Savory Tri-Tip Beef Was Made To Be Paired With Tangy Blackberry Sauce

Despite being a leaner cut of beef, tri-tip still has a meaty, rich flavor. Its low fat content, robust taste, and affordable price point make it a prized, versatile cut of beef. While it tastes great with salt, pepper, and a pat of butter, adorn savory tri-tip beef with a sweet blackberry sauce to bring it to the next level. Fruit and steak paired together is an age-old classic. Full-bodied flavors enhanced by the sweetness of nature's candy have been explored in a variety of ways. While citruses are a popular fruit topping for steak, blackberries provide a different kind of tartness. Juicy and slightly saccharine with an almost floral aftertaste, blackberries are the perfect complement to savory steak.

In her grilled tri-tip with blackberry mustard dish, recipe developer Taylor Murray used white wine in the blackberry sauce to enhance the tartness while giving it a hint of crispness. She also adds whole grain mustard, providing the sauce with an earthy, peppery bite. After cooking down the blackberries and straining the sauce, drizzle it over the smoky grilled tri-tip steak. The rich, tender beef and tart blackberry sauce tastes incredible with creamy garlic mashed red potatoes and roasted cabbage wedges.

Sweet blackberry sauce goes well with the rich flavors of a grilled steak. However, once you try it, you'll be sure to explore how the fruity sauce pairs with other types of tri-tip. To infuse your steak with the tart, berry sauce, sous vide your beef. Make the blackberry sauce ahead of time and marinate the tri-tip in it overnight. Drain the excess sauce and place it in the sous vide bag to cook.

If you don't have sous vide equipment, braising is your next best choice. Delivering tender beef with a luscious sauce that cooks down into the braised tri-tip is golden. In a Dutch oven or deep pot, heat olive oil and brown each side of the tri-tip. Set it aside and soften your aromatics in the oil, adding the steak back in right after. Pour in broth, white wine, and blackberries, then place the pot in the oven to braise. Serve the sweet and savory braised beef with a side of buttery parmesan pastry-wrapped Brussels sprouts.

Enhance the blackberry sauce with another sweet treat: dark chocolate. Chocolate brings out the deeper flavors of beef and makes a great pair with blackberries. After cooking down the blackberries, strain the sauce. Return it to the saucepan and add chopped dark chocolate and a splash of red wine for a richer flavor. Serve with pan-seared tri-tip steak and vegetables roasted with ginger, basil, and mint for an uplifting side dish.