Living in California, tri tip is a cut of meat that I use for a lot of things. It is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat here that is commonly found at almost any store, and is one of my favorite cuts for pastrami. While making my last batch of pastrami, the thought occurred to me that it could be an interesting cut of meat, to do a dried product with.
With that idea, i got the cure 2 out of the cupboard, and threw a few ingredients i had out for the pastrami together with some rough percentages that i have liked in other cures. The product came out spectacular. It is a little drier than i had originally planned on going, due to us going on a vacation towards the end of the process. At 44%, it actually came out better than i had hoped. The mouth feel is amazing, and the combination of the well marbled fat and meat give a flavor profile, almost like a salami with no fermentation tang. I have no clue what to call it, with basturma/pastirma probably being the closest name i could find for it. But i would certainly, call it worth trying again!
Dried Tri Tip
Ingredients
- 1 Tri Tip roast (also called bottom sirloin tip)
- 2.3% salt
- 0.5% dark brown sugar
- 0.25% cure 2
- 1% black pepper flake
- 1% granulated garlic
- 0.5% espelette pepper powder (can substitute any other pepper powder)
- 0.2% crushed juniper berries
Method
- Trim surface fat off of the roast, if as desired
- Weigh roast, in grams, and calculate ingredient weights based on the recipe percentages
- Apply curing mixture and seal the roast in a vacuum sealed bag
- Cure product 4-8 weeks as desired, massaging occasionally to move the herbs and spices around
- Remove from vacuum bag, and prepare meat for drying as desired. The pictured product was dried in an Umai bag, as I am still finishing my drying chamber. Collagen sheets would work well for this product in a drying chamber as well.
- Dry product to 40-45% weight loss. The pictured product was taken to 44%
- When drying is completed, product can be sliced and served, or put into a vacuum bag to further equalize the remaining product as well as let the flavors mature
- When the product is ready, slice, and enjoy!
