Okay, so... grilling.

There's only one way to cook Santa Maria style tri-tip, and it's mostly not about the seasonings. It's about how it's cooked.

So here's the secret:
Go to the market and pick up some untrimmed tri-tip. It must come with the fat cap still on. If all they have has been trimmed, you can ask the butcher and he'll probably be thrilled that you actually know what you're talking about, cooking the meat with the fat still on. While you're at the grocery store, pick up a few lemons, too.

Season your meat.

When it's time to grill your meat, get the fire really freaking hot and sear the hell out of the fat cap. Make it firey and black. While that's happening, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the meat.

Once the fat cap is nicely-seared, cool your fire down (in Santa Maria, they do this by cranking the grill up), flip over your meat, and let it cook slowly for a long time.

When the meat seems to be done, cut the fat cap off, slice the tri tip, and serve.


By the way, this same trick works really well with corned beef...