Has tri-tip gone national?

[pinto]

The triangular piece from the bottom sirloin beef cut. Usually the size of a football with a layer of fat on one side. Basted with any number of BBQ sauces or dry rubs, slow grilled or smoked over oak coals, it's been the standard BBQ in my area for years. When folks go out for BBQ here, whether it's sliced and plated or packed in a bun with sauce, it's tri-tip.

Medium rare, cut across the grain, it can't be beat.

We usually soak a couple of lime branches - leaves and all - for a good while in a bucket of water, get the oak down to red hot coals, sear the tri-tip well all around. Then lay the lime branches on the coals, move the beef to one side and cover.

[cbayer]

1. I had never heard of it until I moved to SoCal.

I often wondered if it is sold under a different name in other parts of the country.

Agree that it is great... and inexpensive.

Enjoy!

[pinto]

2. Me niether. When I moved out here tri-tip was one of the first items on the to-do list.

And locally there's a lot of jostling among BBQ places for "best tri-tip" recommendations. There's even a public cook off event once a year.

BIL and my sister are here. He's doing the beef outside (does tri-tip really well), I'm doing the red beans and rice in the kitchen and sis is doing the salad when we get set to eat. Good time all around.

[cbayer]

3. Happy Mardi Gras, my friend.

Have a great time with you family.

[pinto]

4. To you and yours as well...

[Denninmi]

5. They sell it here in Michigan.

I know I've seen the term the past few years at least.

Really, cattle have the same muscles they've always had -- possibly it's a newer way of cutting the piece, or maybe they just renamed something that used to go by another name.

Wikipedia shed some light on this question:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip


How about an "English Roast"? -- that cut has been sold widely here for at least the past decade. From what I can tell, it's just a chuck roast. Do they have that in California?