This Sous Vide Tri-Tip recipe is the perfect way to cook a tender and flavorful steak. Are you ready to impress yourself and your dinner guests with a perfectly cooked tri-tip roast or steak? Learn the sous vide method for consistent and delicious results.
Cooking tender beef dishes is kind of my thing!! I love looking at new methods of cooking it. Try out this air fryer roast beef and my slow cooker beef tips. Combine any of these beef recipes with your favorite sides from my collection of what to serve with beef tenderloin.
What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is a cooking technique that can significantly elevate your culinary skills and deliver tender, delicious results. This method involves vacuum-sealing your meat, in this case, a tri-tip roast, in a bag. Then it's submerged in a temperature-controlled water bath for an extended time.
The advantage of sous vide comes from the precise control you have over the temperature which ensures the roast reaches your desired level of doneness without overcooking.
After cooking in the sous vide machine we will transfer it to a hot skillet to give it a beautiful crust.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This foolproof Sous Vide Tri-Tip recipe is precision-cooked to tender perfection with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that's super tender, flavorful, and juicy.
- With sous vide, just set it and forget it, allowing you to focus on other things.
- The beef cooks evenly from edge to center and turns out consistently delicious every time you make it.
- Meat cooks to optimal tenderness as the slow and gentle cooking process breaks down the meat fibers without drying it out.
- Tri-tip is a less expensive cut of beef compared to cuts like ribeye but sous vide cooking provides the same high-quality taste.
- Cook your sous vide tri-tip to your exact desired level of doneness, consistently, whether you prefer it rare, medium, or well-done, by simply adjusting the water bath temperature.
Ingredients
For a delicious sous vide tri-tip, you'll need a few essential ingredients. For the full list of ingredients, check the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Tri-Tip Roast: This is a tender and flavorful cut of beef that has marbling and a unique triangular shape making it perfect for sous vide cooking. The tri-tip is also known as the triangle tip roast, Santa Maria steak, bottom sirloin roast, triangle roast, Newport steak, and triangle steak. This cut from the lower part of the chow near the back legs is known for being very flavorful.
- Garlic Powder: Provides a rich and aromatic garlic flavor without having to use fresh garlic.
- Olive Oil: Helps the seasonings stick to the roast. You can use avocado oil or your favorite vegetable oil.
- Salt: Salt enhances the natural flavors of the meat.
- Pepper: Provides a subtle hint of heat and depth of flavor
- Chimichurri Ingredients: It's totally optional but this fresh herb sauce works great with this steak recipe. You will need fresh garlic, shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes to make it.
Substitutions and Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this seared sous vide-style tri-tip.
- Add Butter: Add some butter in place of the oil or in addition to it for a richer, more flavorful result.
- Other Cuts of Meat: This method also works with cuts like sirloin, ribeye, or even a boneless top sirloin roast.
- Add Herbs: Fresh herbs or dried herbs such as rosemary or thyme are great if you want to impart earthy, fragrant notes to your steak.
- Flavor Additions: Montreal steak seasoning and flavorings like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce can be used to season your roast for sous vide cooking.
- Spicy: Add a bit of chili pepper flakes, diced jalapeno pepper, our jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the spice mixture for a bit of heat.
How to Sous Vide Tri-Tip Steak
This recipe has a fancy name but it's incredibly easy to make. It only takes a few minutes of prep and the hardest part is waiting for it to finish cooking!
I have all the recipe highlights for you right here but you can find the exact instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Coat the roast in the oil and sprinkle with the seasonings.
- Place the steak in a vacuum-sealed bag, resealable bag, or a sturdy zip-top plastic bag. Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer or by the water displacement method.
- Cook the tri-tip at your chosen temperature for 4-6 hours with the sous vide machine attached to your pot. Remove the cooked tri-tip and pat it dry.
- Sear on each side of the meat in a hot pan until it develops a brown crust.
- Remove the steak from the pan and let rest it for a few minutes.
- Slice the meat against the grain.
- Combine the chimichurri ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Serve with your sliced beef and enjoy!
Hint: Set the water temperature to 130 degrees for medium-rare, 140 degrees for medium, or 150 degrees for medium-well.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our herbed garlic sous vide lamb rack or sous vide whole chicken.
Storage
Storing your tri-tip properly before and after cooking is crucial to ensure the best quality and flavor.
Refrigerator: If you have any leftovers, be sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Freezer: Cool down the steak to room temperature and then package it in a vacuum-sealed bag or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store for up to three months.
Reheat: Place the leftover meat in a vacuum-sealed bag in a sous vide water bath at a slightly lower temperature than the original cook. Heat it through and then serve.
Remember to thaw it properly if it has been cooked frozen. Thawing it in the refrigerator over a 24-hour period is the safest and most efficient method. Avoid thawing at room temperature, as it can result in bacterial growth.
You can also Reheat Steak in Air Fryer if you don't want to sous vide it again.
Make Ahead: Season and vacuum seal the steak ahead of time. Place the bag in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. This extra time allows the flavors to fully absorb into the meat.
When you're ready to cook your make-ahead sous vide tri-tip, preheat your sous vide machine to your desired temperature. If you're using a plastic bag, it's essential to use the water displacement method or a vacuum sealer to remove all the air before sealing the bag.
What to Serve with Tri-Tip Beef
- Potato dishes: Mashed potato patties, roasted baby potatoes, or even creole potato salad all pair well with the tender and juicy tri-tip.
- Vegetables: Grilled or steamed vegetables such as instant pot asparagus, parmesan green beans, or skillet broccoli add a nutritious and colorful touch to your plate.
- Salads: Green salads with vinaigrettes nicely contrast the richness of the meat, and a fresh coleslaw adds a tangy twist.
- Grains: Cooked quinoa, coconut ginger rice, creamy Boursin pasta, or other grains make a tasty side.
- Bread: A crusty baguette, garlic bread, or even a batch of air fryer frozen biscuits can serve as a tasty accompaniment to sous vide tri-tip. Bread is perfect for sopping up any remaining juices on your plate.
Tips
When preparing your sous vide tri-tip, keep these tips in mind to achieve a perfectly cooked, tender, and flavorful result.
- Cooking Your Tri-Tip Roast. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 130°F (55°C) for medium-rare doneness. This temperature is ideal for this cut but you may adjust according to your preferred doneness.
- Use the Juices. The leftover juices in the vacuum-sealed bag are incredibly flavorful. You can use them to make a delicious sauce or gravy.
- Cooking Time. The ideal cooking time for the tri-tip varies depending on your desired level of tenderness. Generally, a cooking time of 4 hours is suitable but you can extend the cooking time up to 6 hours for a more tender result.
- Remove the Air. You need to remove all the air from the bag containing the tri-tip to ensure even cooking. The best way to do this is by vacuum sealing it.
- After the Sous Vide. Sear the meat in a hot, preheated grill or cast-iron skillet for 1-2 minutes per side and nicely browned to create a flavorful crust on the surface of the beef. A hot cast iron skillet is the best tool for this job, as it retains heat and establishes the perfect sear.
- Let it Rest. After searing allow the tri-tip to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes so juices can redistribute.
- Cutting the Meat. It's important to cut the tri-tip against the muscle fibers for maximum tenderness.
FAQ
After cooking your tri-tip sous vide, remove it from the bag and pat it dry. Preheat a grill or a skillet to high heat and sear each side of the tri-tip for 1-2 minutes until you achieve a beautiful, crusty exterior. This step adds a smoky, flavorful finish to your perfectly cooked sous vide meat.
Marinating is not necessary cooking by sous vide, as the low and slow cooking process will naturally enhance the tenderness and flavor of the meat. However, you can choose to marinate your tri-tip before cooking to add extra flavor, if desired.
A sous vide bath is a container that's filled with water and used in sous vide cooking to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process.
Bringing the tri-tip to room temperature isn't necessary for sous vide cooking.
The ideal internal temperature is usually around 130-135°F (55-57°C). This will result in a tender medium-rare steak.
More Beef Recipes
If you love to sous vide as much as we do check out our Sous Vide Healthy Recipes. Do you like beef? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Sous Vide Tri-Tip
Equipment
- Instant Pot with a Sous Vide capabilities or a sous vide immersion circulator
- Large pot or container for the water bath
- Vacuum sealer or zip-top bags
- Kitchen torch (optional, for finishing)
- Oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 2-pound tri-tip roast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Chimichurri Sauce (optional)
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves packed
- 1 ½ garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons shallot or onion minced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½-1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes more if desired
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or container with water and attach your sous vide machine inside. Set the water temperature to 130 degrees F for medium-rare doneness or pick a temperature based on your preferred level of doneness (e.g. 140°F for medium or 150°F for medium-well).
- Brush the roast with olive oil and then sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper evenly over it.
- Place the seasoned tri-tip roast into a vacuum-seal bag, ziplock bag, or a sturdy zip-top plastic bag. Seal the bag using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method.Make sure you remove as much air as possible. Also, make sure the bag is fully sealed above the waterline for safety.
- Cook the tri-tip at your chosen temperature for 4-6 hours. Cooking it longer will give you a more tender steak, but be careful not to cook it longer than the recommended time.
- When the sous vide time is up, carefully remove the tri-tip roast from the sous vide bag and pat it dry with paper towels. The surface needs to be as dry as possible; Patting it dry helps create a better sear.
- Heat an oven-safe skillet or cast iron skillet over high heat and then add about a tablespoon or two of oil to prevent sticking.
- Once the pan is hot, give the tri-tip roast a good sear for 1-2 minutes per side, or until it gets a beautiful brown crust on it. You can use a hot grill, broiler, or searing station instead.
- Loosely cover the seared tri-tip with aluminum foil and let it rest for about 5 minutes. This will help the juices redistribute and keep your meat moist.
- Slice your sous vide tri-tip on a cutting board against the grain into thin slices and serve it immediately with chimichurri sauce.
Make the Chimichurri (Optional)
- In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Pulse several times until all ingredients are finely chopped but not completely pureed.
- 2. Transfer chimichurri sauce to an airtight container or use it immediately.
- Store leftover chimichurri sauce in the fridge for up to 1 week. I recommend removing it from the fridge 30 minutes before using it to let it come to room temperature.
Notes
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- Cooking Your Tri-Tip Roast. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 130°F (55°C) for medium-rare doneness. This temperature is ideal for this cut but you may adjust according to your preferred doneness.
-
- Use the Juices. The leftover juices in the vacuum-sealed bag are incredibly flavorful. You can use them to make a delicious sauce or gravy.
-
- Cooking Time. The ideal cooking time for sous vide tri-tip varies depending on your desired level of tenderness. Generally, a cooking time of 4 hours is suitable but you can extend the cooking time up to 6 hours for a more tender result.
-
- Remove the Air. You need to remove all the air from the bag containing the tri-tip to ensure even cooking. The best way to do this is by vacuum sealing it.
-
- After the Sous Vide. Sear the meat in a hot, preheated grill or cast-iron skillet for 1-2 minutes per side and nicely browned to create a flavorful crust on the surface of the beef. A hot cast iron skillet is the best tool for this job, as it retains heat and establishes the perfect sear.
-
- Let it Rest. After searing allow the tri-tip to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes so juices can redistribute.
-
- Cutting the Meat. It's important to cut the tri-tip against the muscle fibers for maximum tenderness.
Nutrition
Mike says
Great recipe. Enjoyed by all. Thanks to you I impressed my guests. Both asked for this recipe so I believe you have 2 new followers. Keep up the great work.
Karin and Ken says
I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe! We love it too! So happy you all enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know. All the best. Karin
Rose says
Thank you for helping me sous vide my roast. It turned out so good. I was so nervous about trying it to. I couldn’t believe how tender it was and how good it tasted. I’m going to try your lamb next! Thank you again for sharing. 💕
Karin and Ken says
As always you’re most welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed your roast! I was nervous too the first few times I did it too. Whole thing seemed odd to me but the food turns out great. Every time. I can’t wait to hear what you think of my lamb! All the best. Karin