Guy Fieri Says This Is The Best Budget-Friendly Steak To Slap On The Grill

Guy Fieri is known to have a very unique and down-to-earth perspective on food, and when it comes to steak, he certainly knows how to impress a diner. Since age eight — when Fieri cooked his very first steak dinner for his family – he has been making steaks for himself and others to enjoy. These days, he knows exactly the cut of meat to throw on the grill to get the most bang for his buck. That cut of steak is none other than the tri-tip, also known as the bottom sirloin. (This steak is very popular in Fieri's home state of California.)

Fieri spoke with Food & Wine about why the tri-tip is such a great budget-friendly steak. He said, "If you get a chance to do a tri-tip and you can cook it and you can get it to a nice medium-rare and cut it on the bias against the grain, I think it's one of the best pieces of meat you could ever get [...] I promise you will wow everybody on your invite list."

While Guy Fieri believes that a tri-tip, cooked in California's Santa Maria-style barbecue, is a must-try dish, those unacquainted with the steak may be wondering what sets it apart from other popular cuts like the ribeye or standard sirloin. For starters, the tri-tip can sometimes be difficult for novice grillers and chefs to perfect; it is easy for the cut to turn out quite tough if it is not prepared and grilled correctly. Because of this, it's best to marinate the bottom sirloin before grilling it — a strategy we recommend for several cuts of steak — to ensure it's as tender as possible. Also, it is important to not grill the steak for too long; cooking the tri-tip to anything past medium doneness will negatively impact its flavor and texture.

As for purchasing the cut itself, there are positives and negatives. As Fieri said, the tri-tip is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat, especially compared to popular steaks like ribeye and strip steaks. (At Walmart, for example, tri-tip steaks cost less than $10 per pound while ribeye steaks sell for nearly $17 per pound.) However, tri-tip steaks can also prove to be quite difficult to find. If the tri-tip is unavailable at your local grocery store, you may need to go to a specialized butcher shop to purchase this fantastic cut of beef.