Santa Maria Grilled Tri-Tip Plate
Central California coast tradition built around red oak grilled tri-tip seasoned simply with garlic salt and pepper, plated alongside pinquito beans simmered with bacon and a fresh tomato salsa to round the Santa Maria barbecue ritual onto one home dinner plate for one.
American
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat tri-tips dry. Mix garlic salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic in a small bowl. Cube bacon, finely chop onion, mince garlic cloves, dice tomato, and pick cilantro leaves.
Build 1
Render bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat 5–6 minutes until fat releases and pieces turn golden. Add half the chopped onion and minced garlic, cook 3 minutes until softened.
Simmer
Add pinto beans, chicken stock, and 1 tsp of the sea salt to the bacon pot. Simmer over low heat 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans thicken and sauce becomes glossy.
Build 2
While beans simmer, combine diced tomato, remaining onion, lime juice, cilantro, and remaining 0.5 tsp sea salt in a bowl. Let rest 5 minutes for flavors to meld.
Sear
Rub tri-tips with 1 tbsp of the neutral oil and press spice mix onto all faces. Heat a grill pan over high heat 4 minutes until smoking. Sear tri-tips 6 minutes per side undisturbed for deep crosshatch crust.
Grill
Reduce heat to medium-low, turn every 3 minutes, continue 14–16 minutes until an internal thermometer reads 130°F for medium-rare doneness.
Rest and plate
Rest tri-tips on a board 8 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain, fan onto plates with pinquito beans alongside, and spoon tomato salsa over the top.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.