Barbecued Tri Tip with Caramelized Onions and Red Wine Barbecue Sauce

This past weekend, Mark and his friends had their fantasy football draft party. It's cool that the same group of guys has this tradition with each other year after year. The only problem this year is that we happen to be a couple thousand miles away from the rest of the guys... The guys in SoCal enjoyed some tri tip and other "football foods." So I decided to try to make some tri tip in the hopes of bridging the miles between SoCal and Oklahoma just a little bit. The result was fantastic... I definitely didn't think I could pull it off, but this tri tip isn't very hard and was absolutely delicious! It gives Stonefire Grill a run for its money.

Barbecued Tri Tip with Caramelized Onions and Red Wine Barbecue Sauce
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions (red and/or yellow), halved, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon California style garlic salt (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper)

2 pound beef loin tri-tip roast, trimmed of all but 1/4 inch of fat
2 tablespoons olive oil

for the Red Wine Barbecue Sauce...
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked chipotle tabasco sauce
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

First prepare the barbecue sauce...
Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add the smoked chipotle tabasco and simmer 1 minute. Add wine and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, and liquid smoke; simmer 2 minutes longer.

Next prepare the onions...
Melt butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until deep golden brown, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in chives.

To cook the tri tip...
Set your barbecue to medium heat. If you don't have California style garlic salt, mix garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Brush both sides of tri-tip with oil and sprinkle with garlic-powder mixture, pressing to adhere. Grill tri-tip 5 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and grill for about 30 more minutes or until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125°F to 130°F, brushing with barbecue sauce and turning every 10 minutes.

Transfer tri-tips to work surface; let stand 10 minutes. Cut meat crosswise into very thin slices. Serve with caramelized onion and extra barbecue sauce. Enjoy!!

I served this tri tip with smashed potatoes and a simple salad. The smashed potatoes come from The Pioneer Woman.

Tri Tip recipe slightly adapted from epicurious.com