Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip Roast

I’m about to tell you how to make the superstar dish of your holiday season: Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip Roast, but I am also going to tell you a little bit about my recent trip to Wooster, Ohio, working with a Certified Angus Beef® brand world class chef.

Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip is a tender piece of beef that pairs perfectly with a sweet cranberry-orange glaze for a perfect roast on the grill, smoker or even in the oven. #tritiproast www.savoryexperiments.com


 

Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip is a tender piece of beef that pairs perfectly with a sweet cranberry-orange glaze for a perfect roast on the grill, smoker or even in the oven.

I recently had the pleasure of spending time in the Certified Angus Beef® brand test kitchen working with world renowned chef, Chef Tony Biggs. Together we created some memorable and fun new flavors for you to serve to your guests this holiday season.

Certified Angus beef 2

I was super excited to use a new toy they had in their kitchen, a stove top smoker and a cut of beef I don’t see too much of in Baltimore, tri-tip. Tri-tip seems to be the most popular on the west coast, and even more specifically Santa Maria, you can ask your butcher for this specific cut of meat.

Make sure you PIN this Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip Roast!

Tri-tip is a three-pointed, flag shaped cut from the bottom sirloin. Tender, easy to prepare and less expensive than other cuts, it is a really an underutilized gem. If you can’t get your hands on a tri-tip roast, use a another sirloin cut.

Tri-tip sirloin

I also understand that not everyone has a stove-top smoker at home and while I don’t either, I think I’ll be adding it to my Christmas list. This dandy little thing gave me all of the flavor from a large, time consuming smoker in just 45 minutes!

Varying models range from $40-$100. Just make sure to get a large enough size for the items you plan to smoke. Even the large size will not accommodate more than 4 or 5 pounds.

Stovetop Smoker

If you don’t  own a smoker, just use the oven for the main cooking process and finish on the grill for a nice char and to allow the cranberry glaze to caramelize. Let’s also say that if you have any glaze left over, it tastes pretty amazing drizzled over vanilla ice cream, bread pudding, pancakes, waffles or buttermilk biscuits.

Cranberry Glazed Tri-tip Roast- a Cranberry and orange glaze that also tastes amazing on vanilla ice cream and waffles!

If you love this Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip Roast, you’ll love these other beefy recipes!

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Best side dishes to serve with your tri-tip:

roast acorn squash

Baked Pecan and Thyme Acorn Squash

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Baked Acorn Squash with a Sweet Pecan Thyme Filling is the perfect holiday side dish!
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Baked Potatoes in the Oven

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The perfect baked potato in the oven has a crispy skin with fluffy inside. Top with butter, sour cream and chives!
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Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip is a tender piece of beef that pairs perfectly with a sweet cranberry-orange glaze for a perfect roast on the grill, smoker or even in the oven. #tritiproast www.savoryexperiments.com
Cranberry Glazed Tri-tip Roast- a Cranberry and orange glaze that also tastes amazing on vanilla ice cream and waffles!

Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip Roast Recipe

4.58 from 26 votes
Cranberry Glazed Tri-Tip is a tender piece of beef that pairs perfectly with a sweet cranberry-orange glaze for a perfect roast on the grill, smoker or even in the oven. 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Roast:

If Smoking:

  • 2 tablespoons green tea
  • 1/2 cup white rice
  • 1 1/2 cups oak smoking chips finely chopped

Cranberry Glaze:

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub roast with olive oil and then massage with salt and pepper. Allow to sit for 1 hour to 24 hours before smoking or roasting.
  • If smoking, place green tea, rice and wood chips in the bottom of smoker, heat over high until it starts to smoke. Add roast and smoke on stove top for 15 minutes before transferring to a 400 degree oven. If roasting, place roast in a large roasting pan in a 400 degree oven. Both ways, roast for 40-45 minutes or until roast registers 135 degrees.
  • Meanwhile, place orange juice through cranberries in a large sauce pan. Heat and stir over medium-high heat until cranberries burst open and mixture starts to make a syrup.
  • Remove from heat and place mixture in a blender or food processor and blend on high until mixture is smooth. Add Chambord through nutmeg and blend again.
  • Run mixture through fine mesh sieve to remove any solids. Return mixture to sauce pan and medium-high heat. Add cranberry juice and reduce by half.
  • When tri-tip is done roasting, heat grill to high heat. Baste with cranberry glaze and char on each side for 2-3 minutes.
  • Slice against the grain and serve with a side of cranberry glaze.

Nutrition

Calories: 5441 kcal, Carbohydrates: 661 g, Protein: 293 g, Fat: 136 g, Saturated Fat: 43 g, Cholesterol: 884 mg, Sodium: 21698 mg, Potassium: 5764 mg, Fiber: 23 g, Sugar: 541 g, Vitamin A: 915 IU, Vitamin C: 192.8 mg, Calcium: 520 mg, Iron: 25.4 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 5441
Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tri-tip recipe
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

Read More About Jessica

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Questions and Reviews

  1. That is such a gorgeous dish – like everyone I’m seriously drooling for it! Thanks for the giveaway as well, just in time for some holiday cooking!

  2. The glaze looks incredible! We have a smoker and use it all the time. I’ll have to try your recipe.

  3. OMG that is GORGEOUS! I definitely need to make this. Plus – I’ve been dyin’ to get one of those smokers for the kitchen. No time like the present, right 🙂

  4. So interesting to use cranberry with beef. An unusual combination that sounds really intriguing.

  5. Oh my goodness, Chambord in the glaze? Yes please! I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a tri-tip here, either, but I will be on the lookout. I neeed myself a stovetop smoker!

  6. That first picture is amazing! And the beef looks amazing. That’s the American food I miss the most!

  7. What a fantastic giveaway, but even more delicious is that edible image of your cranberry glazed tri-tip roast! Looks so good!!

  8. We have tri-tip often and it’s always SO good! I love that it’s a bit less expensive than other cuts of beef and it tastes great on the grill, too!

  9. THAT.GLAZE….was amazing!! And so was the Tri-Tip! I was so fun to be on your cooking team with Tony at CAB…hope to see you soon Jessica!

    1. Thanks so much, Martha, it was a blast! Hubby keeps asking when I’m going to make both this and YOUR Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls!

      1. 5 stars
        Hi there, hubby and I are on our third time making this. I keep coming back to read through the comments to see if there is any update on the 2 cups divided sugar. I don’t know If we are missing something, but what do you do with the sugar? We have just been adding 1 cup to the sauce mixture. Many thanks for a fab recipe!

        1. Hi April!!! I’m glad you love the recipe. I’m going back looking through my notes and I’m not sure why I write divided- it is just 2 cups, although I’m sure it still tastes fabulous with only 1 cup, just slightly more bitter. Thank you for pointing that out to me!

          1. Thank you so much! We have enjoyed it SO much! At what point do you add the sugar? The directions don’t specify. I guess maybe it doesn’t matter because it has been working out for us. Seriously, our fave. In fact we are going on holiday to Hawaii and are going to make it for some friends after we renew our vows.. THAT’S how much we LOVE! Thanks again!