Tri tip sandwiches are delicious.
They have an intense flavor that makes them good for lunch or dinner.
If you’re looking to add more variety to your menu, this is one of our favorite sandwich recipes.
It has great taste and it will impress family members when they come over!
What Is A Tri Tip Sandwich?
A tri tip sandwich uses a cut from the bottom section of the cow known as the tri tip.
This meat is very popular in Texas because of its unique flavor and texture.
The tri tip also comes from the center part of the cow where the stomach would be if the animal lived.
Tri tips can be used on their own but most often they are combined with other meats such as brisket, chuck roast, sausage, or chicken parts.
The tri tip itself is usually ground up and mixed into hamburger patties or added directly onto hot dogs.
In restaurants, tri tip sandwiches are served on buns with toppings like onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and cheese.
Ingredients for the tri tip sandwich
- 1 pound tri tip steak (ground)
- ½ cup milk (regular or low fat)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 slices white bread (baked or French baguette)
- Mayonnaise
- Cheese (shredded cheddar or mozzarella)
- Onion rings
- Pickle chips
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce leaves
How Do You Make A Tri Tip Sandwich?
You can use any cut of meat for the tri tip but we recommend using the chuck roast since it is thick enough so that all of the juices stay inside during cooking.
You could also choose to cook it with some vegetables like onions and peppers because they would be tasty additions to the sandwich as well.
- Cut off excess fat from the tri tip and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius).
- Place the tri tips on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
- While the tri tips are cooking, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- When the tri tips are done cooking, remove them from the pan and place them on a cutting board to cool down.
- Slice the cooked tri tips into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Spread some mustard onto each side of the bread slices.
- Mix together the cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic powder.
- Add the sliced tri tips to the bottom half of the bread slice.
- Top the tri tips with the mixture of cheese, mayo, and garlic powder.
- Cover the top half of the bread slice with the other piece of bread and press firmly.
- Heat up the grill or broiler and place the sandwich under the heat source.
- Cook for 3 – 5 minutes per side depending on how hot your grill/broiler is.
- If you don’t want to use a grill then you can use a frying pan instead.
- Just remember to keep the tri tip moving around while grilling.
What Is In A Tri Tip Sandwich?
The main ingredients of a tri tip sandwich include a beef tri tip steak, melted American cheese, caramelized onions, and homemade mayo.
Other than those three things, there are also lettuce, tomato slices, and sliced pickles on top of the bread.
You can use any type of bread you like as long as it’s not too thick.
You can buy pre-made rolls at most grocery stores, but if you want to save time, you should try making your own.
Ingredients for a tri tip sandwich
- 1 pound lean ground beef (or bison)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
- 6 oz. baguette cut into 6 inch triangles
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tbsp.
- grated Parmesan cheese
- 5-6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink.
Drain off excess grease.
2. In a small bowl combine dry seasonings with spices, then sprinkle all over beef.
3. Place seasoned beef in a 9×13 baking dish.
4. Combine ketchup, mayonnaise, and apple cider vinegar.
5. Stir together water, brown sugar, and paprika.
Pour mixture evenly over beef.
6. Bake 30 minutes, turn down temperature to 350 F.
7. While meat roasts, sauté chopped onions in skillet over medium heat until tender and golden brown.
8. Once meat is cooked through remove from pan and drain excess fat.
Return meat to pan along with onions.
9. Cook meat and onions together 10 minutes.
10. Transfer contents of pan to mixing bowl.
11. Mix well and let cool.
12. Add spinach, mayo, and parmesan cheese.
13. Using hands mix everything together to form meatball size balls.
14. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator overnight.
15. Remove mixture from fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
16. Lightly spray a large nonstick skillet with oil.
17. When hot, arrange bread triangles in single layer in skillet.
18. Spread half the mayo mixture onto each triangle.
19. Top each triangle with about 1/3 cup beef mixture.
20. Crack two eggs per sandwich into separate bowls.
21. Season eggs lightly with salt and pepper.
22. Whisk milk and egg yolks together in another bowl.
23. Dip tops of sandwiches into egg wash.
24. Sprinkle crumb topping over sandwiches.
25. Put sandwiches back into skillet and cover with lid.
26. Reduce heat to low and bake 15 minutes.
27. Turn up heat to high and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes.
28. Serve immediately.
What Is The Best Tri Tip Sandwich Recipe?
A tri tip sandwich can be made with any type of meat.
Tri tips are used because there are three distinct cuts from which to use.
A tri tip roast is usually cut into steaks about 1 inch thick.
These steaks make a tasty sandwich.
