I made this tri-tip for the first time recently and it came out really good—and might be one of my new favorite proteins for meal prep.

The whole thing took about an hour, but one roast makes several meals for the week. I actually made two tri-tips (about 4 pounds total) and just doubled the spice rub.

My favorite part is definitely the spice rub. It’s savory, garlicky and peppery with just a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. It gives the meat so much flavor that you really don’t need a sauce.

And if you’ve never cooked tri-tip before, it’s easier than it looks. Give it a quick sear, cover it in that delicious spice rub, and finish it in the oven. Grab a meat thermometer and you really can’t go wrong.

Easy Oven-Roasted Tri-Tip

Serves: 4–6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35–45 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 tri-tip roast, about 2–2½ pounds
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (salted or unsalted)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional*

For underneath the roast:

• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 4–5 garlic cloves

The crushed red pepper can make this pretty spicy for kids. Either leave it out completely or cut it down to ½ teaspoon.

Making two tri-tips? I made about 4 pounds total and simply doubled the spice mixture.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Place a roasting rack or grill rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Roughly chop the onion, carrots and celery and scatter them underneath with the garlic.

No need for perfect knife cuts here. These are just going underneath the beef to add some extra flavor while everything roasts.

2. Sear the tri-tip

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.

Place the tri-tip directly into the dry pan with no oil and sear until you get a nice golden-brown crust, about 3–4 minutes per side.

Try not to move it around while it’s searing. Let it sit and develop that crust.

Transfer the seared tri-tip to your prepared roasting rack.

3. Make the spice rub

In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, rosemary, kosher salt, brown sugar and crushed red pepper, if using.

Stir in the melted butter to make a thick, spreadable spice mixture.

4. Rub it all over

Spoon the spice mixture over the seared tri-tip and use the back of the spoon or your hands to spread it generously over the meat.

Don’t be shy here. That crust is the best part.

5. Roast

Place the tri-tip on the middle rack of your 425°F oven and roast for approximately 30–45 minutes, depending on its size and thickness.

Start checking the temperature around 30 minutes.

For medium-rare, remove the tri-tip when the thickest part reaches about 130–135°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Don’t stress too much about the exact cooking time—the thermometer is much more reliable.

6. Rest before slicing

Remove the tri-tip from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting into it.

I know you’re hungry. Wait anyway.

Resting gives those juices a chance to settle back into the meat instead of running all over your cutting board.

7. Slice against the grain

Here’s probably the most important chef tip in this recipe:

Slice your tri-tip thinly AGAINST the grain.

Tri-tip is a little unusual because the direction of the grain changes throughout the roast. Look at the direction of the muscle fibers and cut across them rather than alongside them.

This makes your tri-tip much more tender and easier to eat.

Chef Joanna’s Meal Prep Tip

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love for meal prep because you’re doing the work once and getting several different meals out of it.

Make the tri-tip on Sunday and use it throughout the week for:

• Tri-tip + roasted vegetables + potatoes
• Rice bowls with veggies and avocado
• Steak salads
• Easy tri-tip tacos
• Beef and quinoa bowls
• Eggs + sliced tri-tip for breakfast

You can change everything around it so you don’t feel like you’re eating the exact same dinner five nights in a row.

One protein. Lots of possibilities.

That’s meal prep I can actually get behind.