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.

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.

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: