Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe

by 82 Comments

Share789
Pin60.0K
Tweet
Yum147
61.0K Shares

Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe

Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe | cookincanuck.com

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.

MarinatedTriTip1

Place tri-tip steaks in the marinade and turn until completely coated. Let marinate for about 1 hour, covered, turning the steak occasionally.

MarinatedTriTip2

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.

MarinatedTriTipLS

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

3.5 rating
2 reviews

Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade Recipe

Loading nutrition data...
Total Time

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Yields Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1 tbsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 lbs tri-tip steaks

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. Place tri-tip steaks in the marinade and turn until completely coated. Let marinate for about 1 hour, covered, turning the steak occasionally.
  3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and brush with canola oil.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

by

Share789
Pin60.0K
Tweet
Yum147
61.0K Shares

 

Ready to create a healthy lifestyle through food, exercise & habits?

Subscribe by email to get recipes, tips and game plans delivered to your inbox!

Comments

  2. Tri tip is so tender and juicey. I have never found individual ones but (more like a flank) but I will definitely keep my eyes open.

    Reply

    • You could use a tri-tip roast and cut it into steak-sized pieces, or use a flank steak.

      Reply

    • Most of the marinades I use involve soy sauce and rice vinegar, but I have to say that this is my favorite of all the ones I’ve tried.

      Reply

  6. YUM! Such a flavourful marinade! I was tempted to use my new BBQ this weekend, but ended up not having any time… or meat for that matter! I will have to try this once I have some steak on hand!
    – Brittany

    Reply

    • Have fun with that new barbecue. It sounds as though you’ve got a great grilling season in front of you.

      Reply

    • Thanks, Sara. This marinade has become our new favorite and it’s good on almost anything.

      Reply

    • I didn’t actually mind the rain too much. It allowed us to snuggle inside together.

      Reply

    • Thanks, Heather. It really does give a beautiful look to the steaks (tastes even better).

      Reply

    • Tricia, the canola oil actually gets brushed on the grill, not on the steaks. So, there is no need to dry off the steaks (you want that marinade on there).

      Reply

  21. Dara….when I saw the first photo, it reminded me of the Mongolian beef I eat at PF Changs…..I’m definately trying this at home! And lucky you that you didn’t have to lift a finger on Mother’s day- wish that happened everyday hey!

    Reply

  22. We live in San Diego and my family loves tri-tip! I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it, too! It’s a fabulous cut of meat, very flavorful and easy in the oven or grill. Hope you had a great Mother’s Day!

    Reply

  23. Good Gosh that looks good! I can almost taste that perfectly grilled steak with that sweet, sticky marinade sauce – I blame you for making me go back to the store just for a Tri-tip roast.

    Reply

  26. Your marinade sounds phenomenal Dara! We only eat steak in the summer when we can grill it, and I’m excited to try this one.

    Reply

  30. Dara, This is such a fantastic recipe. My son is coming back from college this week and boy he would love this. Great recipe, love the photos as always. That potato dice, gorgeous!!

    Reply

  31. I made Tri-Tip, too–I love it! Costco is about the only place I’ve seen it here in Minnesota. Your marinade looks to die for…:)

    Reply

  34. This tri tip sounds wonderful – what I like even more is that your hubs braved the cats and dogs to make sure it came out just right! Glad to read you ha a happy Mother’s Day! xo

    Reply

  40. Ooo, I love the sound of a molasses and chili marinade! Sounds – and looks – too good for words. Thanks for sharing and making me crave a big hunk of meat at 10AM, haha! 🙂 I’ll be pocketing this recipe for sometime this summer.

    Reply

  55. I had a very similar recipe for Mother’s day, too! It was a Korean bulgogi recipe and it called for molasses too! I am native Korean and had never used molasses in the marinade but it turned out very well! Your steak looks fabulous.

    Reply

  57. I made this recipe this weekend and it turned out fantastic. We used pork chops, and I think the only change I’d make is to let it marinate a little longer. The flavor was fantastic and couldn’t be easier! Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply

  58. I made it this weekend! No one sells the tri tip in my area (middle GA) so I used a couple of top sirloin steaks instead. I marinated them overnight and threw them on the grill….DELICIOUS!! The ginger really helped set it off! Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  59. This was a perfect recipe. Made a wonderful patio dinner and set the mood for me to propose to my girlfriend. She said yes! Thanks for the amazing recipe.

    Reply

  60. OOOOOOH! This looks so good. We have children and grandchildren in California, so when we are lucky enough to get out that way, they always make sure we get tri-tip. We are in Florida and once in a great while we will stumble across it in the market, but it isn’t quite the same, they have trimmed it down till there is not much left of it, but this marinade will allow us to make sure it isn’t dry and very flavorful.
    I am heading to the market now….wish me luck.

    Reply

  61. This marinade was so flavorful! I substituted petite beef sirloin steaks because they were on sale, and they turned out great.

    Reply

  62. 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…..

    Reply

    • Dave, I’m so glad you enjoyed the tri-tip! This is one of our favorite summertime grilling recipes.

      Reply

  64. Dara, how would you cook the flank steak in the oven? The temperature and time, etc. Thank you in advance.

    Reply

  65. 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!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe: