my butcher put me on this for my Labor Day BBQ; i get to labor all 3 days so this meal is essentially my holiday! looking for a simple marinade to get this nearly 3# piece of Buffalo ready for the grill. thx folks.
Hmmm…not ran into a buffalo tri-tip before.
I am assuming that it is super lean, as is all buffalo meat. Because of that, it will dry out pretty quickly and cook way faster than its bovine counterpart.
What I would gamble with:
Korean Soy Sauce
EVOO
Orange Juice or maybe Pineapple Juice
Grated Onion
Minced Garlic
Sriracha
I might even suggest butterflying the beasty to get more surface area for the marinade and allow for quicker cooking.
That or smoke it with a pork shoulder over it or bacon stripes. Sounds like a wonderful cut of meat nontheless. Pull it off at 120 no matter what. The rub is a personal choice I’d go with a classic Cali Tri Tip rub. Cook it low and slow and watch it like a hawk.
I’d opt for a Santa Maria style rub as well.
sage advice. char it and then finish in the oven at no more than 225 degrees. They are low fat but also low in connective tissue so they can be very tender if cooked correctly. you won’t want to cook it past medium rare.
When I first moved here, there was a restaurant called the “Valley Hunter” and they specialized in buffalo meat. (which may account for why they are no longer with us, but anyway…)
I remember the meat being very, very lean, and the cooks had to be trained to undercook the cuts, so that they wouldn’t dry out. So I’m almost thinking 120 might be too far, and 110 or 115 might be a better target. But rare meat doesn’t scare me - YMMV
What are you trying to do with the marinade? Tenderize? Impart flavor? Both?
I’m partial to a Santa Maria rub myself - salt, pepper, garlic, paprika. But if you think the meat needs tenderizing, you could give it a tumble in some papaya juice mixed with a neutral vegetable oil, then rub it up, and let it set for a spell.
Good luck.
John - i was thinking about both tenderizing and adding taste. i think i have a good feel for how to watch this cut in terms of overcooking and i am a tartare fan myself.
oh boy was this good! grilled over indirect heat just N of 200*. came out super rare but warm in the center with outer 1/3" cooked medium. rub was paprika, garlic, sea salt, B&W pepper, brown sugar and might have been a bit strong for the buffalo but went great with the 1990 Geezer. thx fellas.
