1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon cracked red pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground thyme
1-1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 dried chipotle peppers
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 beef tri-tip -- (2 to 3 pounds)
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
Instructions:
To make the rub, combine the first nine ingredients in a spice mill
and grind to a coarse powder. Rub the tri-tip with olive oil. Liberally
coat with the spice mixture and knead it into the meat. Refrigerate
the meat overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator one hour
before cooking so the meat can come to room temperature. Prepare grill
for moderate heat cooking with mesquite or charcoal. If a smokier
flavor is desired, hickory or oak chips soaked in water 30 minutes
and drained may be added, if desired. When the fire is ready, lightly
brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the seasoned tri-tip
on the grill and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Check to see if
the tri-tip is done to your liking by cutting into the roast with
a small, sharp knife or checking the internal temperature with an
instant-read thermometer (135 degrees for medium-rare). Let roast
rest for 10 minutes, trim, then slice across grain (along the length
of the roast, not across the tip). Slices will not be uniform, but
flavor and texture will be best.
