Brandied Beef Tri Tip

Brandied Beef Tri Tip roast is a great way to make this cut of beef shine. Tri Tip, as it’s popularly known, comes from the bottom tip of the sirloin.  It derives its name from its triangle shape and that it is at the very bottom tip of the sirloin. Tri tip is rich in meaty flavor and lower in fat than other cuts, it is also very tender and a great candidate for grilling. Originally a California cut of beef where it is the king of the grill, it has made its way east to the whole United States. Longer is better when marinating tri tip, as well as for allowing it to rest once it comes off the grill; it will be worth the wait. As the Brandied Beef Tri Tip Roast is grilled on indirect heat, you can use the active grill burners to make Grilled Asparagus, which is always a great complement to grilled beef. A Wilted Arugula Salad is a lovely appetizer to serve before the Brandied Beef Tri Tip, accompanied by a dry, robust red wine like Malbec, Sangiovese or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Prep Time: 15 minutes. Marinating Time: 8 hours or longer. Grilling Time: see Preparation steps 5 through 9.  Serves 4.

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Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Tbs minced Shallots
• 2 Tbs minced fresh Rosemary leaves
• 2 Tbs minced fresh Lavender leaves
• ½ tsp fine coarse Sea Salt
• Juice of one large Lemon
• 1 Tb Worchester Sauce
• ¼ cup of Brandy or Cognac
• 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• One 2 to 3 lbs Beef Tri Tip Roast, trimmed

Preparation:

1. Mince the shallot, rosemary and lavender leaves, combine in a bowl with the sea salt.
2. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, brandy and extra virgin olive oil to the bowl with the other seasonings, stir to mix.
3. If the tri tip roast has large amounts of fat and or membrane on it, carefully trim the tri tip with a very sharp chef’s knife, discarding the fat and membrane.
4. Place the tri tip roast in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag and gently pour the marinade into the bag, making sure all sides of the tri tip roast are exposed to the marinade. Squeeze out excess air, seal the bag, refrigerate and marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag with the marinating tri tip roast every 8 hours.
5. Remove the bag with the marinated tri tip roast from the refrigerator 2 hours prior to grilling.
6. Using all burners on the grill, bring the grill to a very high heat.
7. Remove the tri tip from the marinade, place it on the very hot grill and char the roast on all sides.
8. Turn off the burners under the tri tip and continue to grill with indirect heat, while turning the tri tip every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 125 F for rare, 135 F for medium rare and 145 F for medium using a meat thermometer. We recommend rare or medium rare for the best flavor.
9. Remove the tri tip from the grill to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest covered for 10 minutes.
10. Slice Brandied Beef Tri Tip against the grain and serve.