First things first:  I know there are lots of people out there who make a regular practice of cooking tri-tip. I am not among them. It’s not because I don’t like it or have trouble making it—it’s just because I’ve never really bothered. But, Butcher Box sent me one recently so I needed to figure it out.

A caveat before we get started:  This being still ultra-early Spring, I don’t have thyme or rosemary sprigs to use, so I just used dried herbs instead.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Olive oil

Lemon Juice

Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Thyme and Rosemary Sprigs

1 ½ Lb. Beef Tri-Tip, trimmed

2 Medium Onions, julienne

2 Bell Peppers, julienne

½ Lb. Mushrooms, sliced

Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes in both sides of the tri-tip, so that the marinade can soak through it. Then, place the tri-tip in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and the thyme and rosemary. Make sure it is thoroughly coated on both sides, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

About an hour before you plan to serve, remove the tri-tip from the refrigerator to allow it to temp up. Heat your grill to medium, then add the tri-tip to direct flame, along with the herb sprigs, turning every couple of minutes, for 15-20 minutes, saving the marinade that is left over.  After that, move the tri-tip to indirect heat and cook for an additional 20 minutes. This should get the tri-tip to medium rare. If you insist on cooking it longer, just push a pillow over my face until I stop moving first, so I don’t have to see such a desecration.  Then remove the tri-tip and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the juices to absorb into the meat.  If you cut it right away, all those lovely juices will run out all over the place and your tri-tip will be dry as hell.

While the tri-tip is resting, heat a skillet to medium-high and pour the leftover marinade into the skillet.  When it starts to sizzle, add the onions and let them soften a little bit. Once the onions have softened, add the peppers and mushrooms and saute, tossing occasionally, until the peppers and mushrooms are just barely cooked—not mushy.  Remove from the heat.

Slice the tri-tip and serve with the vegetables and any other side dishes you prefer.

This is good stuff.  I’m going to do this exact same thing the next time a tri-tip arrives at my door.