Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Smoked Chile Steak Rub

Grilled Tri-tip Steak with Smoked Chile Steak Rub is grilled to a juicy medium-rare covered in deep savory flavor with a hint of smoky spice.

In this recipe, we cover how to cut steaks from a tri-tip roast, properly season your steaks, and show you how to grill steak to perfection.

Grilling steaks is one of the things we look forward to most when the weather turns warm. Steaks cook so quickly that if served with a tossed salad you can have dinner done in about 20 minutes. 

For a great-tasting steak at a lower price, skip the sirloins and consider tri-tip the next time you fire up the grill.

Tri-tip steak is a lesser-known butcher’s cut steak, delivering on flavor at a lower price point (depending on regional markets). It is more often sold as a roast (the whole muscle) than as steaks, which is why I include the step of cutting a roast into steaks in this recipe.

In a previous grilled tri-tip article I covered in detail how to select the best tri-tip at the store, so be sure to check that out too!

Cut Your Own Steaks From Tri-Tip Roast

Cutting up a tri-tip roast into steaks is simple to do and saves time on the grill which means dinner is done even faster!

Of course, we love grilling a whole tri-tip roast but sometimes you may not have time to do that since it takes about 40 minutes for a 2-pound whole roast to cook on the grill.

This beef cut is a little trickier to cook for the beginner due to its unique muscle structure, so I’ll help you get the most out of your tri-tip with“just right” doneness and careful carving.

How to Cut a Tri-Tip Roast Into Steaks

• Lay the tri-tip roast out on a cutting board and turn the roast so that you can slice across the grain (the knife should be perpendicular to the line of muscle fiber, known as the “grain”).
• Cut the roast into 1 1/4-inch steaks, careful to rotate the roast as the grain changes direction (a cooked tri-tip roast should be carved in this same way).
• Trim away the thicker fat on the outer edge of the steak to 1/8-inch. This fat does can cause flare-ups and does not contribute to the tenderness or juiciness of the steak.
• The number of steaks will vary based on the size of the tri-tip. If the roast has a really thin end, simply grill the last 2-3 inches of the roast whole as a steak.

How to Properly Season a Steak

I use a custom steak rub that is seriously the best anywhere. I developed this uniquely smoky rub while teaching grilling classes at a local butcher shop. Hickory-smoked sea salt, smoked paprika, and Chipotle chili are the backbone of this recipe so it brings smoky flavor no matter the type of grill you use.

When applying a dry rub on steak it is important to either put the rub on the steak right before placing it on the grill or letting it soak into the meat at least 40 minutes before placing it on the grill (longer is even better).

It is only the salt in dry rub that truly penetrates the meat beyond the surface. The remaining ingredients serve to form a crust on the steak and will be tasted only on the surface.

With our rub recipe, we use about 1 tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. If you find that you didn’t get enough on your steak when grilling, you can always pass a little bit of rub at the table.

PRO TIP: Any steak rub that has salt in it will need at least 40 minutes for the juices to return back into the meat with the salt to properly season it. If the process is interrupted within those 40 minutes you end up with a less juicy steak.

Our Rub Recipe Starts with 3 Smoked Ingredients

Flaked hickory-smoked sea salt is the secret to a great steak rub. Hickory smoked salt has a strong enough flavor to enhance beef, though you can choose any flavor you prefer.

Ultimately, I recommend using flaked salt over granular varieties in seasoning mixes like this. Flaked salt melts and disperses into the meat quickly and also suspends better in the mix (not settling at the bottom). However, if you cannot find flaked, use coarse ground and be sure to stir the mix as you use it to keep the salt mixed throughout.

Sweet smoked paprika adds another layer of smokiness to the seasoning mix. Paprika is ground red peppers, which vary in sweetness and spice, so select this ingredient carefully as it will affect the overall flavor and heat level of the rub. This Bon Appetit article about the Different Types of Paprika and How to Use Them is a nice overview of how you can change up the flavor of your own rub with this single ingredient.

Chipotle Chile Powder is ground smoked jalapeno chilies that not only add yet another layer of smoky but also bring the zing. We use only a little in this recipe because we like just a hint of spice, but you can certainly increase this ingredient to make the heat level more noticeable.

