The Best Grilled Tri Tip Marinade (5-Ingredients!)
The BEST Tri Tip Steak Marinade Recipe – just 5 ingredients! Served with red wine vinegar sautéed red onions. Bright, flavorful, and delicious.
Table of Contents
What is Tri Tip?
If you’ve never heard of it, tri-tip is a cut of beef that comes from the bottom sirloin section of the cow. It is super popular in California, where it originated. The name “tri-tip” refers to its triangular shape, but it is also known as triangle steak, bottom sirloin roast, triangle roast, or Santa Maria steak.
Tri-tip is a cut of meat known for its rich flavor and tenderness. I love this cut of beef because it can be easily grilled, broiled, baked, or smoked and still turns out super juicy and delicious! I prefer a marinade, but some people also love to use dry rubs to season it.
It’s a versatile cut that can be enjoyed in sandwiches, tacos, or even as the centerpiece of a steak dinner. Tri-tip steak is flavorful and relatively affordable, which makes feeding a large family easy for me!
What Makes This Recipe Great
I love steak, and I especially love using a cut like tri-tip since I can pack in tons of flavor in the marinade, it feeds all of us for a whole lot less than if I was serving us filet mignon, and it does great on the grill which adds even more flavor to it.
After trying a million marinades, I was just not satisfied. A ton of recipes use red wine, but I don’t like the flavor and texture red wine gives to the tri-tip. It almost makes it grainy and too earthy. I wanted something to make it brighter and add tons more flavor.
Then I had a stroke of genius: what if I used red wine vinegar? I added in a few other essential ingredients to get the flavor I was hoping for, and it was the BEST Tri-Tip Marinade Recipe ever! The umami flavor from the steak with the brightness of the red wine vinegar, sweetness, and earthiness from the garlic and thyme. It is heavenly!
The steak marinade has just 5 ingredients: red wine vinegar, olive oil, monk fruit (or substitute date paste for whole30), crushed garlic, and dried thyme. And, of course, salt and pepper. So simple, and it is so delicious!
Ingredient Notes
The other important aspect of this tri tip marinade is the red wine vinegar sautéed red onions. I just love sautéed onions and steak! I sauté the red onions as I normally do, and at the very end of cooking, add in some red wine vinegar and thyme.
It’s one of my favorite ways to add even more flavor and juiciness to the steak when it’s served on top. Do not skip these!
Tri-Tip Marinade
- tri-tip roast: I get my beef from ButcherBox, which I highly recommend.
- red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- monk fruit sweetener: Because I typically eat low carb, I use monk fruit sweetener in this recipe. However, feel free to use brown sugar or white sugar if preferred. Honey is also a great option.
- fresh garlic cloves
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper: I like to use kosher salt and ground black pepper for seasoning this tri-tip marinade.
Sautéed Red Onions
- red onions
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- red wine vinegar
- dried thyme
Step-by-Step Instructions
The Best Tri Tip Marinade
- In your gallon Ziploc bag, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, monk fruit, garlic, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Seal bag and shake and squeeze it to mix the marinade. Add the tri-tip roast, remove as much air as possible, and seal. Marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator or up to 2 days. The longer you marinate, the more flavorful meat you’ll get!
Tri-Tip Recipe
- Preheat your gas grill (or indoor grill grates) over medium-high heat.
- Remove the tri-tip from the flavorful marinade, and discard any remaining marinade in the bag. Place tri-tip on your preheated grill and sprinkle it with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Grill the tri-tip covered for 15 minutes.
- Flip and continue to cook until the tri-tip has an internal temperature of 135ºF for medium rare (or 145ºF for medium), about 8-10 more minutes, depending on the thickness of your tri-tip. You should have a nice crust on the meat.
- Remove the cooked tri-tip from the grill and rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. You can tent with aluminum foil if desired.
- After the tri-tip has rested, slice against the grain and serve topped with grilled red onions.
Grilled Onions
- While the tri-tip is cooking and resting, make the grilled onions.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, sliced onions, salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. If the pan ever gets too dry, or the onions start to get too charred, I add in 1/4 cup of water to keep everything juicy. The water will cook away. Add more water during the cooking process if needed.
- When the onions are softened, add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve on top of your tri tip.
