We find ourselves smack dab in the middle of Summer. Which, also, means we are right in the center of “Grilling Season”. So, I thought I’d pass along one of my favorite recipes I like to break out as the temperatures outside begin to rise; my Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with Chimichurri.
It’s a wonderful South American inspired combination that is both hearty and bright all at the same time; making it perfect for Summer.
Better yet, it’s pretty easy to put together and is perfect for a party. And, while it isn’t actually a Disney Dish, it is something I wouldn’t be surprised to see pop up at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
Let’s get our grill on!
Our Ingredients
Most of the components of our Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with Chimichurri should be pretty easily found within your favorite grocery store. Many of them you may already have in your pantry.
The key to this dish is the rub. Sure, you could, probably, find a pre-made Santa Maria Style Rub that would be just fine. However, I always find it better to make your own when you can. This allows you to know exactly what is in your rub and you can adjust it as you desire. If you want it a little spicier, add more Cayenne Pepper. If you want it a little sweeter, add a little more Brown Sugar. Play around with the rub and have fun.
For the Chimichurri, you’ll want to be sure to have fresh herbs. Italian Parsley is the most important of these and will make up the bulk of this dressing/condiment. You can get by without Fresh Cilantro or Oregano, if you have a tough time tracking them down. However, I highly recommend trying to find both for the subtle additional flavors they provide.
The Rub
This is very easy. All you need to do is place the Kosher or Sea Salt, Brown Sugar, Chili Powder, Granulated Garlic, Granulated Onion, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne Pepper and Black Pepper into a small bowl. Stir until well combined.
Next, trim most of the excess fat off of the Tri-Tip and place in a large bowl or pan. Add a portion of the Santa Maria Style Rub and toss to coat the entire roast. Make sure all of the meat is covered by adding more of the rub, as necessary. Reserve any left over rub that has not been in the bowl, with the meat, in an air-tight container for use at a later time. Anywhere up to two weeks.
Once the Tri-Tip is completely covered in the rub, you’ll want to wrap it with a couple layers of plastic wrap. Place in a baking dish and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 1 to 6 hours.
Grilling Time
Once the Tri-Tip has marinated for at least 1 hour, it’s time to get it cooking. First you’ll want to take it out of the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes to shake off a little of the chill. This will allow it to cook a bit more evenly.
Meanwhile, you’re going to want to set up your grill for both direct and indirect cooking. In other words, you’ll want one part of your grill to be really hot for searing and the other to perform more of a roasting function.
Now that the grill is hot and ready to go, it’s time to get our Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip on the fire. Place over the direct heat and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Then turn the meat over and sear on the other side for an additional 10 minutes.
Once you’ve seared both sides of our Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip, it’s time to move it to the indirect heat portion of your grill. Then close the cover and allow to cook for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your roast. Once you’ve reached the 10 minute mark, you’ll want to check the doneness of your Tri-Tip by occasionally inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest portion. Once it reaches 125ºF, it’s ready to go!
- If you don’t happen to have a grill with enough room on it to split between direct and indirect cooking (or if you just don’t trust your grill) you can also do this part in the oven. Just place the seared roast in a baking dish and roast in a 400ºF oven for 10 to 20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 125ºF in the thickest portion.
Let it rest
Once the Tri-Tip has reached your desired internal temperature, remove from the heat, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
The Chimichurri
While our Santa Maria Tri-Tip is finishing up the last of its grilling/resting, this is the perfect time to get the Chimichurri together. Place the Fresh Italian Parsley, Cilantro, Oregano, Garlic, Red Wine Vinegar and Salt into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the herbs are lightly chopped. Lightly drizzle in the Olive Oil while continuing to pulse the food processor until well combined and the Fresh Herbs are roughly chopped.
Spoon the Chimichurri into a small bowl. Add the Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as necessary, with Salt and/or more Red Pepper Flakes. The flavor should be very herbaceous with a light blast of acid from the Red Wine Vinegar and some heat on the back end from the Red Pepper.
