Tri-tip with Pineapple Mango Red Pepper Salsa

This post has been sponsored by Honest Cooking in association with Santa Rita Wines and Badia Spices. All opinions are mine alone. #120DaysofSummer

Summertime is grilling time and this tri-tip with pineapple mango red pepper salsa is sure to impress. Forget the heat, get out of the kitchen and get grilling!

There are only 120 days of summer and when the heat hits the last place I want to be is in the kitchen with the oven running. I dream of a time when we have the space for a full outdoor kitchen with grill, pizza oven, rotisserie spit, and smoker.

For now, I’m happy that I have lots of options that can be made on our basic gas grill. Like this tri-tip with pineapple mango red pepper salsa. It’s a delicious entree that requires absolutely zero cooking inside your kitchen and it pairs nicely with two of the wines I tried from Santa Rita’s 120 line.

On one side, the richness of the steak balances out the tannins of the Hero’s Blend, which is a blend of cabernet franc, carmenere, and a bit of cabernet sauvignon. On the other, the bright acidity and slight sweetness of the salsa pairs great with the 120 Sauvignon Blanc. Bring them both to the BBQ and give your friends have a choice!

Tri-tip, also known as a Santa Maria steak, is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef that comes from the bottom sirloin. I usually find it for around $8.99 a pound but I’ve been lucky to find it on sale as low as $4.99 a pound. A standard tri-tip is between 1.5 lbs to 2.5 lbs, which should serve between 4 – 8 people depending on how you serve it.

Getting this tri-tip with pineapple mango red pepper salsa right takes a bit of advance planning. The meat should be marinated at least 4 hours, then rubbed down with spices and slowly roasted to medium rare.

Tri-tip is considered a lean cut, but the visible fat marbling should be even. One side will have a fat cap, which I like to trim back. With a cook time of 30 – 40 minutes, the meat isn’t hot enough long enough to render all that fat back into the steak.

Once trimmed, place the steak in a zip top bag with 1 part worcestershire sauce to 2 parts red wine. The amounts specified in the recipe can be increased if you need more to cover the steak entirely, but when using the plastic bag 1 1/2 cups of marinade is enough. The steak should marinate a minimum of 4 hours, but can be left as long as 24 hours.

Before going on the grill, remove the meat from the fridge and let it rest for 20 minutes to come up to room temperature.

Blot it with paper towels to absorb any extra marinade, then rub it down with olive oil followed by a generous portion of Badia Complete Seasoning. It’s a mixture of select spices including garlic, onion, salt, herbs, and spices.

I used approximately 3 – 4 tablespoons to liberally coat the entire tri-tip, but measuring isn’t necessary.

Set your grill up for indirect heat – turn the burner on one side to medium, leaving the other side off. If you are using charcoal move all of your charcoal to one side of the grill and use the other side for cooking. The goal temperature for the grill is 275 degrees, but between 250 – 300 degrees should suffice.

Place the tri-tip on the side without direct heat and cook for 15 minutes. Flip and cook for 15 minutes more. Once the internal temp is at 100 degrees, move the tri-tip to the side of the grill with direct heat and sear for 2 minutes on each side. This should put the internal temperature at 125 degrees. Remove the steak from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and rest 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 135 as the meat rests.

The salsa can be made up to a day in advance, but should have a minimum of 20 minutes to marinate prior to serving.

For a chunky salsa hand chop the fruits and vegetables, but for a smoother sauce use a food processor instead.

The fruit and vegetable ingredients don’t have to be exact in this recipe, so I have estimated the quantities in both cup size and fruit size. If your fruit yields more than the suggested cup size don’t be afraid to toss the extra right into the mix instead of letting it go to waste.

In the bottom of a large mixing bowl add the honey, lime juice, salt, and grated garlic. Whisk to combine.

Chop up the pineapple, red bell pepper, mango, onion, and basil and add to the bowl. Stir to coat the fruit and vegetables with the dressing.

Refrigerate at least 20 minutes prior to serving.

A word of caution when carving your tri-tip: cut against the grain. This means if the grain is running right to left, your knife blade should be perpendicular, running top to bottom. The grain on a tri-tip is very visible, but it changes. There should be a band of fat running through the “bend” of the steak.

It’s easiest to start by cutting along this band of fat to split the tri-tip in two and then slice each section on it’s own watching the grain as you go. Thin slices about 1/4″ thick result in the most tender servings.

Tri-tip with pineapple mango red pepper salsa can be served as is on a plate, piled onto a bun to make sandwiches, or even stuffed into a tortilla shell to make tacos. For lunch today I served it over lettuce with a bit of goat cheese as a steak salad. However you decide to enjoy it, don’t forget the Santa Rita wines!!

For more information about Santa Rita Wines and the #120Daysof Summer follow them on Facebook or Instagram.

Don’t forget to pin or yum this recipe for later!

Have you ever made tri-tip at home? How do you plan on spending your 120 days of summer? Let me know in the comments below!

Tri-tip with Pineapple Mango Red Pepper Salsa

Tri-tip with Pineapple Mango Red Pepper Salsa

Summertime is grilling time and this tri-tip with pineapple mango red pepper salsa is sure to impress. Forget the heat, get out of the kitchen and get grilling!

5 stars (2 ratings)

prep: 15 minutes minutes

cook: 35 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours hours

total: 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

servings: 8 servings

author: Renee N Gardner

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

For the Tri-Tip

• 2.5 pound tri-tip
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 - 4 tablespoons Badia complete spice blend

For the Salsa

• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 of a large pineapple (2 cups)
• 1 large mango (1 cup)
• 1 red bell pepper (1 cup)
• 1/4 sweet onion (1/2 cup)
• a dozen or so basil leaves

Instructions

For the Tri-tip:

• Trim any excess fat from the tri-tip. Place it in a zip top bag along with the red wine and worcestershire sauce. Marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, up to 24 hours.
• Remove the tri-tip from the marinade and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub all sides of the meat with the olive oil, then rub with the Badia complete spices.
• Prepare the grill for indirect heat with a grill temperature of 275 degrees.
• Place the tri-tip on the side without direct heat and cook for 15 minutes. Flip and cook for 15 minutes more.
• Once the internal temp is at 100 degrees, move the tri-tip to the side of the grill with direct heat and sear for 2 minutes on each side.
• Once the internal temperature at 125 degrees remove the tri-tip from the grill, cover and rest 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 135 as the meat rests.

For the Salsa:

• In the bottom of a large mixing bowl grate the garlic and add the honey, lime juice, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Chop up the pineapple, red bell pepper, mango, onion, and basil and add to the bowl.
• Stir to coat the fruit and vegetables with the dressing.
• Refrigerate at least 20 minutes prior to serving.

To Serve:

• Slice the tri-tip into 1/4" slices, being sure to cut against the grain for the most tender steak.
• Serve topped with a generous portion of the salsa.
• Enjoy!

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Notes

The salsa can be made up to a day in advance, but should have a minimum of 20 minutes to marinate prior to serving. For a chunky salsa hand chop the fruits and vegetables, but for a smoother sauce use a food processor instead. The fruit and vegetable ingredients don't have to be exact in this recipe. If your fruit or vegetable yields more than the suggested cup size don't be afraid to toss the extra right into the mix.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 38gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 319mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.

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