This tri tip marinade recipe adds loads of flavor and tenderizes the beef for the best tri tip in the oven, on the grill, no matter how you cook it!
Tri Tip Marinade Recipe (Plus How to Cook Tri Tip in the Oven)
Are you looking for an amazing cut of meat that always delivers on flavor? We're cooking up a Tri Tip in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen tonight, and I think you're going to love it.
The secret is in my awesome Tri Tip Marinade recipe.
What is Tri Tip?
Tri tip is part of the bottom sirloin cut of beef that is triangular in shape, hence the name, also called a triangle roast. It's a flavorful cut of meat from a good level of marbling, though usually not as expensive at the more popular ribeye cut.
It is hugely popular in California, where it is called the Santa Maria steak, traditionally seasoned and grilled.
I've enjoyed tri tip steak many times over the years, cooked in many different ways. I often grill mine, but I greatly enjoy cooking the tri tip in the oven because it's just so easy.
When I cook it this way, I prefer to use a marinade to build in extra flavor and juiciness, making it even more tender, and this is my best tri tip marinade. Boom!
This cut of beef is more on the lean side, so it benefits from cooking at high heat. We'll give it a quick sear a few minutes per side before finishing it roasting in the oven at a fairly high temperature, but not too high.
This is one of my favorite ways to make tri tip. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Let's talk about how to cook trip tip in the oven, shall we?
Tri Tip Marinade Ingredients
- Soy Sauce.
- Olive Oil.
- Worcestershire Sauce.
- Brown Sugar. Or you can use honey.
- Orange Juice.
- Lime Juice.
- Sazon Seasoning. You can use others, but I love my homemade sazon seasoning for this recipe.
- Salt and Black Pepper.
- Hot Sauce. Optional, but I love it.
- Chili Peppers. I used a serrano and a couple spicy aji peppers from my garden. Use milder peppers for less heat.
- Fresh Garlic.
- Trip Tip Roast.
How to Marinate and Cook Tri Tip in the Oven - the Recipe Method
FOR THE TRI TIP MARINADE
Whisk the Marinade Ingredients. Whisk all of the tri tip marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
Marinate the Tri Tip. Place the tri tip roast into a large baggie and pour in the marinade.
Alternatively, you can use a large bowl. Massage the marinade into the meat and seal (or cover).
Refrigerate and marinate the tri tip for at least 8 hours, or overnight. (You can marinate for 1 hour and still get good flavor penetration - 24 hours is ideal.)
COOKING TRI TIP IN THE OVEN
Bring the Roast to Room Temperature. Remove the tri tip from the fridge and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Brown the Meat. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or pan to medium-high heat.
Remove the tri tip from the marinade. Keep the marinade for a sauce later, or discard it.
Sear the tri tip roast 4-5 minutes per side to achieve a nice crust. Transfer the tri tip to a rack covered baking sheet, or use a roasting pan with a rack.
Roast the Tri Tip in the Oven. Move the tri tip to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (10-15 minutes per pound) to your preferred doneness.
You'll want 125-130 degrees F internal temperature when measured with a meat thermometer for rare, or 130-140 degrees F for medium-rare.
Rest the Meat. Rest for 10 to 15 minutes to redistribute the juices, covered, then slice against the grain into thin slices and serve.
Boom! Done! Your oven roasted tri tip is ready to serve. The marinade for the tri tip makes a huge difference. Looks so good, doesn't it? Nice and juicy, wonderfully tender, amazing flavor.
I love a good tri tip, one of my favorite cuts of beef.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- How Long to Cook Tri Tip in the Oven? Tri tip in the oven should roast for 10-15 minutes per pound at 425 degrees F for best results. Cooking times can vary for tri tip roast, so it is best to use a meat thermometer and cook to temp. Internal temperature for tri tip steak should be 125-130 degrees F for rare, and 130-140 degrees F for medium-rare, 140-150 degrees F for medium.
- Other Ingredients. You can include other ingredients to your preference for the marinate. Some other popular additions include lemon juice, mustard, and vinegar.
- Pan Sauce. You can make a nice pan sauce from the leftover marinade. To make it, add the reserved marinade to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes to reduce slightly. Use as-is to pour over the meat, or swirl in a slurry of 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon water and heat through another 5 minutes for a thicker sauce.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my tri tip marinade recipe, and cooking it in the oven. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you.
Where to Buy Tri Tip
I usually have to ask my butcher for tri tip, but I highly recommend the Wagyu Tri Tip from Snake River Farms. I get the most amazing, high quality steaks there. I've been a customer for years, and am now a proud affiliate.
- Buy Tri Tip Roast from Snake River Farms (affiliate link, my friends!)
