Sirloin primal · Beef cut guide
Tri-Tip
Tri-tip is a triangular beef roast cut from the bottom sirloin, weighing 1.5 to 3 pounds. It is the signature cut of Santa Maria-style California BBQ. The grain runs in two different directions across the triangle, which means slicing direction matters more than on most cuts: each half of the roast must be sliced separately to cut against the grain.
Anatomy and naming
What this cut actually is
Tri-tip sits at the bottom-front corner of the sirloin primal. For decades it was a regional specialty in central California, sold as ground beef or stew meat elsewhere. The cut took national hold in the 1990s and is now one of the more widely-stocked roasts in American supermarkets. In Brazil the same anatomical cut is maminha, served at churrascarias.
Eating quality is the appeal: tri-tip has more marbling than other bottom-sirloin cuts, takes well to high-heat grilling and reverse sear, and feeds 4 to 6 people from one roast. The two-direction grain is the only complication: cut the roast in half along the grain seam, then slice each half across its own grain.
Also known as
Tri-tip steak · Tri-tip roast · Triangle steak · Bottom sirloin tip · Maminha (Brazil)
Tri-Tip sits in the sirloin primal, highlighted in red
How to spot a good one
Visual markers
Distinct triangular shape, point on one end, wider base on the other
Visible grain seam running through the middle, marking the change in grain direction
Moderate marbling, more than top sirloin but less than ribeye
A thin fat cap on one side, white not yellow
Bright cherry-red lean, fine firm grain
Cooking, on Pro
Cook tri-tip like its grade
MeatGrader Pro gives you a cooking guide tailored to the exact cut and quality grade in front of you. Temperature, time, primary and alternative methods, resting, pairings.
A USDA Prime tri-tip gets a different guide than a Choice tri-tip, and an A5 BMS 9 wagyu cut gets something else again. Generic recipes do not know which one you have. Pro does.
Free with 3 analyses on signup. Pro is $1.99/month for unlimited analyses + the cooking guide.
How it grades
Grading tri-tip
Tri-tip carries the carcass grade assigned at the ribeye cross-section, but bottom-sirloin cuts intrinsically carry less marbling than the rib or short loin. A Choice tri-tip looks meaningfully leaner than a Choice ribeye. MeatGrader calibrates marbling expectations to the cut and grades on the relative visual signal, not against a ribeye reference.
FAQ
Common questions about tri-tip
What people ask most about picking, cooking, and grading this cut.
Related cuts
Other cuts to know
Score any tri-tip from a photo
Photograph your tri-tip and see how it grades against the regional system you select.