This unique cut brings the flavor of a well-marbled whole tri-tip roast to the center of your plate on busy weeknights in a quarter of the time with a quick and easy pan-seared tri-tip steak. Cooked to a juicy medium rare, sliced, and served with a bright homemade chimichurri, the Newport steak may be our new fast fun cut.
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When you think of tri-tip, you imagine Santa Maria-style grills, beds of smoldering oak, and whole tri-tip roasts grilled to perfection. But, when sliced into individual steaks, a sirloin cut’s bold, beefy flavor comes through in one of our favorite pan-seared steak recipes.
The Cut: Newport Steaks, aka Tri-Tip Steaks
Tri-tip steak, aka Newport steak or Santa Maria steak, is a steak cut from a famous California cut, the beef tri-tip, found on the bottom sirloin butt of the cow. They have the beautiful thin layer of fat and rugged marbling typically seen in a whole tri-tip cut, but are a rarely lean cut.
You may not think of the sirloin when you think of juicy steaks, but just like with our pan-seared sirloin steaks, this cut has a big flavor and is amazing when cooked well. It’s also a perfect steak for grilling hot and fast.
At about half a pound each, Newport steaks cook much quicker than the whole tri-tip roast and are ideal for pan-searing hot and fast. However, because they are sliced from a triangular cut, the individual steaks can vary in shape and size, from long strips to triangle steaks, making it hard to cook several of these evenly at the same time if feeding a crowd.
Due to the grain and marbling when cooked, they become buttery at medium rare. However, because of the grain of the beef, it’s best sliced into thin strips against the grain (and on a bias, if you’re feeling fancy) once cooked. This makes for shorter muscle fibers, tender steak, and a better overall chew. If not sliced properly, this cut can be considered tough.
Ingredients
- Tri-tip steaks – about half a pound each. Not sure where to find this cut? Check out our trusted sources and where to buy meat online.
- Salt – we use kosher salt when cooking
- Oil – canola or your preferred neutral oil
- Butter – try one of our delicious compound butter recipes for added flavor while resting
How to cook a tri-tip steak
- Start by patting the steaks dry with a paper towel and liberally seasoning them with salt.
- Allow the tri-stip steaks to sit in the fridge for 2 to 6 hours before cooking.
- When ready to cook, preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When it just starts to smoke, add the steaks, fat side down, to sear. If the steaks do not immediately begin to sizzle, the pan is not hot enough.
- Allow the crust to form without touching the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes. When they easily remove from the surface, without pulling or tearing, and the crust has formed from edge to edge, flip and sear the steaks on all sides. Because of the odd shape of this cut, the steaks won’t cook evenly, and one may be done before the other. Use a digital meat thermometer to check the internal temperature while cooking. Aim for 120 – 125 degrees F for medium rare.
- Remove the steaks from the pan and set them on a cutting board to rest. Top each steak with a dollop of compound butter (we love our steakhouse herb compound butter for this recipe) to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- To serve, check the grain of the steak and slice in thin strips, on a bias, against the grain. This steak tastes great with a pinch of ground black pepper and a heaping spoonful of homemade chimichurri drizzled over top.
GirlCarnivore Expert TIPS
- If cooking more than one tri-tip steak, be prepared for a variance in shape and size. Keep a meat thermometer handy and remove each steak when it reaches your desired internal temperature, as one will likely cook fast than the other.
- We love cast iron for a great pan-seared steak. A solid heavy skillet will heat evenly to help edge-to-edge cook evenly and is naturally non-stick. Plus, a good one will last you a lifetime.
- Slicing against the grain is critical to making this steak tender. Look at the steaks; depending on where they were cut from tri-tip, you may need to rotate them differently to ensure that you are slicing them properly.
- Tri-tip steaks can also be grilled hot and fast over direct heat. We enjoy the edge-to-edge sear of cast iron on this particular cut more than grill marks.
- If you live on the East Coast, good luck finding tri-tip, let alone these steaks, at your local market. But if you ask your local butcher, they can order or slice them for you. Otherwise, check out Porter Road or our other sources for where to buy meat online to have them shipped right to your door.
Leftovers and reheating
Leftover Newport steaks can be wrapped in foil or an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat only what you need by wrapping in foil with a bit of oil or butter in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F or in a hot skillet until heated through. We enjoy leftover thin shaved tri-tip cold in salads and on their own.
What to serve with tri-tip steaks
A perfectly cooked steak needs good side dishes, and for this one we recommend:
- smoked macaroni and cheese
- keto-creamed spinach
- rajas con crema
- smoked cabbage
- Go surf and turf and pair this with some bbq shrimp skewers for a delicious dinner!
A batch of cilantro chimichurri or chimichurri rojo is also perfectly drizzled over these steaks.
FAQs
This steak gets tough and chewy when it’s either overcooked (too dry) or not sliced properly. Be sure to look for the grain on each steak and slice in thin strips against the grain for the most tender bite.
Because tri-tip steaks are relatively lean, it’s best not to cook them past medium, or they risk drying out. An internal temp of 130 to 135 degrees F for serving is ideal.
More amazing pan-seared steak recipes
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Perfect Pan-Seared Porterhouse Steak
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Perfect Pan Seared Ribeye Steaks
Beef Recipes
Pan Seared New York Strip Steak and Scallops
Beef Recipes
Pan Seared Filet Mignon
What do you think? If you’ve tasted tri-tip but would you try these individual pan-seared steaks? If you do, please be sure to rate the recipe and drop a comment below, telling me how you enjoyed them!
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Pan Seared Tri-Tip Steaks
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lbs Tri-tip steaks 2 steaks about 1/2 lb each
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Butter use a compound butter for added flavor
Instructions
Prep the Steaks
- Start by patting the steaks dry with a paper towel and liberally seasoning them with salt.
- Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Allow the tri-stip steaks to sit in the fridge for 2 to 6 hours before cooking.
Pan sear the steaks
- When ready to cook, preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add oil and swirl to coat.
- When it just starts to smoke, add the steaks, fat side down to sear. If the steaks don't immediately begin to sizzle, the pan is not hot enough.
- Allow the crust to form without touching the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes.
- When they easily remove from the surface, without pulling or tearing, and the crust has formed from edge to edge, flip and sear the steaks on all sides.
- Flip and sear the steaks on all sides, until they reach an internal temp of 125F with an instant read thermomter.
Rest and serve
- Remove the steaks from the pan and set in a cutting board to rest. Top each steak with a dollop of compound butter to rest for 5 minutes.
- To serve, check the grain of the steak and slice in thin strips, on a bias, against the grain. Spoon fresh homemade chimichurri over top and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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Fabulous!! I’m A novice meat maker and this was easy & turned out beautifully!
Rock out, Dani! I am glad these turned out for you. Hope you keep coming back to try more.