Try Some of My Other Marinade Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Tri Tip Marinade Recipe (Plus Tri Tip in the Oven - Oven Roasted Tri Tip)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or use honey
- Juice from 1 large orange about 1/2 cup
- Juice from 1 large lime about 1/4 cup
- 2 tablespoons Sazon seasoning see recipe notes for alternatives
- 1.5 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce or to taste, use your favorite
- 2-3 spicy chili peppers chopped - I used a serrano and a couple spicy aji peppers from my garden. Use milder peppers for less heat.
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pound tri tip roast silver skin and excess fat trimmed
Instructions
FOR THE TRI TIP MARINADE
- Whisk all of the tri tip marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Place the tri tip roast into a large baggie and pour in the marinade. Alternatively, you can use a large bowl. Massage the marinade into the meat and seal (or cover). Refrigerate and marinate the tri tip for at least 8 hours, or overnight. (You can marinate for 1 hour and still get good flavor penetration).
COOKING TRI TIP IN THE OVEN
- Remove the tri tip from the fridge and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Remove the tri tip from the marinade. Keep the marinade for a sauce later, or discard it.
- Sear the tri tip roast 4-5 minutes per side to achieve a nice crust. Transfer the tri tip to a rack covered baking sheet, or use a roasting pan with a rack.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes (10-15 minutes per pound) to your preferred doneness. You'll want 125-130 degrees F internal temperature when measured with a meat thermometer for rare, or 130-140 degrees F for medium-rare.
- Rest for 10 minutes to redistribute the juices, covered, then slice against the grain and serve.
marc felker says
the idea of oven cooking intrigued me. on cooking day central valley ca. weather change my mind on firing up oven. sous vide,131f for 4 hrs, instead. reduced marinade and cooking juices to a sauce. finished on grill,basting with sauce and a little dry rub. WOW couldn't tell that wasn't grilled all the way. excellent flavor,juicy. served with reduced marinade sauce. no left overs. when weather cooler will try oven method
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Perfection! I'm hungry now. Thanks, Marc!! Glad you enjoyed it.
Rufina Kutsar says
Seared the tri-tip on the cast iron. Put it in the oven in the same pan, covered with foil. The meat turned out juicy and flavorful even being in the marinade for about 4 hours. I wonder how much more flavor it would have had if it sat in the marinade overnight.
The marinade was fantastic. Made a thickened sauce with it-to pour over the cooked meat.
Great recipe, will use it often from now on. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Rufina! Nice!
Yuni says
This is the second time I make it. It is sooooo good!! Love this marinate recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Thanks, Yuni! Glad you enjoyed it!
Ms Tee says
Question regarding [Serrano] pepper. Whole,chopped,minced?
Mike Hultquist says
They are chopped, Ms. Tee. Thanks!
Ms Tee says
Thanks that I did.
Just sat in oven after overnight marinating
Thanks for recipe *_*
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Christina says
Rich and delicious tri tip recipe! The only thing I added was about 3 tablespoons of bacon bits to the marinade sauce…. Wonderful!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Bacon bits. Nice. Trying that next. Thanks, Christina!
Leo says
I made this today using a 1 1/2 pound roast followed recipe as posted. It was delicious and very tender. Since just hubby and myself have left over for sandwiches. Thank you for posting. I used my large cast iron pan to brown the meat and used same pan in oven even though didn’t have a rack still came out perfect. I will be making it again maybe a larger size for family dinner.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Very happy you enjoyed it, Leo! Very nice.
Mandy 1985 says
This sounds and looks amazing! It will be added to my mental que of things to try in the near future. I do have one question however. What are the types of sides that go well with a tri tip?
Mike Hultquist says
Mandy, I enjoy serving tri tip with potatoes in just about any form, or roasted veggies. But tri tip also makes for great tacos and tostadas with toppings. Yum!
Shirley says
I made this. Instead of orange juice and lime, since I did not have any, I used ginger honey balsamic and white balsamic vinegar. The tri tip turned out perfectly
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful!
Amanda Furtado says
A weekly marinade
We use this marinade on our weekly tri tip ever since we found the recipe. We love it! Our kids love it! And that’s saying a lot since our son usually doesn’t eat much. We put even more hot peppers (like Serrano) in it and it just gives deeper flavor, not hot. An A+ recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding!! VERY happy you enjoy my recipe, Amanda. Thank you for sharing here!
Debbie Mccarthy says
This was fabulous! I was crunched for time but doubled the tri tip marinade . Put each roast in its own zip lock with marinade and massaged massaged massaged! Did this for 3 hours. Then did the browning and stuck in a 425 degree oven on a tin foil covered cookie sheet with a reck. Baked for 20 minutes it was about a 2 lb roast. Rested for 10 mins. Tender! Juicy! Flavorful! The best! Thank you for sharing.
Debbie M.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Debbie! Very happy you enjoyed it! Yes!
steve says
Instruction #5. Both temps = medium rare.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, typo! Thanks for alerting me, Steve! GREATLY appreciated. Cheers!