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    Home » Recipes » Beef

    Aug 12, 2020 by Melinda O'Malley Keckler · This post may contain affiliate links · this blog generates income via ads.

    Idaho Beef

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Idaho Beef is an award-winning recipe for grilling Tri-Tip. I created it for a "celebrity" beef cookoff at the Western Idaho Fair in 1999. My family calls this dish Owyhee Beef and the name is a tribute to a part of Idaho history many people don't know about. (The story is below.)

    Idaho beef on a plate with rice, mango, red onion, red pepper, pineapple and lettuce.
    I just love how bright everything is when you plate this entree. Hearty beef, fresh fruits and veggies with all that sweet sauce. Just yum.

    I know, I know, not enough pictures of FOOD here. But thanks so much for indulging me and this memory from back in my TV days. I created this recipe back before I was blogging. But I'll be adding new pictures of this dish in action very soon! In the meantime, here's what makes this entree so special.

    Six people in front of a banner at the Western Idaho Fair, 1999.
    What fun I had with some of the team from the TV station along with my husband and daughter. It's fun to see how young we all were then.

    Our family calls this Owyhee Beef

    And here's why. As Idaho history goes, in the early 1800s fur trading ships brought Hawaiian natives to the Northwest to trap. In 1818 several of the "owyhees" - as it was mispronounced - were sent into the mountains and sadly, never came back. This dish is to help us remember that piece of history and how the name Owyhee came to be in Idaho.

    Test for doneness

    For best results, when grilling a tri-tip, remove the roast when your thermometer reads 135° for medium rare or 150° for medium. Place the tri-tip on a cutting board and tent loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let it stand 20-25 minutes. Be assured, the temperature will continue to rise about 10° and will reach 145° for medium rare; 160° for medium. Perfection!

    How to slice tri-tip

    Carve the roast across the grain and in thin slices.

    • Western Idaho Fair, 1999. Beef Cookoff. Melinda holds a microphone on the stage.
      WiIt was such fun to be part of the "celebrity" beef cookoff and really fun to WIN.
    • Madeline in Mike's arms, 1999.
      It's fun to see my daughter Madeline in this shot, she was so little back then.
    • Melinda checking the meat, with her family standing by.
      We didn't have much time to finish cooking, so I was worried about whether the meat was cooked right. It was!
    • Melinda's family and friends holding the winning certificate.
      We were all so excited! It the first time I had a recipe win on such a big stage.

    Why this recipe won

    When it comes to cooking a fairly thick piece of beef, like a tri-tip, you want to be careful not to overcook it. There was a time I was always guilty of that. For the competition at the Western Idaho Fair, all of us competitors were provided the same size tri-tip, a charcoal grill and an hour to cook. Just one single hour! For everything, except the marinating time.

    It was a scramble to get all the fruit prepped and the sauce ready for this Idaho Beef recipe. I remember it was hot summer day, and we had to work fast, so the tri-tip was on the grill only for just under an hour. If I had been cooking at home, I probably would have cooked the meat a little bit longer. But that was the day I learned how delicious and tender a medium rare piece of meat can be!

    Idaho beef on a plate with rice, mango, red onion, red pepper, pineapple and lettuce.

    Idaho Beef

    Idaho Beef is an award-winning recipe I created for a "celebrity" beef cookoff at the Western Idaho Fair in Boise, Idaho back in 1999. In my family, we call this dish Owyhee Beef and the name is a tribute to a part of Idaho history many people don't know about.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate Pin Recipe
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Marinating Time: 2 hours
    Servings: 8 people
    Calories: 516kcal
    Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

    Equipment

    • BBQ Grill

    Ingredients 

    Marinade and Dipping Sauce

    • 1 16 ounce bottle Your favorite BBQ sauce, I like Chivers, Spicy Apple @chivers (not sponsored)
    • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger save 1 teaspoon or sautéing the veggies
    • ½ cup pineapple juice saved after you drain the pineapple slices from the can, below
    • ⅛ cup mustard
    • ⅛ cup honey
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil

    Tri-Tip and Sides

    • 2 pounds Tri-Tip
    • 2 mangos, peeled and sliced
    • 1 can sliced pineapple drained and save the juice
    • 2 red peppers thinly sliced
    • 1 red onion thinly sliced
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 cups brown rice cooked
    • Leafy greens for garnish

    Instructions

    Prepare Sauce and Sides

    • Combine dipping sauce ingredients (save 1 teaspoon of grated ginger for later and set aside 1 cup of the sauce for serving). Pierce beef and place with sauce in a zipped plastic bag, marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator, turning frequently.
    • While beef marinates, prep the remaining ingredients for serving. 
    • Peel and slice mango and slice the red onion. Cook brown rice (per the instructions on the bag or box.)

    Grill and Plate

    • Heat charcoals. Once the coals are no longer smoking and are hot, place in the base of your grill. Place beef on the grill, cover and cook for about one hour or until 135 for medium rare.. 
    • While beef cooks, heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add onions and peppers and 1 teaspoon grated ginger. Cook until tender, but still crisp.
    • Remove beef from the grill, cover with foil and tented for at least 20 minutes. The internal temperature will rise about another 10 degrees during this resting time, then slice the beef thin. Warm the remaining one cup of leftover sauce in a small pan over low heat.
    • Plate the silced beef add peppers, red onions, pinapple and mango to each plate wiht a scoop of steamed rice. Drizzle with the remaining BBQ sauce. Garnish with a few leafy greens.
    Did you make this recipe? Scroll up and leave a star rating.Tap @crinkledcookbook and follow me today.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 516kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 359mgPotassium: 699mgFiber: 4gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1491IUVitamin C: 60mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 3mg

    Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

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