Tri-Tip with Chunky Pineapple Marinade!

To start of this blog we decided to go big!  15 lbs of tri-tip is the largest amount of meat that I've ever cooked on the grill at once!  Here's what I did...

The meat came from the local Cash & Carry and was actually 4 pieces all in one package.

15 lbs of Tri-Tip!

About 5 days before cooking I put the meat in the refrigerator to thaw.  The day before I cooked the meat I made up the marinade (Chunky Pineapple Tri-Tip Marinade) so that it could soak overnight and through the first part of the next day.  Here is the recipe for that:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil 
1 yellow onion, sliced very thin 
2 cups crushed pineapple (about 1/2 a fresh pineapple or a 16 oz. can) 
1/4 cup red pepper chopped 
1/4 cup orange juice 
1/4 cup honey 
1/4 cup white vinegar 
pinch of ground cloves 
salt, to taste 
pepper, to taste 
optional, fresh chopped cilantro 

This recipe is for one 3-4 lb piece, I tripled the amounts except for the vegetable oil (I just doubled that).

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Saute onions 5-7 minutes, until translucent. 

Sauteing Onions

 Add pineapples and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Onions and Pineapple

Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Marinade meat in this for 2 hours or overnight.

Remainder of Ingredients Added

             

 Marinade meat in this for 2 hours or overnight.  (I marinated for almost 24 hours)

When it came time for grilling I used both charcoal as well as the gas grill.  I thought I would try both ways and see if I preferred one over the other.  (The cat is our neighbor's and ALWAYS is in our yard. A fact that doesn't thrill me.)  I used the lump coal instead of briquets since they seem to burn a lot hotter and it's easier to maintain a higher indirect temperature.

Getting the Fire Going for Indirect Heat

Let the Cooking Begin!

In addition to cooking some on the charcoal grill with indirect heat, I also cooked some on the gas grill. I first seared both sides on high and then dropped the temperature to a little below medium and cooked about 20 minutes on each side.

Cooking on the Grill

While the meat was cooking I put all of the marinade in to a pot.  I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for about 30 minutes.  By the time the meat was done it was ready to be used as a side or topping for the sliced tri-tip.

Finished Product with Indirect Heat

Finished Product from the Gas Grill

After slicing the meat and plating it, I put some of the marinade on top and topped that off with cilantro.  This was the first time I'd had tri-tip this way and it is something I would DEFINITELY do again!

Feel free to share any comments, thoughts or ideas you may have for this type of dish.  Thanks for reading!