You could also choose pork loin chops as another option.
Pork loins are not generally boned but they give similar results.
You would just need to remove some fat before cooking.
The last choice for making a tri tip sandwich is chuck steak.
Chuck steaks are most often found at butcher shops.
Some grocery stores carry these too.
If you cannot find a chuck steak, then try using rib eye steak instead.
Chuck steak has a lot of protein so it’s another good choice if you want to bulk up on protein.
However, if you are trying to lose weight, then consider trimming off some excess fat after cooking.
To prepare a tri tip sandwich, first, slice all parts of the tri tip roast apart.
Then place each part onto separate slices of bread.
Next, layer cheese, onions, mayo, and other ingredients on top of each piece of meat.
Lastly, put together the pieces of bread and enjoy!
Here are the basic steps for preparing a tri tip sandwich:
- Cut tri tip roast into 3-inch sections with kitchen shears.
- Place each section onto a cutting board and start slicing the tri tip roast into thin strips.
- Assemble the tri tip sandwich by placing sliced tri tip roast onto a piece of bread and layering with cheese, onions, and mayonnaise.
How Do You Cook A Tri Tip Sandwich?
This tri tip sandwich recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
You can make this recipe in less than half an hour if you prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time.
- Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a pan on medium heat.
- Add two garlic cloves, sliced thinly with a knife.
- Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the onions and saute until translucent.
- Add the chopped green peppers and continue to sauté until tender.
- Once cooked through, add salt and pepper.
- Remove the vegetables from the stovetop and set aside.
- In the same skillet, pour another tablespoon of olive oil and place the meat onto the pan.
- Cook the meat by searing each side for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove to a cutting board and slice across the grain.
- Set aside.
- To assemble the sandwich, spread the bottom bun with mustard.
- Then layer the meats, followed by the cheese.
- Top off with the veggies, then the top bun.
- Use tooth picks to secure the layers together.
You should get three slices out of every pound of tri tip.
If you don’t use up all of the meat, store the rest in the refrigerator so you can use it later.
What Is The Difference Between A Tri Tip Sandwich And A Regular Sandwich?
The main ingredient in a tri tip sandwich is a steak cut from the bottom round of the cow.
Tri tips are often used as a topping on tacos.
In fact, many restaurants serve tri tip tacos with chips and salsa.
But there are plenty of ways to use tri tips at home.
A regular sandwich uses sliced bread like hamburger buns.
A tri tip sandwich uses a slice of bread that is made specifically for holding a tri tip steak.
You can find these slices of bread online or in specialty grocery stores.
When making a tri tip sandwich, you need to choose whether you want your burger to be served open-faced (with the top piece being folded back) or closed-faced (where only the bottom half of the bun shows).
For both options, you should make sure that everything else about your meal matches up well.
- You must buy a tri tip steak, which means that you can either order it already cooked or purchase raw tri tip steaks from a butcher shop.
- If you don’t know how to prepare meat, we recommend reading our guide on how to roast meats.
- For an open-faced tri tip sandwich, you also need to buy a loaf of bread that is large enough to hold a tri tip steak and still leave room for all the toppings.
- We suggest using a French baguette because it holds its shape better than any other type of bread.
- To prevent soggy bread, you might want to wrap the bread in foil before putting it in the oven so that it stays dry.
- For a closed-face tri tip sandwich, you need to use a standard hamburger bun instead of a French baguette.
Open-Faced Tri Tip Sandwich Recipe
Step 1: Slice the tri tip into four equal pieces.
Step 2: Spread mustard onto each side of the tri tip.
Step 3: Lay two slices of bacon on each side of the tri tip.
Step 4: Top each slice of tri tip with cheese and then lay another slice of bacon on top.
Step 5: Place the tri tip steak down on the middle of the bacon and cover it with lettuce and tomato if desired.
Step 6: Add sauce to the outside edges of the bread and close the sandwich by folding the two sides together.
Step 7: Cook the sandwich until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 8: Once the sandwich is done cooking, remove it from the pan and let it sit for five minutes.
Closed-Face Tri Tip Sandwich Recipe
Step 1: Slice the tri tip into four equal pieces.
Step 2: Season each piece of tri tip with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Layer three slices of American cheese onto each piece of tri tip.
Step 4: Cover each piece of tri tip with a slice of ham.
Step 5: Close the sandwich by placing the slices of bread onto each other and wrapping the ends around the sandwich.
Step 6: Bake the sandwich at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Step 7: Remove the sandwich from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
Step 8: Serve the sandwich warm.
What Are Some Other Sandwich Recipes?
With so many different types of breads available, there are plenty of options for making a sandwich.
