Santa Maria Style Bison Tri-Tip with Pinquinto Beans, Tomato Salsa and Grilled Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Directions

Tri-tip

 

Combine the salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and onion in a small bowl.  Season the meat on both sides with the mixture, place on a baking rack set over a sheet pan and refrigerate the meat, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling and let sit at room temperature.

Prepare the grill for indirect grilling at 600°F with a hot searing zone. We recommend searing over a red oak wood fire or a combination of charcoal and red oak wood chips to achieve the best flavor for this recipe. 

Sear the steaks on the hottest part of the grill over the wood. This can require as little time as 1 minute per side, or as much as 3 minutes per side, depending on your grill and your fire. Using a live oak fire on the K750 Hybrid Fire Grill, we seared the tri-tip for 1 minute per side

After you have finished searing the tri-tip on both sides, move it to the indirect zone for the slide portion of cooking.

Continue cooking the tri-tip, flipping it every five minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F, about 18-25 minutes, depending on the size of the tri-tip and the temperature of your grill.  Remove the meat to a cutting board, loosely tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice against the grain into thin slices.

 

Grilled Bread

While the meat is resting: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and parsley and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Using a serrated knife, halved the bread lengthwise. Lightly brush some of the garlic butter on both sides of each slice of bread. 

Place the buttered bread slices over the direct charcoal zone (which is now less intense) and grill them until golden brown and slightly charred, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the grilled to a cutting board and brush with the remaining butter and serve at once alongside the meat and beans and salsa.

 

Santa Maria Style Pinquinto Beans

Pinquito beans are small, pink heirloom beans native to the Central Coast of California, specifically the Santa Maria Valley. Known for holding their shape while remaining creamy, they are the essential side dish for traditional Santa Maria Style Barbecue or any barbecue for that matter. Available via mail order, you can also substitute small white beans or pinto beans.

 

Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in a large, heavy pot. Cover with cold water, and soak 8 hours or up to overnight. 

Drain beans, and return to the pot. Add cold water to cover beans by 3 inches. Bring to a simmer over medium, and cook, uncovered, until tender, this can take anywhere between 75 minutes to 2 hours depending on the freshness of the beans, adding hot water as needed to keep beans covered by about 1 inch.

While the beans simmer, cook the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and green chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Stir in the ham and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato, ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce. brown sugar, dry mustard, and chipotle powder. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the beans and the reserved cooking liquid to the bean pot; stir in the sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally,  until the mixture has thickened, about 30 minutes.  The beans can be made 1 day ahead, cooled to room temperature then refrigerated tightly covered.

Reheat over low heat before serving.