This is one of my family’s favorite BBQ meals—marinated and grilled tri-tip, on a toasted bun, with fresh tomato relish–yum! I’ve been making these for at least a decade, and the bits and pieces of this recipe came from so many various parts of other recipes, that I can’t site a source. So, I’m claiming this as all mine, woo-hoo! I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post it!
For the bread I like to either use a Ciabatta Roll from Costco, as pictured above or a long loaf of French bread, as pictured below.
Polly’s Grilled Tequila Tri-Tip Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
- 2 2-lb tri-tip roasts, trimmed—honestly, I don’t pay much attention to the specified size or weight. Get the tri-tip roasts that suit your budget, the number of people you are feeding, and how many leftovers you want!
For Marinade
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Tequilla
- 7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Day One: Combine all ingredients into a large Ziploc bag or divide between 2 bags if necessary because of the size of your roasts
- Using a small sharp knife, pierce the tri-tips all over to allow more marinade to be absorbed
- Place the tri-tips into the bag(s) with the marinade
- Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally
- Day Two Bring tri-tips to room temperature and prepare your BBQ for medium-high heat
- Remove tri-tips from marinade and discard the marinade
- Grill tri-tips to desired doneness, usually about 10-15 minutes on each side—if you have an Instant Read Thermometer, cook to 135° for medium-rare, 165° for well done. If you don’t have an Instant Read Thermometer, please get one!
- Transfer grilled tri-tip to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow tri-tips to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes.
- Thinly slice the cooked tri-tip across the grain
- Serve thinly sliced tri-tip with Cherry Tomato Relish (recipe below) on sliced and grilled/toasted sourdough bread OR grilled/toasted Ciabatta Rolls
- I like Ciabatta Rolls from Costco for this sandwich. The rolls are really good, quite inexpensive, and devoid of preservatives. None of that icky “Mold Inhibitor” that is in most baked goods now, so they mold quickly. Try to buy the rolls the day before or the day of the BBQ.
Cherry Tomato Relish
This can be made up to 6 hours ahead or more—cover and chill until needed. Bring to room temperature before serving.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes—sliced or quartered if cherry tomatoes are quite large
- 4 green onions, finely chopped
- Approximately ¼ cup drained canned California mild green chilies
- use your own discretion here, if you want something spicier, go for it
- Juice and zest of one small lime
- ½ cup chopped cilantro, parsley or both
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano—¼ cup fesh, if you are lucky enough to have some
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Day One or Day Two: Combine tomatoes, onions, chilies, lime, and cilantro/parsley in a bowl
- In another bowl combine vinegar and oregano and gradually whisk in olive oil until mixture is emulsified
- Pour dressing over the tomato mixture and combine
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by my grill today!