Expert Tips
- Meat Thermometer: You can check the temperature of the beef with an instant-read thermometer to know the temperature. I typically cook mine to 140-145 degrees F, which is medium. Cook to your desired temperature.
- Sweetener: Because I typically eat low carb, I use monk fruit sweetener in this recipe. However, feel free to use brown sugar or white sugar if preferred.
Serving Tips
Slice against the grain of the meat into thin slices. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Serve as a main dish with various side dishes like roasted vegetables, potatoes, or a salad.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Discard any remaining marinade and make it fresh the next time.
Recipe FAQs
It’s really up to you! I prefer this tri tip marinade recipe over a dry rub because I think it makes the meat more flavorful.
Yes! I combine all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate the tri-tip for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
More Steak Recipes
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The Best Grilled Tri Tip Marinade (5-Ingredients!)
Ingredients
Tri Tip Marinade
- 1.5 pound tri tip roast, I get my beef from ButcherBox, which I highly recommend
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons monk fruit, substitute date paste for Whole30
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Sautéed Red Onions
- 4 red onions, sliced 1/4″ thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- In your gallon ziploc bag, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, monk fruit, garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Shake and squeeze it to mix the marinade. Add the tri tip roast, remove as much air as possible, and seal. Marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, or up to 2 days.
- Preheat your grill (or indoor grill grates) over medium high heat. Remove the tri tip from the marinade, discard any remaining marinade in bag. Sprinkle the tri tip with about 1 teaspoon of salt, and grill the tri tip covered for 15 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the tri tip has an internal temperature of 135ºF for medium rare (or 145ºF for medium), about 8-10 more minutes depending on the thickness of your tri tip. Remove the cooked tri tip from the grill and rest for 10 minutes.
- While the tri tip is cooking and resting, make the grilled onions. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, sliced onions, salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. If the pan ever gets too dry, or the onions start to get too charred, I add in 1/4 cup of water to keep everything juicy. The water will cook away. Add more water during the cooking process if needed. When the onions are softened, add in the 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- After the tri tip has rested, slice against the grain and serve topped with the grilled red onions.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for 5 days.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Meat Thermometer: You can check the temperature of the beef with an instant-read thermometer to know the temperature. I typically cook mine to 140-145 degrees F, which is medium. Cook to your desired temperature.
- Sweetener: Because I typically eat low carb, I use monk fruit sweetener in this recipe. However, feel free to use brown sugar or white sugar if preferred.
14 Comments on “The Best Grilled Tri Tip Marinade (5-Ingredients!)”
Could I do the marinade and then use a slow cooker instead?
I’ve never cooked tri tip in the slow cooker, but it should work! It won’t have the same grilled flavor. I would cook on low for 6-8 hours until tender. Then either slice, or shred with a fork. Let me know how it turns out if you try this!
Hi,
Honey was mentioned in your article to get a caramelized crust but I didn’t see it listed in the ingredients? Should honey be added to the marinade or on top during grilling?
Thank you.
Thanks for catching that! I adjusted the recipe to be keto and whole30 friendly (using either monk fruit or date paste) rather than honey. You can still use honey though if that’s what you prefer! 2 tablespoons!
I’d love to try this. I don’t care to do the onions. Can I just add the red wine vinegar and thyme to the marinade?
Yes! That would be delicious! I’d add the oregano and salt too. Yum!
Delicious. I used the marinade on a piece of flank steak. Marinated about 4-5 hours and then grilled it. Perfect amount of flavor.
So glad you enjoyed it Karol!
Hi Natalie! Do you use olive oil when cooking the steak? Also, what would the marinade ingredient portions be for one serving? Cooking for solo :)
Yes! I use olive oil. I would probably half this marinade amount if making for just 1 steak!
My new favorite marinade! Most marinades are MSG bombs and give me migraines. This clean eating marinade is fabulous. We had some blue cheese crumbs that we sprinkled on top. The flavor was a delicious contrast to the red wine vinegar.
I’m so glad you liked it Lisa! So delicious, and such clean ingredients. We’ve been making this tri tip once a week all summer long. Thanks for letting me know you liked my recipe, you made my day!
I love steak and I’m always keen on learning new recipes. Think I’ll try this one out.
You must try it! It is my favorite right now!