Santa Maria Style Tri Tip Marinade

Santa Maria Style Tri Tip MarinadeEnough Already…

Summer insanity has invaded my world. There are still three weeks left of school, but I get a distinct impression that the only people who really care are the teachers…and even that might be a stretch. I have end-of-school-year burn out.

I no longer care if the kids are turning in their reading logs on Friday. I have given up on looking over their homework. And I consider it a major accomplishment if I can get a reasonably nutritious lunch into their backpacks in the morning. I am so over this school year, and my kids are ready for a break too.

The fact that we are in the middle of an amazing end to the little league baseball season is not helping our cause. We are crossing our fingers that we can celebrate a double Championship baseball season this week. My daughter’s team went undefeated in the regular season and swept their playoff games to win the Girls Pioneer (7-8) Softball Championship. This week, my boys are playing in their Boys American (9-10) Baseball Championship game against the Yankees. (Why does it always have to be the Yankees?) It is thrilling and so much fun, but I feel like I should have my mail forwarded to the baseball field. We aren’t home much, and I think it goes without saying that dinner around the kitchen table hasn’t been happening too often.

But, thank goodness it’s always easy to throw something on the grill. And we have been doing that a lot if only to have actual food for a change instead of the hot dog from the snack shack, or the pizza we picked up on the way home.

Last weekend, I marinated some tri-tips for after the game, and they turned out great. I used a recipe for Santa Maria Style Tri Tip Marinade that I adapted from The Food Network. It was a tasty, and an easy make ahead (kinda) dinner for busy summer evenings. 

Santa Maria Style Tri Tip Marinade
Adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup black pepper
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions, about one small onion
2 (4-pound) tri-tips, trimmed

Directions
To make the marinade, mix all of the ingredients except for the beef in a large mixing bowl. Place the trimmed tri-tips in a plastic container and pour the marinade over. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Heat grill to medium temperature.

Place tri-tips on the grill and cook about 25 minutes (we like ’em on the rare side), or until cooked to desired doneness. Remove the tri-tips from the grill and let rest about 2 to 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

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