It wasn’t long ago that our options for cuts of steak were limited. If you wanted a rib-eye or New York strip, no problem. If you were looking for a skirt steak or a flat iron, that might have taken a little more effort. And if you wanted a tri-tip? You were likely met with a blank stare and a shrug from whomever was helping you at the meat counter.
Lucky for us, that’s all changed in the past several years. Sort of. While you can’t swing a leg of lamb in a butcher shop on the West Coast without hitting a tri-tip any time of year, in Minnesota, the cut seems to show up more often in the summer, when we can toss it on the grill.
Tender, juicy and beefy, tri-tip roasts are less expensive than many other cuts that don’t hold a candle to it in taste and texture. So when it starts to show up in my local grocery store, I snatch it up.
This week, it’s going into a family favorite at my house, Grilled Tri-Tip Steak Sandwiches with Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers.