a perfect (and cheap) roast for two: beef tri-tip

If one or two skint people fancy a roast, they could be forgiven for assuming that beef is not an option; and, certainly, a hulking great joint of rib of beef (at £20 plus per kilo) is out of the question. In the past I've opted for a small joint of either rolled topside or silverside if I can get a small enough cut. From now on though, this will be my choice.

In September of last year Peckham got a wonderful new butchery - Flock & Herd. The owner is Charlie Shaw - who formerly worked at Mettricks of Glossop,  Drings of Greenwich and the Ginger Pig. A few weeks back, he introduced me to tri-tip - which I'd never had before. An expertly trimmed cut cost me just £6.07 for approximately 800g.

What in the wide, wide world of butchery, I hear you cry as one, is tri-tip? Well, to quote another alumnus of The Ginger Pig, Nathan Mills of The Butchery Ltd:

The tri-tip is an extension of the point end of the rump and is not to be confused with the picanha, which is the cap of the rump and connects with the silverside. Instead this muscle runs from the point of the rump and up and over the knee. In the States [it is] commonly called the sirloin fillet due to its tenderness. The tri-tip has similar flavours and characteristics to rump, but loads more marbling running through it which helps to keep the meat succulent in cooking.

From what I can gather (i.e. from a brief search on Google) it's more commonly known in America than in Britain. Well now, in this matter at least, Peckham is twinned with the good ol' U.S. of Stateside. For the rest of the U.K., ask your local butchers and see if they know of the cut and, more importantly, know how to prepare it.

roast tri-tip

If my meat thermometer wasn't bollixed (stuck drawer/angry wrenching/ crunch of metal and glass), I'd have used it and taken the joint out when it had reached 60C. But it was, so I used these timings to get the result pictured above.

serves two
1 x 800g (approx) tri-tip
salt + black pepper

Take the beef out of the fridge, season well, and leave for an hour to come to room temperature. Heat a griddle pan to searing. Lay the tri-tip fat side down on the griddle and leave for a minute or two to colour. Flip it over and sear the underside for a minute. Transfer to a small roasting tin and roast at 220C/200C fan for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with tin foil and rest for ten minutes.

Flock & Herd
155 Bellenden Road
London
SE15 4DH
T: 020 76357733
Tue– Fri: 9:00 to 18:00
Sat: 8:00 to 16:00
Sun & Mon: Closed