Rub Ingredients to Create a Delicious Crust

Coconut Palm Sugar is an unrefined sugar I use to bring a little sweetness to balance the salt and encourage a dark brown crust when the steak is cooked. Note: Coconut palm sugar is less sweet than regular white or brown sugar, so it is important to use a little less refined sugar as a substitute.

Granulated garlic and onion are my go-to over their powder form for rub mixes. Granulated is better than powder for mixing without clumping or clinging to other ingredients so the rub remains bright and free-flowing.

Ground Cumin brings a warm, slightly nutty, earthy flavor that helps highlight the sweetness in other spices. Cumin also enhances the savory rich flavor of beef, especially when grilled where the intense heat brings out its fragrance.

Coarse black pepper will be more noticeable and contribute more flavor than a finer grind. Because pepper loses its flavor nuances quickly once the peppercorn is cracked or ground, a coarser texture releases its flavor when it’s eaten (freshly ground when you chew!)

TOP TIPS for Grilling the BEST Steaks

1. Season steak for at least 40 minutes when using salt before grilling (longer is better).
2. Cook steak with a source of smoke, like over wood, charcoal, or adding wood chips with gas grills. I’ve covered how to get a better smoke flavor with a gas or charcoal grill in great detail in our pulled pork recipe and our grilled pork rib recipes.
3. Use an instant-read thermometer and test the steak by lifting it off the grill and inserting the probe into the side of the steak, not the top. Poking the thermometer into the top of the steak while it’s on the grill makes it hard to tell if it’s in the center. This makes the temperature reading less accurate because the probe can sink too close to the bottom closer to the heat.
4. Cook to a medium-rare internal temp of 130°F, or less to keep steaks juicy and tender.
5. Let the meat rest once you remove it from the grill for 8-10 minutes (either tent with foil or slide into an oven with the oven light on).

PRO TIP: It’s important not to leave the grill when grilling steaks because it only takes about 4-5 minutes per side to grill a 1 1/4-inch tri-tip steak.

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Grilling Steak Step by Step

1. Mix the steak rub.
2. Cut tri-tip roast into steaks (if needed)
3. Rub the steaks with seasoning and allow them to sit at room temp for 40 min, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours with the rub on the steak.
4. Heat a gas grill (or light charcoal) to at least 450°F (add wood chips during this time). You want the grill grates hot to sear the steak.
5. Start the steaks over direct heat and brown each side for about two minutes.
6. Move seared steak to indirect heat (or shut off the burner directly underneath) to finish, 4-6 minutes. This should take a total of 10 minutes.
7. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer—130°F internal temp for medium-rare. (If you must have a steak cooked medium or well done, I recommend a tenderloin cut, as high-end steaks suffer less when cooked longer.)

PRO TIP: Serve steak with something acidic, like an oil and vinegar salad, or a spritz of lemon on vegetables. A slightly acidic side dish will enhance and balance the rich flavor of beef steak.

Grilled Steak FAQ

Meal Prep Ideas for Tri-Tip

• Make-ahead—for best results, only cook the steak to 120°F (rare) when making it in advance and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a tablespoon of water and cover with a lid until warmed, but still pink in the middle.
  NOTE: If you need to freeze the steak once cooked, plan to serve it with a sauce, as freezing cooked steak tends to make the texture dry. Learn more about making meal prep and freezer meals taste their very best through our Monthly Cooking Online Course.
• Cut tri-tip into strips for Skillet Fajitas or Stroganoff
• Use leftover steak for Nachos, Stuffed Peppers, or slice thin for sandwiches.

5 Amazing Sauces for Grilled Meats

• Chimichurri (as shown in photo)
• Mushroom Blue Cheese Ragout
• Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa
• Roasted Tomato Basil Butter
• Bearnaise

Our Favorite Side Dishes

• Classic Caesar Salad
• Sumac roasted carrots (as shown in photo)
• Vegetable Tian
• Grilled Broccoli
• Grilled Asparagus
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

For even more grilling ideas, check out this Backyard BBQ Recipe Roundup of more than 60 menu items!