Santa Maria Tri-tip

Over my life I've lived in many places, but California will always be my home. No matter where I find myself, when I hear mention of sand, beaches, movie stars, and freeways, I feel a pang in my heart calling me back to a different time and a different place. Or maybe the pang is from the cholesterol pulsing through my veins from indulging (or over indulging) in one of my favorite meals.

I'm talking about the perfectly seasoned, crispy, and all-around awesome Santa Maria tri-tip made famous in (you guessed it) Santa Maria, California. Though the locals are very proud to keep the exact recipe their little secret (a fact revealed by a simple Google search and not by knocking on Santa Marians' doors begging for the secret), another Google search provides many attempts at cracking the code and replicating the original.

The best recipe I've been able to find is Bobby Flay's. I don't always love his stuff, but this one is pretty dang good.

If you don't have a grill, don't worry, I don't either. Instead, I use my beloved Breville Panini Press, a little appliance that comes close to winning second place in my heart (right after Anne, of course). The battle for numero dos is actually between several other kitchen appliances, pots, pans, and my dog. I just can't decide who--rather, what--deserves that coveted place.

Anyway...

Inside or out, cook the tri-tip to medium rare, let it rest ten minutes, and slice it thinly against the grain. Eat, reach food nirvana, and die happy. It's that simple.

Complement it with some butter-smothered harico vert and your favorite mashed potatoes. Thank me later.



--Michael