Central Coast Tri-Tip Sandwich (with a twist!)

Tri-Tip Sandwich

I recently came across a recipe somewhere (where exactly and what for has been lost in my memory, let's call it a casualty of the pandemic) that used one of the more uncommon cuts of beef: tri-tip. This recipe, however, reminded me of an absolutely delicious barbeque sandwich from Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo, CA: the tri-tip sandwich.

I first encountered this wonderful sandwich as a young first-year student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (SLO, pronounced "slow" by those in the know), where I spent a few years before moving back to Seattle. SLO is a small college town in the central coast region of California, just north of Santa Maria about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Although I didn't stay in SLO for my entire undergraduate education, there are a few things that I dearly miss from the town (aside from friends I made). The location is beautiful, with amazing beaches nearby and great hiking in the hills (search for the Nine Sisters). There are also some incredible sandwich shops, Gus's Grocery being my personal favorite with the build-your-own option. And last, but not least, is Firestone Grill, a mainstay of downtown SLO where having a tri-tip sandwich with a side of fries seems to be a rite of passage for incoming students at Cal Poly. I don't recall my first time going, but I do recall going back many times and almost exclusively getting the tri-tip sandwich.

Firestone's Tri-Tip sandwich is oddly simple: a French roll, sweet and sticky barbeque sauce, and thin-sliced tri-tip. This post is my recreation of this culinary masterpiece, with a twist. Tri-tip itself is not an overly common cut of beef that comes from the bottom sirloin. I've heard a few different stories of how this particular cut became common on the central coast of California, and I encourage those interested in its story to read up on all the variations, but regardless of origin it has been enshrined as the singular cut of beef most strongly associated with the area. In my version I season the tri-tip with a homemade barbeque dry-rub before grilling to medium and thinly slicing against the grain. Buttered and toasted sesame burger buns are piled with the meat and topped with a sweet barbeque sauce and some honey-Dijon coleslaw. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the results and felt that it was a fitting recreation of a fondly remembered sandwich. Perhaps some day I will make my way back to SLO for another taste of the real thing!

Ingredients

• 2 pound tri-tip
• Barbeque dry rub (here is one I created)
• Sesame burger buns (or French rolls)
• Barbeque sauce (a sweeter sauce is commonly used)
• [optional] Honey-Dijon Coleslaw (here is the recipe I used, but omitted the apple)

Directions

1. Prepare grill for both direct and indirect grilling.
   
   

   

   Honey-Dijon coleslaw

   
   
2. Prepare coleslaw as desired and set aside while meat cooks
   
   

   

   Dry-rubbed tri-tip

   
   
   
   

   

   Searing the tri-tip on the hot side

   
   
3. Pat tri-tip dry and rub all over with dry-rub. Grill tri-tip over hot side of grill on all sides until just starting to char. The rub I used had a lot of sugar that burns and chars easily, so this didn't take too long with a hot fire.
4. Transfer meat to the indirect cooking zone and cook with lid closed until internal temperature is about 130-135℉ in the thickest part. Total cook time will likely be in the 30-45 minute range. Remove from grill and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
   

   

   Garlic-buttered buns ready for toasting on the grill

   
   
5. While meat rests, toast buns until lightly browned. I put some melted butter with freshly minced garlic on each half before toasting.
   
   

   

   Perfectly medium-cooked tri-tip

   
   
6. Slice tri-tip across the grain into thin slices using a very sharp knife.
   
   

   

   Bun with meat and sauce!

   
   
7. Prepare sandwiches by piling some slices of tri-tip onto the bottom bun, followed by some barbeque sauce, and topping with coleslaw. Top with other half of bun and enjoy!

Notes

• I made a homemade barbeque sauce, but any sweeter barbeque sauce will work well. Tri-tip has a good beef flavor and stands up well to the sweetness of the sauce and rub.
• Coleslaw is not found on the Firestone Tri-Tip, but is commonly found on barbeque sandwiches more broadly. I decided to top my sandwich with some because I had a craving for some 😁
• Experiment with different barbeque rubs! Half the fun of barbequing (in my humble opinion) is constantly tweaking the recipes based on your preferences on cook day! Some days I like a sweet rub, some days a pepper-forward rub, and other days a more herbaceous rub!
• The best part of barbeque is sharing the results with family and friends. This recipe will scale up by cooking more tri-tips, which tend to run in the 1½ to 4 pound range. A 2 pound tri-tip will make about 6 sandwiches.