I received this note from a reader early last week and I have to confess that I had never heard of a Tri-tip roast....

I really enjoy your recipe exchange. Now that Marsh is carrying real, honest-to-goodness tri-tip roasts, a suggested wine and perhaps a recipe or two would be great. We are transplants from California and happy to finally be able to buy a tri-tip without the meat guys giving us confused looks.
Many thanks, Allison G.

Since we were featuring California Cabernet this week, what better match than beef! A little research at the Oregon Cattleman's Association web site revealed that a Tri Tip roast is the 2 to 3 pound triangular tip of the sirloin that many butchers grind because there are only two roasts per cow. A visit to Marsh revealed that they do indeed have it, just don't expect it to be cheap. We found a nice 2 1/2 pounder that we split into two dinners, allowing us to sample both of these excellent marinades we found at the same web site www.orbeef.org. We had the Pacific Rim Marinated Tri Tip with fresh corn on the cob from the Farmer's Market, a little rice pilaf and the Burgess 1999 Cabernet. The Beer and Onion marinade paired well with a little asparagus, baked potatoes and the Clos Pegase 1999 Cabernet. Good stuff... just roast or grill it slowly!

1 1/2 to 2 pound beef tri-tip
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs. sesame oil
1 Tbs. each sugar and chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Trim excess fat from meat. Combine remaining ingredients, excluding sesame seeds. Place meat and marinade in covered glass dish or plastic bag. Refrigerate 6 - 8 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade. Grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, about 30 - 35 minutes for rare to desired doneness. Remove from grill; tent with foil for 10 minutes. We used indirect-medium heat on a gas Weber (center burner off and outer and inner burners on medium) for 30 minutes and got medium rare. Cut cross-grain into thin slices. Place on a serving platter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 6.

1/2 to 2 pounds tri-tip
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1 can (12 oz) beer
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim excess fat from meat. Sauté onion in butter in small saucepan over medium heat until tender. Stir in salt and beer; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cool thoroughly. Place tri-tip in plastic bag; add cooled marinade, turning to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight. Remove roast from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill 30 - to 35 minutes, turning and brushing with reserved marinade. We used indirect-medium heat on a gas Weber (center burner off and outer and inner burners on medium) for 30 minutes and got medium rare. Remove from grill and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Carve cross grain. Season with salt and pepper.

September 18, 2002