip when its just my husband and I because I know we will have plenty of leftovers and that means making my Savory Mexican Rice the next day with the tri tip and some fresh sweet peppers and onions added, its quite a filling and flavorful dish. ~Enjoy! Diane 


Santa Maria Tri-Tip with Peppers and Onions

Ingredients: 
(2.5 - 3 pound) Tri-Tip roast

Marinade & Basting Sauce: 
Wishbone Italian Dressing (approx 1.5 Cups)

Seasoning Salt Mixture:
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons rosemary
Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl

Grilled Vegetables: 
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 large onion

Directions:
Brush your Tri-Tip roast with the Marinade and let it sit, covered and refrigerated at least 6 hours, overnight is best. (We used the FoodSaver quick marinade bowl, using the marinate feature on our FoodSaver unit and then placed the airtight bowl into fridge for at least 6 hours) 
Once done marinating, take roast out of marinade and blot dry (save marinade for basting) Coat both sides of the Tri-Tip roast with the seasoning salt mixture, rubbing it in as you would a dry rub. Let the seasoned tri-tip rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Sear each side of the tri-tip at 650 degrees for  4 minutes each. Remove seared tri-tip from the grill, cover it with foil and let it rest while bringing the grill temperature down to 350 to 400 degrees. (During this cool down period we tossed in a couple of water soaked oak chunks.) Place the tri-tip back in the grill and cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium rare, basting with the sauce every 5 to 10 minutes. Remove tri-tip from the grill, cover it with foil and let it rest 10 minutes. Cut into slices against the grain.   Once vegetables are cooked on grill to your liking, remove from grill and slice into thin strips, mix in with beef and serve over Savory Mexican Rice. 
Grill Type used:  Large Big Green Egg  


Savory Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt


Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from:  Paula Deen