Okay, so I saw this recipe online for making tri-tip in a pressure cooker and I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” I mean, I love tri-tip, but it usually takes forever to cook on the grill or in the oven. Plus, I’m all about finding quicker ways to get dinner on the table, especially during the week.
So, first, I gathered all my ingredients. I had a nice piece of tri-tip, about 2 pounds, that I picked up from the store. I also grabbed some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder for seasoning. For the liquid, I just used plain old water. You could use beef broth, but I didn’t have any on hand.
Next, I got my pressure cooker ready. I poured a little olive oil in the bottom and turned it on to the “sauté” function. While it was heating up, I rubbed the tri-tip with the seasonings. I really made sure to get a good coating all over.
Once the pressure cooker was hot, I placed the tri-tip in and browned it on all sides. This took about 2-3 minutes per side. I’m not gonna lie, it smelled pretty amazing already. After it was nicely browned, I took it out and set it aside for a minute.
Then, I poured about a cup of water into the pressure cooker. I placed the tri-tip back in, put the lid on, and made sure the valve was set to “sealing.” I set the timer for 30 minutes per pound at high pressure, since that’s what the recipe said, which meant I cooked it for about an hour in total. I figured it might be a little longer or shorter depending on how thick the meat was, but I’d check it later.
While it was cooking, I prepped some veggies to go with it. I just chopped up some potatoes and carrots, nothing fancy. I figured I’d just toss them in the oven while the tri-tip was resting.
After the timer went off, I let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes. Then, I did a quick release to get rid of the rest of the steam. I opened the lid carefully (safety first, people!), and there it was, the tri-tip.
I took it out and let it rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes. This is important, don’t skip this step! It lets the juices redistribute, so the meat stays nice and tender. After it rested, I sliced it against the grain, and it was perfect! Seriously, it was so tender and juicy, and the flavor was amazing.
Overall, I’m super happy with how this turned out. It was way easier and faster than grilling or baking, and the tri-tip was just as delicious. I’ll definitely be making this again.
- Total cook time: Around 1 hour and 15 minutes (plus resting time)
- Difficulty: Easy peasy
- Taste: Delicious!
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to cook tri-tip, you gotta try this pressure cooker method. It’s a game-changer!