Serving it up
When you’re ready to serve your Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with Chimichurri, the most important part will be how you slice it. While extremely flavorful, this can be a slightly tougher cut of meat. So, how you cut it is important.
Begin by finding the grain of the meat. (It should run, sort of, diagonally along the length of the roast) You’ll then want to carve relatively thin slices against the grain. This will shorten the strands of the meat allowing for a more tender slide of meat.
Once you’ve sliced all of the meat, tile the slices on it on individual plates or a single large serving dish. Spoon the Chimichurri over the top and serve immediately.
Final Conclusion
This Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with Chimchurri will be the hit of your Summer Party or family dinner. The meat is juicy and tender. The rub gives the roast this beautiful little crust that provides is a wonderful balance of sweetness, saltiness and spice.
Then you add the Chimichurri, which just elevates the meat to another lever. The brightness of the Fresh Herbs and the acid from the Red Wine Vinegar and the heat from the Red Pepper Flakes dance on your tongue and wake up your taste buds for the richness of the Tri-Tip.
It’s the perfect marriage of flavors and textures and is perfect for the Summertime.
Add this dish to your party or family dinner and brighten everybody’s Summer!
If you have any questions about this recipe, or any of our other Disney Dishes, send us a message through our Contact Page or email us directly, here.
Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip with Chimichurri
Makes approximately 4 – 6 servings
For the Meat
- 2 ½ – 3 lb – Beef Tri-Tip Roast – Trimmed of most of the fat
For the Santa Maria Style Rub
- ¼ cup – Kosher or Sea Salt
- ¼ cup – Brown Sugar
- 2 tbls – Chili Powder
- 1 tbls – Granulated Garlic
- 1 tbls – Granulated Onion
- ½ tsp – Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp – Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp – Black Pepper
For the Chimichurri
- 2 cups – Fresh Italian Parsley – Stems removed
- 1 cup – Fresh Cilantro – Stems removed
- ½ cup – Fresh Oregano – Stems removed
- 2 cloves – Garlic – Minced
- 1 tbls – Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ tsp – Salt
- 1 tbls – Olive Oil
- ¼ tsp – Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
For the Santa Maria Style Rub
- Place the Kosher or Sea Salt, Brown Sugar, Chili Powder, Granulated Garlic, Granulated Onion, Cayenne Pepper, Smoked Paprika and Black Pepper into a small bowl
- Stir until thoroughly combined
For the Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip
- Place the Tri-Tip Roast into a large bowl or baking dish. Add about ½ cup of the Santa Maria Style Rub and toss to coat. Add more as necessary to make sure the entire roast is coated with the rub
- Cover the Tri-Tip with a couple of layers of Plastic Wrap and place in a Baking Dish. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 6 hours
- Once fully marinated, remove from the refrigerator and unwrap. Allow to the roast to sit for 30 – 60
- Prepare your grill for direct and indirect cooking
- Place the Tri-Tip over the direct heat and sear, uncovered for approximately 10 minutes. Turn over and sear the other side for an additional 10 minutes
- Move the seared Tri-Tip to the indirect heat side of the grill, cover and allow to roast for an additional 10 to 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reaches 125ºF
- Remove from heat, cover and allow the Tri-Tip to rest for 10 – 15 minutes
For the Chimichurri
- Place the Fresh Italian Parsley, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Oregano, Garlic, Red Wine Vinegar and Salt into a Food Processor. Pulse a few times to roughly chop the herbs
- Lightly drizzle in the Olive Oil while continuing to pulse the Food Processor. Continue until well combined the Herbs are chopped to your desired consistency
- Spoon the Chimichurri into a small bowl. Add the Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and stir to combine
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as necessary, with Salt, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and/or Red Wine Vinegar
- Reserve until ready to serve
Plating
- Slice the Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip thinly, against the grain
- Layer the Tri-Tip slices on individual plates or a large serving plate
- Spoon the Chimicurri over the top-center of the layered Tri-Tip
- Serve immediately
Be sure to check out our other Beef Disney Dishes
Carne Asada Spring Rolls with Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa
Braised Shaak Roast from Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo
Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf
Cheeseburger Pods from Satu’li Canteen