Preheat oven to 300° F.
1 tri tip roast, cut into large chunks, about 2-2.5 pounds
Salt and pepper
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 cans of Beef Consomme (10.5 oz. cans)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1-2 cups of water
Gravy
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
3 Tablespoons flour
Additional water for gravy....(I add some of the water that the potatoes cooked in...)
In a large dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tri tip generously with salt and pepper. Brown the meat, remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, if needed. Brown the onions for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Return the tri tip chunks to the pan.
Pour in the beef consomme, 1 cup water, bay leaves and thyme. Stir and cover. Place the pan in the preheated oven. Check on the meat occasionally to make certain that there is liquid. Add the additional cup of water if needed. The meat is done when it is fork tender and pulls apart easily, usually about 2-3 hours. Remove from the oven.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pot. I like to also remove the onions and garlic as I don't want chunks in the gravy...it is a matter of choice!
Place the pan on the stove and bring the liquid to a simmer. If you need additional water, add some of the potato water. Mix the butter and flour into a paste and pour into the liquid and whisk to blend. If the gravy is too thick add a little more water. If the gravy is too thin, mix an additional tablespoon of flour with another tablespoon of soft butter and whisk in.
Serve the meat on a platter or return the meat to the gravy and serve. Mashed potatoes are a must!!
Leftover Slow-Roasted Hot Tri Tip Sandwiches
We like our sandwiches to be open-faced. Just pull apart some of the beef, put it on whatever bread is handy and add gravy. Simple as that... That's not to say that some artisan sourdough bread wouldn't be dandy but sometimes, with leftovers, we just go with whatever is available in the bread drawer.