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    Home » Recipes » Steak Recipes » How To Cut Tri Tip Steak (Best Carving Tips)

    How To Cut Tri Tip Steak (Best Carving Tips)

    Published: Aug 24, 2021 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    How to cut tri tip diagram with text overlay and recipe image

    Want to cut tri tip steak? There’s a HUGE secret to cutting it that I’m about to share with you about cutting against the grain. Today you’ll learn how to cut tri tip steak before cooking it (to cut off the fat cap). And how to carve a tri tip roast the right way.

    Infographic demonstrating How To Cut Tri Tip Steak

    I’m about to dig into this ​​tri tip cut diagram demonstration – so sharpen your knives and let’s cut some beef.

    Table of Contents

    • First – the secret to cutting tri tip
    • How to cut tri tip steak
    • Do you have to cut tri tip steak before cooking it?
    • What you need to cut tri tip
    • How to cut fat cap off tri tip
    • How to cook tri tip
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Meat thermometer recommendations

    First – the secret to cutting tri tip

    Okay – I’m going to get right to it. For most cuts of meat, once you learn whether or not to cut steak with or against grain lines, you’re all set – right?

    Well, throw that out the window when you learn about cutting tri tip. The reason it’s so different is that there are two grains on the one piece of tri tip steak. They are perpendicular to each other, and they are connected. Which means you have to do a little detective work to find where they meet, separate them, and then, finally, cut tri tip for serving.

    So today I’ll show you how to get the most tender tri tip ever by finding the center point, slicing it in half, then cutting it against the grain.

    Tri tip sliced against the grain

    How to cut tri tip steak

    Below is a look at how to slice tri tip, demonstrating the right way to carve it, from a recent steak dinner. If you look beyond the layer of delicious compound butter, you’ll see the shape of the tri tip (aka the “Triangle Steak”) and the direction in which to slice it (layered over the image).

    Infographic how to cut tri tip against the grain
    1. Find the center point, where the two grains meet.
    2. Cut tri tip in half vertically at the grain intersection line.
    3. Cut each tri tip half against the grain. I like to slice very thin slices to get the most of this tender cut of beef. And always slice perpendicular to the grain – meaning that you will see the texture of the steak in every slice.

    Carving tip: hold your knife at an angle as you slice, cutting the tri tip “on a bias”.

    Carving tri tip steak with a chefs knife

    Do you have to cut tri tip steak before cooking it?

    Sometimes, tri tip is sold at the grocery store already trimmed. Other times, you’ll buy tri tip with a fat cap on one or both sides of the steak.

    You don’t have to trim the fat cap. You can actually leave it on to add juiciness (more fat = more moisture) and flavor to the steak. But some people like to remove the fat cap if it hasn’t already been removed by the butcher.

    While some people think it’s more chewy to cook tri tip without the fat cap, others think it’s more chewy to leave it on, because you’ll bite into the fat when eating it in sandwiches, for example.

    What you need to cut tri tip

    Good news: you don’t need any special equipment, like a meat slicer.

    1. Sharp chef’s knife
    2. Large cutting board

    How to cut fat cap off tri tip

    To remove the fat cap before cooking tri tip, Use a sharp knife to gently get under the layer of fat, and cut away from you as you slowly pull up the fat.

    Raw tri tip with fat cap removed
    This tri tip has the fat cap removed.

    How to cook tri tip

    Now that you know how to slice a tri tip roast, here’s some of the best ways to cook it:

    • Tri tip in the oven.
    • Sous vide tri tip for sandwiches and tacos.
    • Grilled tri tip.
    • Air fryer tri tip.
    • Pellet grill / Traeger smoked tri tip.
    Thinly cut tri tip steak against the grain
    Find this tasty tri tip oven baked recipe here on Sip Bite Go

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, if you’re looking for something delicious to serve with perfectly sliced tri tip, see my favorite pasta sides and potato sides for steak. And don’t forget to top it with a steak sauce like this jalapeno ranch or peppercorn sauce. You can just add some sauce and leftover tri tip tastes completely different the next day.

    To get my latest and greatest recipes before they’re shared on the site, connect with me on Instagram @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.

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    Meat thermometer recommendations

    Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

    On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

    It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

    How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

    While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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