Tri-tip
Beef Cuts
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| Alternative names | "triangle steak" |
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| Type | Bottom Sirloin cut of beef |
The tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin subprimal cut. It is a small triangular muscle, usually 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. (675 to 1,150g) per side of beef.
The scientific name of this muscle is m. tensor fasciae latae, inserted in the fascia lata, the connective tissue covering the m. quadriceps femoris, also called quadriceps extensor, a group of four muscles which in turn insert in the patella, or kneecap, of the animal.
Donna Fong, a competition barbecue pitmaster, claims that her father worked with the man who discovered and marketed tri-tip in Oakland, California.
In the United States, this cut was typically used for ground beef or sliced into steaks until the early 1950s, when Otto Schaefer, Sr., first barbecued it whole on the Schaefer Ranch. He introduced it to market in Oakland, California, and ranchers visiting the Schaefer Ranch from Santa Maria enjoyed it and took the idea home, where it was popularized by the Santa Maria Elks Club.
This is contrary to the historical record by the Santa Maria Elks Club and the first-hand account of Larry Viegas, a butcher at a local Safeway store, who says that the idea to cook the meat from this area as a distinct cut of beef first occurred to his store manager, Bob Schultz, when an excess of hamburger existed in the store (into which meats from this part of the animal were usually ground). Viegas says that that day, Schultz took a piece of the unwanted meat, seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic salt, and placed it on a rotisserie for 45 minutes or an hour; the result was well-received, and Schultz began quietly marketing it as "tri-tip".
Regardless of claims to its origin, it became a local specialty in Santa Maria in the late 1950s. Today, it is seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and other seasonings, grilled directly over red oak wood to medium-rare doneness. Alternative preparations include roasting whole on a rotisserie, smoking in a pit, baking in an oven, grilling, or braising in a Dutch oven after searing on a grill. After cooking, the meat is normally sliced across the grain before serving."
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Wikipedia