Okay, so I tried making tri-tip roast in my slow cooker the other day. I’d heard it’s a good way to get it super tender, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I started off by grabbing a tri-tip from the store. It’s also called the bottom sirloin tip, which I didn’t know before. I made sure to pick one that had some nice marbling – you know, those little lines of fat throughout the meat? That’s where the flavor’s at.
Then I heated up some oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Once it was nice and hot, I tossed the tri-tip in there and seared it on all sides. We are talking a good couple of minutes per side to get a nice brown crust.
This is important, don’t skip this step! The sear locks in the juices and adds a ton of flavor.
After searing, I transferred the tri-tip to my slow cooker. I poured in some beef broth, just enough to come up about halfway on the meat. I also threw in some chopped onions, garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme for extra flavor.
I put the lid on the slow cooker and set it to low. Then came the hard part – waiting! I let it cook for about 6 hours. You can do less time, like 3-4 hours, if you want it a bit more rare. But I wanted mine fall-apart tender.
My Slow Cooker Setting
- Low Setting: About 6 hours for super tender meat
- High Setting: Around 3 hours, but I didn’t try this
After 6 hours, I took the tri-tip out of the slow cooker and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing it up. And oh boy, was it good! It was so tender and juicy, and the flavor was amazing. Slow cooking really is the way to go with tri-tip.
I served it up with some mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. It was a total hit with the family! I’ll definitely be making this again.
