Coffee and chile-rubbed tri-tip roast carved across the grain, served with chimichurri or smoked salsa. The Central Valley's defining beef cut and Sacramento's barbecue centerpiece.
The tri-tip is a Central California Spanish-ranching cut from the bottom sirloin, popularized in Santa Maria Valley in the 1950s when butchers started roasting the previously discarded triangle of beef over red oak. The cut travelled north through Central Valley ranches into Sacramento by the 1970s, and by the 1990s tri-tip had become the standard backyard barbecue centerpiece across Sacramento County. Sacramento's barbecue rooms generally serve it with chimichurri on the Argentinian model, a nod to the city's strong cattle-ranching heritage and the Tank House style of cooking. The Tower Bridge Dinner has featured tri-tip on its menu in multiple years, and it sits permanently on the Tank House BBQ menu as the house steak.
2 editor picks for Santa Maria-style Tri-tip in Sacramento, ranked by editorial score. All Sacramento signature dishes · Santa Maria-style Tri-tip across every city.
Hawks Provisions and Public House ★ 4.4
east-sacramento · 1525 Alhambra Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95816
Hawks Provisions on Alhambra Boulevard, East Sacramento, opened 2015 as the sister room to Hawks Granite Bay. Michelin Recommended modern American with patio.
Tank House BBQ and Bar ★ 4.2
midtown · 1925 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
Tank House on J Street, midtown Sacramento, is the smoked-meat counter backing the 1881 water tank house, brisket and craft beer on tap rows.