Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Tri Tip Steak Recipe
Seared tri tip slices get a generous drizzle of teriyaki and spicy mayo, making each bite savory, sweet and a little fiery. Lime brightens the creamy sauce, while the browned steak edges give the rich toppings something substantial underneath.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Chinese · Asian
- Cooking method
- Grilling
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Give the steak a full coating
Toss the tri-tip well in the marinade so the soy, lime, garlic, sriracha and five spice can get onto every surface. It only marinates briefly, so good contact matters.
2. Thin the spicy mayo for drizzling
The sauce should fall from a spoon, not sit in a thick blob. Lime juice is the first way to loosen it, with a few teaspoons of water if it still needs help.
3. Sear first, then ease the heat
Start hot for the grill lines, then drop to medium so the steak can cook through without overdoing the outside. Use the internal temperature given in the recipe to know when to stop.
Get to know the ingredients
Tri-tip steak
This cut gets marinated whole, then sliced after resting. The important detail at the end is cutting across the grain, which keeps the slices easier to eat.
Teriyaki sauce
The teriyaki goes on after the steak is sliced, so don't add it to the marinade bowl or send it to the grill. It's a finishing drizzle for the cooked meat.
Chinese five spice
The five spice is optional, but it belongs in the marinade if you're using it. It sits with the soy, lime, garlic and sriracha rather than in either finishing sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Tri Tip Steak Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Let the tri-tip rest before slicing, then cut across the grain and drizzle with teriyaki and spicy mayo. Once those sauces are on, serve it right away while the steak is still warm.
A little more help as you go
Discard the marinade
After the steak comes out of the bowl, the marinade has done its job. Transfer the meat with tongs and discard what is left before you finish grilling.
Two sauces, two moments
The sriracha mayo can be mixed while the steak marinates, but the teriyaki waits until the very end. Keeping them separate gives you both the glossy drizzle and the creamy one.
A few questions you might have
Can I use garlic chili sauce instead of sriracha in the mayo?
Yes. The spicy mayo specifically allows sriracha or garlic chili sauce. Stir it with the mayo first, then add lime juice until it drizzles nicely.
Do I put the teriyaki sauce in the marinade?
No. The marinade is olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, optional five spice and sriracha. The teriyaki is drizzled over the sliced steak at the end.
Why slice across the grain?
Tri-tip has visible muscle fibers. Slicing across them shortens those fibers, so the finished pieces are easier to chew after the steak has rested.
What temperature should the steak reach?
Cook it until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F. The recipe has you sear both sides first, then continue over medium heat until it reaches that point.
Should the spicy mayo be thick or loose?
Loose enough to drizzle. If the mayo and sriracha mixture is too thick after the lime juice goes in, add more lime juice or a few teaspoons of water.
Any more cooking tips?
Teriyaki sauce: my homemade teriyaki sauce has no “weird” ingredients, is ready in just 10 minutes, and tastes SO good. You’ll only need about half of a batch, so you can either half the teriyaki sauce recipe, or make the full batch and then store the rest in the fridge or freezer for later (my favorite method!).
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
