This Sunday is Father’s Day and I’m going to send my dad and step-dad some amazing steaks.  When I first moved to California, I kept seeing tri-tip on the menu; I never heard of it before, but I quickly fell in love with the flavor of this cut of beef.  The tri-tip comes from the bottom sirloin and is the favored cut for California’s famous Santa Maria-style barbecue. The Santa Maria-style barbeque typically uses a seasoning blend of salt, black pepper and garlic salt that is great on tri-tip.

My favorite tri-tip comes from Snake River Farms in Boise, Idaho.  They use American Wagyu Beef, often called American Kobe Beef, and the quality is unbelievable.  It has incredible marbling and a rich, beefy flavor that tastes great with a big, California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Every Christmas I give my dad and step-dad memberships to the Kendall-Jackson Wine Club, so I know they will have plenty of Cabernet on hand to enjoy with their delicious Father’s Day tri-tip dinner.

Here is my recipe for grilled tri-tip.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

Grilled Tri-tip
Paired with Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 (2½ to 3 lb.) tri-tip
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Remove tri-tip from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill to high heat.
3. Rub the tri-tip with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Place on grill over high heat for 4 minutes, flip the tri-tip and cook for 4 minutes more.  Then move the tri-tip to a medium-low heat area on your grill and cook for 12 to 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 134ºF.
4. Remove from grill, loosely tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Slice, serve with Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon and enjoy Father’s Day.