Oven-Roasted Tri-Tip

Name: Oven Roasted Tri-Tip with Santa Maria Rub
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 285 min
Ingredients: 4-5 lb. tri-tip; Santa Maria dry Rub ((recipe)); 2 Tbsp avocado oil ((or olive oil)); 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar; 3 cloves garlic

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This perfectly seasoned Oven Roasted Tri-Tip recipe is ready in around 30 to 45 minutes. My santa Maria Dry Rub seasoning goes perfectly with this delicious cut of beef and will ensure perfectly seasoned tri-tip every single time! If you have tri-tip leftovers, use them to make Tri-Tip Sandwiches!

Perfectly cooked tri-tip roast in a cast iron pan

Tri-Tip is one of my favorite cuts of meat. After years of preparing tri-tip on the grill, last Father's Day, I learned that oven roasted tri-tip may be even better! I would have never thought to bake a tri-tip, but I think it was meant to be...

There I was, trying to prepare a delicious Father's Day dinner, only to realize we were out of propane. When you live out in the middle of nowhere, you always have to have a plan B. In this case, it meant cooking the tri-tip in the oven. We were all blown away by how delicious it turned out!

🧐Why This Recipe Works

Using a triangle roast, my Santa Maria Rub, and a simple baste consisting of avocado oil, red wine vinegar, and freshly crushed garlic, yields the tastiest, most tender oven roasted tri-tip you'll ever have!

When you cook tri-tip in the oven for a short time, using high heat, it insures that the tri-tip is not dried out, but always juicy and delicious.

🛒What You Need For This Recipe

🔖Ingredient & Substitutions

Tri-Tip — You will need a 4 to 5-pound tri tip steak (also called a bottom sirloin, California Cut, and Santa Maria steak). Although you may leave the fat on, I find it's not necessary. Using a sharp knife, trim approximately half of the fat off, leaving the rest for added flavor and to keep the tri-tip from drying out.
Santa Maria Dry Rub — Santa Maria Steak is usually seasoned with a tasty rub, which includes salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. In this recipe, we use my Santa Maria Dry Rub which has the perfect blend of spices including rosemary, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Marinade — A simple baste, prepared with oil, vinegar, and garlic is used to generously baste the tri-tip, before applying the rub and right before it goes into the oven.

🥩How to Make Oven Roasted Tri-Tip

STEP 1: Prepare Santa Maria rub and set aside.

a mixture of spices in a small black bowl

Santa Maria dry rub in a small black bowl, with a fork in the middle

STEP 2: Wash the tri-tip roast and pat it dry. Trim some of the excess fat, leaving some fat behind for enhanced flavor.

removing fat from tri-tip roast with a sharp knife on a cutting board

raw roast with the fat trimmed off and piled next to it on a cutting board

STEP 3: Mix the baste ingredients and use to generously baste the tri-tip roast. Set aside the remaining baste.

oil, vinegar, and garlic dressing being mixed in a small glass bowl

raw tri-tip stead being drizzled with oil and vinegar dressing

STEP 4: Rub the tri-tip with all of the prepared Santa Maria Dry Rub, making sure to coat all the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for four or more hours.

raw, seasoned, tri-tip roast on a foil-lined pan

raw, seasoned, tri-tip roast covered with plastic wrap

⏲Cooking Instructions

Pro Tip: Bring the tri-tip to room temperature by removing it from the refrigerator at least one hour prior to cooking it.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

STEP 1: Baste the tri-tip roast with the remaining oil and vinegar. Heat a large, seasoned cast-iron skillet, then sear the meat on all sides.

brushing oil and vinegar on a seasoned roast with a purple rubber brush

STEP 2: Transfer the pan to the heated oven and insert the probe. If you prefer, you can use a roasting pan with a wire rack. Set the probe to the desired internal temperature (see frequently asked questions below for suggested temperatures).

Pro Tip: If you don't have a probe, roast the tri-tip, fat-side up, for 10 to 15 minutes per pound.

tri-tip being cooked in a cast iron pan in the oven

STEP 3: Remove the oven tri-tip from the oven and tent it with foil. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

sliced tri tip oozing juices on a cutting board

If you have a smoker, you NEED to try my Traeger Smoked Tri-Tip recipe too!

Optional Step

If you'd like to roast some potatoes along with the tri-tip, pour the remaining olive oil and vinegar mixture over 4 quartered potatoes, then season with oregano, and your favorite seasoning mix (or use salt, black pepper, and garlic powder). Arrange the potatoes around the roast and bake in the oven according to the recipe instructions above.

Pro Tip: If the meat gets ready before the potatoes, just remove the tri-tip and wrap it in foil to rest while the potatoes cook a little longer. They shouldn't require more than 10 additional minutes of cooking.

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep oven tri-tip moist?

First, sear the roast before placing it in the oven. This locks in the flavor and the juices. Next, do not overcook the meat. Cook the tri-tip to medium or medium-rare keeps the roast a lot juicier.

Finally, tenting the meat and leaving it to rest for ten minutes before slicing it allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Will some of the juices still seep out? Absolutely! But there will still be plenty of juices left throughout the roast.

How long do you cook oven tri-tip in the oven?

Cooking tri-tip for 10-15 minutes per pound gives you a roast that is well-done on the ends, and gradually gets rarer towards the center.

When using an oven probe, or a meat thermometer, cook the tri-tip until the internal temperature in the thickest part reads:
125°F for rare
135°F for medium-rare
145° for medium
150° for medium-well
160° for well-done

Tip: If you need a visual reference to what rare through well-done really means, check out this informative link: certifiedangusbeef.com

What to serve with oven tri-tip?

My favorite way to serve tri-tip is drizzled with cilantro chimichurri. This spicy Argentinian sauce is loaded with flavor and the perfect complement to the Santa Maria Dry Rub seasoning!

chimichurri sauce being spooned out of jar

Pro Tips

My Santa Maria spice rub recipe is portioned for an average-sized 4 to 5 lb. roast. If your roast is smaller, you can save some of the rub for another purpose. Although it may seem like we're overly seasoning the roast, a lot of the seasoning will remain in the pan once it's cooked.
If you cook the roast while still cold, it will require additional cooking time.
Remember that the temperature of the roast will continue to rise after it's removed from the oven. Keep this in mind when deciding how long to cook and rest the tri-tip.
When eating tri-tip, it's a good idea to slice it across the grain. This shortens the muscle fibers and makes the steak easier to chew. However, if you did this with a large tri-tip, you'd end up with very long slices. I recommend slicing it with the grain to portion it out and slicing it against the grain as you eat it.
Store leftover tri-tip in a ziplock bag or an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
Leftover tri-tip makes great sandwiches, especially when topped with caramelized onions (see my Tri-Tip Sandwiches recipe).

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