Most people like something with a soft texture, which means using white bread would be best if you want a light-tasting sandwich.
If you prefer something crunchy, you can use whole grain bread instead.
- Tuna salad
- Roast beef
- Chicken salad
- Turkey
- Salmon
- Ham
- Peanut butter
- Avocado toast
How Do You Make A Healthy Sandwich?
Here’s the thing about making healthy food at home: There isn’t one right answer.
You can always choose different ingredients instead of going with something like lettuce or tomato in your sandwich.
This recipe uses all natural ingredients, so there aren’t any extra chemicals or preservatives added.
If you want to cut down on sodium too, be sure to check out these salt substitutes.
The key here is to use lean meat.
A lot of people think that a tri-tip steak is just as expensive as ribeye steak, but it actually cost less than most steaks because it doesn’t need to age as long before being sold.
Leaner meats don’t require aging either.
You also won’t find anything artificial in the ingredients list.
That means no soy sauce (which contains high amounts of sugar), no MSG, no processed sugar, and nothing else that would cause concern if you were concerned about health issues.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Tri Tip Steak
- 4 slices American Cheese
- 8 ounces Mayonnaise
- 6 ounce Sourdough Roll
- 1 large Onion
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Method
To start off, put the tri tip steak into the oven at 350 F until cooked through.
Then let it cool completely.
Next, slice the onions thinly.
Slice half of the onion and set aside.
Put the rest of the onion onto a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over top.
Bake the onions until soft, about 15 minutes.
Let them cool completely.
Now we get to work on the bread.
Take the sourdough rolls and split them open lengthwise.
Spread both sides evenly with mayo, then place one piece of cheese on each side.
Place the sliced onions back inside the roll, followed by the cooled tri tip steak.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put everything together and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
What Are Some Sandwich Ideas For Kids?
Kids love food so much because there are endless possibilities with what foods can be added to the basic ingredients.
For example, if you’ve got hamburger buns, you could put peanut butter on them and call it a PB&J sandwich.
You can also use any type of bread as long as it’s not too sweet.
If you want to try something different, try using whole wheat bread instead of white bread.
The best part about making these types of sandwiches in bulk is that you don’t need to spend time cooking each individual item.
Just grab all the necessary ingredients and toss everything together into a bowl until it’s mixed well enough to fill up a bun.
Another thing you should know is that even though you’re going to eat most of the meat off the bottom piece of bread, putting the top half back on keeps it fresh longer.
When you take the top half off, you allow air to circulate around the inside of the burger which helps keep it from drying out.
That means less waste!
Taco Salad Sandwich
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound ground turkey
- 1 small jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Directions:
- Mix together the ground turkey, jalapeño pepper, seasoning mix, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded cheese, tomatoes, red bell peppers, and green onions and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Put 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the bottom half of 2 slices of bread, then spread the sour cream evenly across both pieces of toast.
- Place the other slice of bread on top of the two pieces of toast and press down firmly to seal the sandwich tightly.
What Are Some Easy Sandwich Recipes?
For example, if you want something super simple, try making a grilled chicken salad on bread with avocado slices and bacon bits instead of the usual lettuce and tomato.
You can also use any type of protein in place of the chicken, like shrimp or turkey.
Another option is using leftover meat from other meals as well, which adds another dimension to your meal.
For instance, you could make a ham sandwich by slicing up leftover roast pork loin and mixing it with coleslaw dressing and sliced tomatoes.
You can even mix it all together and put it between two pieces of whole wheat toast.
This would be a fun way to get creative with leftover ingredients while still keeping it healthy.
Equipment
- 1 Grill
Ingredients
For the chipotle aioli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 to 3 chipotle peppers
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the grilled onions and peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions
- 2 bell peppers
- Assemble the sandwiches
- 4 hoagie rolls
- 8 slices Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 Tri-Tip steak
Instructions
- The mayonnaise should be put in a small mixing dish.
- Chipotle peppers and garlic should be finely minced before being added to mayonnaise.
- Add the salt, pepper, onion powder, molasses, vinegar, and cumin. Discard the aioli.
- In a big skillet over medium heat, warm the oil.
- When the onions are golden brown, add the peppers and simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, turning periodically. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the sandwiches together.
- The hoagie rolls should be lightly toasted under a broiler or on a grill.
- The tri-tip steak should be cut into thin slices. To obtain tender slices of meat, slice against the grain.
- The toasted buns should first have the chipotle aioli spread on them before being topped with the onion and pepper mixture. Two slices of cheese and a mound of tri-tip slices should be placed on top of the onions.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.