Trying a Tri-tip Roast

We're all cutting costs these days, and one of the ways I do so is by grabbing some of the cheaper cuts of meats, or meats that are on sale in my local grocery store (I generally shop Publix). I'm no butcher and did not grow up on a farm or anything, so most of the time I have no idea what I'm buying, but I figure I'll just Google it and find at least a method if not a recipe for that [insert random cut of beef].

A few weeks ago I did this, taking home a 3lb sirloin tri-tip roast that I picked up for about $7. As a steak lover, I knew I couldn't go too wrong with anything labeled "sirloin" (my favorite cut of steak generally), but I also knew from the lack of marbling and fat it wasn't going to turn out like a pot roast either (the typical connotation when I see the word "roast").

I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for an Herb-Rubbed Sirloin Tip Roast and thought viola! The recipe is really just a mix of seasonings for a rub, but the directions threw me off a little as I'd never cooked a large piece of meat on a cookie sheet in the oven before - plus a lot of the reviews talk about all the juices it puts off. I know I like my steaks seared with a little bit of a seasoned crust, so I figured, I'll start it out like I always do steaks - seared in a saute pan on the stove top - and since it's so thick, I'll finish it in the oven (in the same pan for easy clean up).

First I have to say that the rub is excellent and I highly recommend it. Now I don't usually use oil when implementing a rub technique, but since I was trying something new I decided to follow the directions (at least up to that point - in general I do try to make as few adjustments as possible to the new recipes). When it came time to sear the meat in the pan, I added a bit of oil as usual, forgetting temporarily about the amount of oil already on the meat. Needless to say it didn't sear as much as I'd have hoped, as there's a fine line between searing and frying in regards to the amount of oil used.

My common sense still hadn't kicked in when it was time to transfer it to the oven, but my sense of smell sure did as all that oil just burned and my house filled with the smoke and the smell of it. My poor little above-the-range space-saver microwave vent system is no match for burning oil (it's no match for a burning match either for that matter), especially considering how long it can take to cook a 3lb steak.

Eventually though, I got the steak roast to a perfect medium-rare, and after running the ceiling fans on high for a half hour or so, I got the smoke and smell out of the house too. Needless to say I had so salvageable drippings which was disappointing considering how many reviews to the original recipe raved about the great sauce that can be made with them. What I did end up with though was a cheap piece of meat that had transformed into a fantastically economical alternative to traditional steak. I cut it on the bias into ¼” strips and there was no way anyone was mistaking it for a pot roast, or for anything other than steak for that matter. I would even serve it to company it was that good.

I picked up another sirloin tip roast at the store yesterday and am making it again for dinner tonight, with a few adjustments to the amount of oil of course. But so much about cooking is about making adjustments, not only in terms of technique and quantities, but also in terms of perception. What we see isn't always what we get, and few people get things right on the first try, but it's in the trying where we learn and become better.