Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip Beef
A Santa Maria tri-tip with a delicious spice rub is cooked on the grill until black-on-the-outside and perfectly pink inside for a spectacular steak. The tri-tip is cut from the bottom sirloin and when cooked properly, produces a very flavorful, incredibly juicy piece of beef. The town of Santa Maria, California, is home to this delicious barbecued beef specialty.
salt
2
teaspoons
freshly ground black pepper
2
teaspoons
garlic powder
2
teaspoons
paprika
1 ½
teaspoons
onion powder
1
teaspoon
dried rosemary
1
teaspoon
cayenne pepper
¼
teaspoon
beef tri-tip roast
1
(2 1/2 pound)
red wine vinegar
⅓
cup
vegetable oil
⅓
cup
crushed garlic
4
cloves
Dijon mustard
½
teaspoon
 Stir salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, rosemary, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl.
  Place tri-tip in a glass baking dish and coat on all sides with spice mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  Combine vinegar, vegetable oil, crushed garlic, and Dijon mustard in a sealable container. Cover the container and shake until ingredients are blended.
  Remove tri-tip from the refrigerator. Let sit uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat; lightly oil the grates.
  Place tri-tip on the preheated grill and brush with vinegar mixture. Cook for 4 minutes, flip, and baste. Flip and baste every 4 minutes until tri-tip starts to firm up and is reddish-pink and juicy in the center, 25 to 30 minutes total. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
