As the rain drenched our garden beds and lawn on Mother’s Day afternoon, all we wanted was to be nestled inside together, but the dinner hour was looming. Earlier in the day, we prepared a marinade for the tri-tip steaks we bought the day before and we were determined to grill them, despite the falling cats and dogs. My husband, determined that I should lift a minimal number of fingers on Mother’s Day, braved the weather for the sake of a well-cooked steak. Now that is what I call dedication.
The marinade is rich with the flavors of molasses, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chili powder. Truthfully, it would make dirt taste good, but I recommend trying it with steak, chicken thighs or pork tenderloin. Once the steaks are grilled, the reserved marinade and juices from the cooked steak are boiled into a sweet and savory thickened sauce that can be drizzled over the meat upon serving.
Tri-tip steaks are particularly popular in California, but the reputation of this tender and flavorful cut is gradually spreading eastward. It is a small triangle that is cut from the bottom sirloin and is similar to, or can be found under the name of triangle, Santa Maria, Newport or culotte steak. If none of these are available, flank steak can be substituted.
The recipe:
In a large glass bowl or container, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and chili powder until the sugar is dissolved.
Place tri-tip steaks in the marinade and turn until completely coated. Let marinate for about 1 hour, covered, turning the steak occasionally.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat and brush with canola oil.
Place the steaks on the grill (do not discard the marinade) and cook until desired degree of doneness is reached, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks. Remove steak from the grill and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Transfer the marinade and any juices collected from the cooked steaks to a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil and let cook for about 10 minutes. Serve with the steak.
Other grilled steak recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Chimichurri Dressing
Cookin’ Canuck’s Soy-Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
Guilty Kitchen’s Skirt Steak Fajitas
Eclectic Recipes’ Margarita Marinated Grilled Steak
For the Love of Cooking’s Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce
Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds tri-tip steaks
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl or container, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, chili powder and freshly ground black pepper until the sugar is dissolved.
- Place tri-tip steaks in the marinade and turn until completely coated. Let marinate for about 1 hour, covered, turning the steak occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat and brush with canola oil.
- Place the steaks on the grill (do not discard the marinade) and cook until desired degree of doneness is reached, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks. Remove steak from the grill and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
- Transfer the marinade and any juices collected from the cooked steaks to a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil and let cook for about 10 minutes. Serve with the steak.
Nutrition
Jack
As the rain drenched our garden beds and lawn on Mother’s Day afternoon, all we wanted was to be nestled inside together, but the dinner hour was looming. Earlier in the day, we prepared a marinade for the tri-tip steaks we bought the day before and we were determined to grill them, despite the falling cats and dogs. My husband, determined that I should lift a minimal number of fingers on Mother’s Day, braved the weather for the sake of a well-cooked steak. Now that is what I call dedication.
Joe
One of the best marinates I’ve tried. Steak turned out beautifully. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you
Dara
I’m so pleased to hear that, Joe!
Naomi
This was so amazing!
Joe
Absolutely love this recipe. Easy and delicious.
Bon
Our new fave! The marinaded steak was delish but the sauce at the end made it perfection!!! Thank you 🙂
Love Keil
OMG! This grilled steak was mouthwatering, I am drooling all over my screen, thinking about it! Thank you for the recipe~
Ashley
The marinade on this steak is perfect! It’s the reason we choose to make this recipe again and again. Thanks so much for sharing!
Steven Guard
Used this marinade on two big TriTip roasts for a large group this last weekend and it was a huge hit. Several people asked for the recipe. It has become one of my favorite TriTip recipes!
Tammy
Dara, how would you cook the flank steak in the oven? The temperature and time, etc. Thank you in advance.
The Omnivore
Yum! This marinade sounds fantastic and I bet it would be VERY tasty on tofu as well.
Dave S
OMG…this was absolutely amazing….the picture looked terrific, but you know…you look at a picture and the finished result never looks the same. This did, and tasted as good as it looks.
I have one of those Demi meat tenderizers with the 48 sharp spears that dig into the meat. So those permeated the marinade into the middle of the meat as well.
SO good!
I had never heard of tri-tip steaks before, so while I was in Whole Foods last weekend I asked the guy at the meat counter and he said he was just about ready to put them out. Talk about timing…..
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Dave, I’m so glad you enjoyed the tri-tip! This is one of our favorite summertime grilling recipes.
Tanya
This marinade was so flavorful! I substituted petite beef sirloin steaks because they were on sale, and they turned out great.