Grilled Marinated Tri-Tip Steak Recipe with Red Pepper Cilantro Pesto {Giveaway}

I won’t deny it, I love autumn. When Labor Day rolls around, I go through the necessary motions, pretending that I’ll desperately miss the dog days of summer. Inside, I am busting out my Saturday Night Fever moves and doing a happy dance for the cool days and crisp air that are just around the corner. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the lazy mornings, the extra time with my boys and the long afternoons by the pool. Throwing a steak or fresh vegetables on the grill for a quick dinner isn’t too shabby, either. However, I just can’t deny that I covet the thought of pulling on a pair of jeans and a light sweater and kicking my feet through dry autumn leaves.

Labor Day weekend is one of the last times that we can really kick back in the backyard, without the obligation of soccer games and last-minute homework. The kids always enjoy a good steak, so we’ll be pulling out one of our favorites…tri-tip. Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade is one of our go-to summer grilling recipes, but we decided to play around with a different marinade and sauce this time.

The marinade is a simple combination of fresh thyme, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, agave nectar (or honey) and olive oil. The subtle sweetness of the agave nectar balances the acid of the vinegar while the fresh thyme adds a freshness reminiscent of the bounty of summer. A dollop of purely addictive red pepper pesto makes this meal into something really special. Leftover pesto? Oh, don’t fret. You’ll be tempted to spread it on sandwiches (see Panini with Grilled Chicken & Summer Squash), pair it with scrambled eggs or wrap it in a corn tortilla with some grilled fish.

For a side dish, I wanted something with a little kick to offset the subtle sweetness of the marinade. The Texas Ranchero flavor of Bush’s Grillin Beans was the perfect accompaniment. The pinto beans are simmered with jalapenos and a red chili sauce, and they offer just the right amount of heat to satisfy my husband and I, but to still make them tempting for the kids.

As we’re sharing our last official summertime meal, we’ll be reminiscing about our summertime adventures. Here are some of our favorite memories:

Running their first 5k race and plenty of soccer

Hangin’ with Brooks (aka Recipe Boy), washing the car

Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and kayaking with their favorite uncle

Flying down the alpine coast with Dad and setting new family pogo-sticking records

Being silly with the Salt Lake REAL lion and chillin’ by the pool

Celebrating Canada Day and chilling with friends

Spending time with Grandad and Nonna, and Mum and her girlfriends

The recipe:

The pesto:
Place roasted red bell peppers (see How: Roast a Bell Pepper) in the bowl of a food processor. Add slivered almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Pulse until combined.

While the food processor is running, slowly pour in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pesto aside.

The steak:
In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, red wine vinegar, thyme, agave nectar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil.

Place the tri-tip steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade, seal the bag and massage the meat to coat it with the marinade.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling to allow the meat to come to room temperature.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grill.

Place the steaks on the grill and cook until desired degree of doneness is reached, about 5-6 minutes per side (for rare), depending on the thickness of the steak. Remove steak from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Thinly slice the steak and serve it with the red pepper pesto.

The giveaway:

One 13-inch portable grill, one barbecue spatula and Bush’s Grillin’ Beans (approximate retail value $100 USD).

To enter:
REQUIRED: Leave a comment on this post, telling me the name of a favorite grilled chicken, steak or chops recipe and flavor of Bush’S Grillin’ Beans you’d serve with recipe, along with a one-sentence description of the recipe or one sentence telling me why you chose it (e.g., It is a recipe I’ve served at family cookouts for 10 years.)

OPTIONAL: To earn additional entries, leave separate comments for each of the steps listed below. If you don’t leave separate comments for each step, the number generator will not count them as separate entries. If you already follow/”like” Bush’s Beans or Cookin’ Canuck, just let me know that in your comments.

1. Follow Bush’s Beans on Facebook and/or Twitter.
2. Follow Cookin’ Canuck on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and/or Instagram.
3. Pin this post on Pinterest.
4. Share on Facebook (please provide a link to your share)
5. Tweet about this giveaway: Grilled Tri-Tip Steak + win this fun portable grill and Grillin’ Beans from @BushsBeans & @CookinCanuck http://bit.ly/MUcXXJ #giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and will be open until Monday, September 3rd at 5pm PT.

The winner will be chosen using a random number generator and will be notified via email, so please make sure your email address is correct. You will have 48 hours to respond to me, or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the good people at Bush’s Beans. In addition, they provided the items for the giveaway.

Tagged as: beef, cilantro, giveaway, grilled, marinated, pesto, recipe, red pepper, sauce, steak, thyme, tri-tip