Santa Maria Style Tri Tip Marinade

Tri Tip is indigenous to California and specifically to Santa Maria which is about an hour from where I live in Santa Barbara.  Tri Tip is the same cut as a sirloin tip roast but is barbecued instead of braised. This marinade is fantastic and I make this recipe often at home. I usually have corn tortillas, ranch beans and salsa to serve along side which is traditional. I have to say that barbecuing is one of my most favorite activities. Our house sits well above the street level and we have a nice deck where I BBQ. There is nothing better than being outdoors and cooking while watching the activity of the neighborhood below. Now that I have a little one I stick her in her bumbo seat and she loves being out there too. Its pretty hilarious that I am manning the barbecue at our house and shooing away the men folk. I’m just so finicky about the temperature of the grill and if I see someone trying to cut into the meat to see if its done it really irks me! (By cutting into meat its lets out all the juice which will make it dry up). I’m a girly girl in most ways except when it comes to getting down and dirty with barbecuing!

Marinade: (enough for 4 pounds of tri tip)

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup oil

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbs black pepper

1/8 cup Lawry’s seasoning

7 cloves garlic

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade chop the garlic. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until just mixed. Pour over tri tip  in a glass pan (making sure the marinade gets on all parts of the tri tip) and cover. Marinade for at least 6 hours or overnight. Grill on bbq until you achieve desire doneness. Let rest for 10-15 minute before cutting. Enjoy!