Cooking tri tip in the sous vide turns this affordable cut of meat into melt-in-your-mouth tender steak that tastes like a million bucks! Easy to make and delicious with an optional 5-minute chimichurri sauce made in the food processor or blender, this is your new go-to tri tip or meat recipe!
What Makes Sous Vide Tri Tip So Good
- You’ll have perfectly cooked tri tip, every single time. That’s the beauty of sous vide! Since the water bath is temperature controlled, the meat cooks evenly with zero chance of overcooking, as long as you get the temperature right.
- The seasonings are simple, which I love both because it keeps things super easy, but also because it lets the natural flavors of the tri tip shine through. AND, because the tri tip cooks in its own juices sealed inside the bag, it stays incredibly moist and tender the whole time.
- This entire recipe fits a whole range of dietary needs! It’s all naturally keto and low carb, plus gluten free. If you use a butter substitute then it’s also dairy free, paleo, and Whole30-compliant.
- Wondering what to eat with a juicy sous vide tri tip? The options are endless! Pan-fried fondant potatoes and crisp air fryer asparagus would go with it nicely. If you’re trying to keep your meal low carb, try some cheesy keto green beans and a helping of mashed cauliflower.
Key Ingredients for Sous Vide Tri Tip
Tri Tip – This triangular cut of sirloin is rich, meaty, and leaner than other cuts. It’s also cheaper than other cuts like ribeye, but don’t let the price fool you. It’s full of delicious flavor and it comes out incredibly tender.
Chimichurri Sauce – My homemade chimichurri sauce is based on the classic from Texas de Brazil. It’s an absolute must for tri tip or flank steak! Made with fresh herbs, it’s a little spicy, salty, lemony, and garlicky, and it goes with damn near EVERYTHING. Seriously. It lasts forever, too. Like, more than 2 weeks when you refrigerate it in an airtight container. SO, once you get done with your sous vide tri tip, try out my chimichurri shrimp skewers or my chimichurri flank steak. You’ll fall head over heels in love, trust me.
Chef’s Tips
- The tri tip has to be fully submerged in the water for the entire cooking time in order to cook properly. They may try to float on you. If they do, make sure you’ve gotten 100% of the air out of the bag. You may need to open it and then reseal it. If you’re sure there’s no air in the bag, you can try to weigh it down by attaching another bag containing something heavy (marbles, pie weights, loose change, silverware) to the bottom of the sealed bag of steak.
- The sous vide does all the cooking here, but it won’t give you that gorgeous crust. That’s why, after the sous vide, we then transfer it to a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes at the end! The key to a really beautiful crust, though, is to make sure you dry the tri tip very well before searing it. The cast-iron skillet needs to be very, very hot, too.
- In the chimichurri sauce, make sure you use a really good-quality olive oil. If you don’t, you could end up with a bitter tasting chimichurri. You could also use avocado oil or refined liquid coconut oil in its place. For a skinnier chimichurri, swap out half of the olive oil with water.
Love Sous Vide? Try These Recipes!
- Sous Vide Ribs
- Sous Vide Shrimp
- Crispy Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Sous Vide Corned Beef
- Sous Vide Ribeye with Garlic-Herb Butter
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Sous Vide Tri Tip with Easy Chimichurri Sauce
Equipment
- Large pot or other heat-resistant container
- Sous vide immersion circulator
- Plastic vacuum sealing bags
- Vacuum sealer (or use the water displacement method, see Notes)
- Food processor
- Paper towels
- Cast iron skillet
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
For the Tri Tip
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds tri tip
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper to taste
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
- neutral oil for searing
For the Easy Chimichurri Sauce
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat large pot of water with sous vide immersion circulator to 130° Fahrenheit. Pot should be deep enough that water level falls between minimum and maximum indicators on circulator.
- Liberally season all sides of tri tip with salt and pepper, then rub surface with minced garlic. Place seasoned tri tip in vacuum seal bag with butter. Seal with vacuum sealer or use water displacement method (see Notes).
- Lower tri tip into water bath and submerge fully. Cook 6 hours.
- While tri tip cooks, make chimichurri sauce. Add herbs and garlic to food processor bowl. Process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse again until combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
- After 6 hours, remove tri tip from water bath and take out of bag. Pat very dry.
- Heat large cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add small amount of neutral oil to skillet to coat surface, then carefully place tri tip in skillet. Sear 1 minute per side until browned.
- Transfer seared tri tip to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Slice steak against grain and serve with chimichurri.
Notes
- Water Displacement Method: If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place your ingredients in an appropriately-sized plastic bag (like a Ziploc gallon-sized bag) and seal halfway across the top. Heat water with sous vide immersion cooker, then slowly lower the bag into the water. You should see the plastic cling to the food as the pressure from the water forces the air out. Once the food is entirely submerged and the air is completely out, seal the bag completely.
- Make it Whole30/Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use a dairy-free butter.Â
Nutrition
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Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Sabrina says
great idea for a lower cost cut, hadn’t thought of that before, would be a great excuse to buy a sous vide immersion circulator, thank you!