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Post by BBQ Butcher on Jan 15, 2015 5:44:59 GMT -5
The History of Tri-Tip
Beef/Cattle have been supplying humans with protein for thousands of years. The meat is what it is. Beef cuts, on the other hand, are historically dynamic. Cuts/names serve up accurate reflections of national preference tempered by consumer demand. The earliest print reference we find in USA print for Tri-Tip (& culotte) steak is from the 1930s. Our survey of historic newspapers confirms Tri-Tip sales proliferated in the late 1960s, took off in the 1970 and blossmed in the 1980s-1990s.All for what? It's hard to say. Earliest print evidence strongly suggests "Tri-Tip" sirloin cuts originated in mid-California. Think: Santa Barbara, Van Nuys, Bakersfield, Placerville. The period? early 1960s. By decade's end, this decidedly Californian steak swallowed East Coast meatrentrepreneurs whole.
[1935] "In cutting steaks from the larger steer butts, the butt should first be freed of flank, then cut in two. That gives you the lower, or triangle part, and the upper or oblong part...In the former the triangle part is much the choicest for steaks. It is more tender, and well interspersed with fat. Cut these in slices one inch thick, across the grain." ---Hotel Butcher, Garde Manger and Carver, Frank Rivers [Hotel Monthly Press:Chicago IL] 1935 (p. 24-25)
[1955] "Jack's Corsican Room...All Jack's dinners, no matter what the price, are...generous. The chopped sirloin dinner s $1.50; a succulent prime rib, $2.45...In addition there's triangle tip a la Jack $1.85 (a special cut of roast beef)..." ---"Southland Dining Directory, Long Beach Press Telegram [CA], May 24,1955 (p. 45)
[1956] "Jack's Corsican Room, 5430 E. 2nd St. Naples,...Owned by Jack and Rose Bass...Chef Bass offers one of his favorites, Triangle Tip a la Jack, a scrumptious beef-cooked-in-wine affair for only $1.95 on the big dinner." ---"Guide to Southland Dining," Long Beach Press-Telegram [CA], May 22, 1956 (p. 50)
"Hurrah for Jack's New Sauce:---Hey, have you heard the news? Chef Jack Bass, owner of Jack's Corsican Room... had created a new sauce for his famed Triangle Tip a la Jack. The old sauce was great, but the new one's even greater. For $1.95 complete, the Triangle Tip includes tender beef, superb soup du jour, big chilled salad, baked potato, another vegetable, beverage and dessert." ---"Stepping Out," Press-Telegram [Long Beach CA], August 14, 1956 (p. B7)
[1960] > "Boneless Beefeater Roast. World's tenderest roast. Cut from the triangle tip of USDA Choice Steer. Comes out a significant medium-rare in one hour from a 400 degree F. oven. Average roast weighs 3 lbs. $1.99 per lb." ---display ad, Glen Joe, Inc [Bakersfield, Fresno, San Jose, Mojave and Los Altos CA], Los Angeles Times, October 8. 1960 (p. 10)
[1962] "To impress your gourmet guest, serve the Beefeater Roast--$1.24lb/ A choice cut from the Tringle tip of the Loin." ---Bakersfield Californian, December 13, 1962 (p. 36)
[1967] "Meat men...often tell customers a sirloin tip (also called a rotisserie roast), rump, English clod or triangle tip can be dry roasted if of high quality. Home economists call these 'borderline' roasts. They may be perfect dry roasted. On the other hand they may be tough. Treating them with meat tenderizer helps. These roasts also have the illusion of tenderness if cooked only until rare and sliced very, very thin with a razor sharp knife." ---"Traditional Roast Beef Takes Loving Care to Be Tender," Los Angeles Times, December 14, 1967 (p. H8)
[1968] "Sirlon Steak, U.S.D.A. choice beef...lean and tender small steaks, cut from triangle tip...just right for our Far East special recipes! $1.29/lb." ---Independent [Pasadena CA], Feburary 26, 1968 (p. 4)
"Super Special Triangle Tip Roast, always tender, $1.09/lb, we marinate free, if you desire. These can also be cut into steaks by our live butchers." ---The News [Van Nuys CA], March 12, 1968 (p. 10A)
[1969] "Boneless Culotte Steaks, can be used for beef fondue also brochette of beef, $1.59/lb...Triangle Tip Roasts, seasoned free, while they last, $1.25/lb." ---The News [Van Nuys CA] September 9, 1969 (p. 6A)
"Fancy Choice Tri-Tip Steak Roasts...$1.39/lb. If you buy 6 or more tri-tips, $1.29/lb. (Order these early! Let us season them for you with our specially prepared seasoning. We have several cooking instructiosn available for the tri-tip." ---display ad, Valley News and Green Sheet [Van Nuys CA] , September 11, 1969 (p. 13B)
[1971] "Taylor's Steak House was a little place that had to be discovered...Taylor's philosophy of food is easily stated. 'The best you can buy and cook it simply.'...essentially this is a steak house, and the variations are all in the key of beef. Six are regularly listed, and there may be a pepper steak added as a special of the day. A pot roast is made from the triangle tip, the cuttings saved (and not frozen) only till there is enough for sirloin tips, served once a week." ---"Roundabout," Lois Dwan, Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1971 (p. R65)
[1978] "What's a culotte steak? When the butcher bones out the sirloin portion of a beef...obtains three separate parts. These are the top sirloin, which he slices for boneless top sirloin, which he slices for boneless top sirloin steaks...The bottom sirloin contains three small muscles, the flap, the ball tip and the triangle tip. The triangle tip is a small triangular-shaped muscle that, when cut into steaks, yields two or three 1-inch-thick tender, flavorful steaks called (in some parts of the country) culotte steaks. Where butchers don't speak French so well, the same cut may be called tri-tip steak." ---"The Butcher: More to Names Than Meats the Eye," Merle Ellis, Los Angeles Times, July 20, 1978 (p. I22)
[1982] "Sirloin steak has all but vanished in meat markets in my part of the country--at least in the form that anyone over 40 would remember. You know, those big slabs of beef sirloin with the bone in--the pin bone the flat bone or the wedge-bone sirloin that could easily feed a family of four. They are no more!...The bottom sirloin is actually three different muscles, the tri-tip, the ball-tip and the flap...The tri-tip and the ball-tip most often are sold as steaks. The tri-tip for the triangle is a small, 1 1/2-to 2 pound piece that is the most flavorful part of the sirloin. In some markets, the tri-tip is cut into small steaks called culottes; in others, they are sold whole. The best way to but them is, again, in the bag..." ---"The Butcher: No Bone to Pick in Sirloin Steak," Merle Ellis, Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1982 (p. W40)
[1983] "Both the tri-tip and the ball-tip are part of what used to be called the sirloin steak, but sirloin steaks are not what they used to be...The tri-tip and the ball-tip are two muscles from the sirloin. The tri-tip, or triangle, as it is sometimes called, is a small 1 1/2-to-2 pound piece that gets its name form its shape; it is, indeed, a triangle. It is merchandised in a variety of ways of meat markets around the country. Some slice it into thin strips for stroganoff, stir-fry or teriyaki steaks. Others cut into thicker slices and call them culotte steaks. The best thing to do with a tri-tip is nothing at all. It is the perfect size and shape just as it is from a steak for two. it is equally good as a small roast cooked quickly in a hot oven. Not even prime rib could be more flavorful and nothing is easier to serve. The tri-tip is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick, with a thin layer of fat covering the top side...The grain in the tri-tip runs through the meat in such a way that it is almost impossible to carve it wrong. All you have to do is cut straight down through the meat to get perfect slices across the grain. The ball-tip is about the same size and equally as tender as the tri-tip, but there are some differences between the two. The ball-tip has absolutely not outside fat and a bit less marbling, so it tends to be a bit dry if cooked much past medium-rare. It is also a bit trickier to carve...Both tips come to market in vacuum-sealed plastic bags, each bag containing six to eight tips and weighing a total of from 16 to 18 pounds." ---"The Butcher: Stock Up on Steaks Now, Before the Summer-Barbecue Crush," Merle Ellis, Los Angeles Times, March 10, 1983 (p. M23)
[1987] "Both the tri-tip and the ball-tip are part of what used to be called the sirloin. The sirloin section of the beef animal is not sliced into steaks as it once was, but is almost always boned out, and each of the component muscles are sold separately. The Tri-tip and ball-tip are two small muscles from the sirloin. The tri-tip or triangle, as it is sometimes called, is a small 1 1/2- to two-pound piece of meat about 1 1/2 inches thick that gets its name from its triangular shape. It is merchandised in a variety of ways in meat markets around the country. Some slice it into thin strips for stroganoff, stir-fry or teriyaki steaks; others cut it into thicker slices and call them culotte steaks. The best thing to do with a tri-tip is to treat it the way they do along the central coast of Califorinia. Season it well with salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic salt and then grill it quickly over hot coals. In Santa Maria they use Santa Maria Valley red oak. Six of seven minutes on each side is long enough to give you as crusty black exterior with a juicy pink rare center. Santa Maria cooks then carve the tri-tip into thin slices across the grain, being careful to catch the juices that run from the meat, and then serve it with crusty French bread to dip up the juice. Barbecued beans, macaroni and cheese and a tossed green salad are traditional accompaniments." ---"The Butcher: Fire Up the Coals for Barbecue," Merle Ellis, Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1987 (p. SG35)
[2000] "There is also a trendy little steak known as the tri-tip. This boneless steak, fashioned from a small triangular muscle at the bottom end of the bottom sirloin and the front to the rup, is also known as the triangle or culotte steak. It has become the darling of in-the-know carnivores, but in our experience it is somewhat overrated, not really a more satisfying eating experience than a top sirloin. Tri-tips can be hard to find, but if you happen across some, by all means buy them. In New York, they are carried by specialty shops like Lobel's..." ---"Buying Sirloin? Grill the Butcher," John Willoughby and Crhis Slesinger, New York Times, August 30, 2000 (p. F3)
[2008] "Sirloin steak is usually cut from the 'top,' but a relatively new cut called the tri-tip is a small muscle in the 'bottom' of the loin muscle near the hip, and is considerably more tender. The tri-tip is a good buy." ---Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef, Betty Fussell [Harcourt:New York] 2008 (p. 306)
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