Tri-Tip with Fennel and Coriander Gravy

In this simple recipe, Tri-Tip Steak is cooked in a rich gravy flavored with fennel, coriander, and paprika until it's so tender that it falls apart. It's a deeply comforting meal that's satisfying in a heart warming, soul gratifying, stick-to-your-ribs kind of way.

The recipe includes instructions for cooking trip-tip in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot.

I’m still in shock! The recipe serves four but it didn’t last beyond the two of us in one sitting."

-Mike

Why This Recipe Works

Tri-tip is a lean, flavorful cut of beef that comes from the tender, triangle roast that's right in front of the hind quarters. It tends to be quite a bit less expensive than other types of steak, especially for the amount of flavor it delivers.

Typically, recipes call for tri-tip to be cooked quickly on a grill, under the broiler, or in a super hot skillet. But, it's also the perfect cut of beef to cook low and slow in a slow cooker or under pressure in an Instant Pot.

Cooking tri-tip in a slow cooker or instant pot creates tender, flavorful chunks of beef that beg to be smothered in gravy. Which is exactly what's happening here.

How to Cook Tri Tip Roast in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Before you begin, gather up all your ingredients:

• A 3-pound Tri-Tip Roast
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion: Peel the onion and cut it into ¼-inch slices
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic: Peel the garlic and roughly chop each clove into 3 or 4 pieces
• Ground coriander
• Fennel seeds
• Smoked paprika
• Dried oregano
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 32 ounces chicken broth - or any other kind of broth. You can even just use plain water.
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Wait... anchovies? Yes! Paprika and oregano add some smokiness and depth to the sauce, and anchovies add that wonderfully intangible sense of umami that makes this dish extremely satisfying.

In this delicious gravy, the anchovies are literally blended up in a blender with the other ingredients. They contribute depth and flavor the the sauce without interfering with the creamy consistency.

The fennel and coriander gravy in this dish is actually just the broth the meat cooks in, boiled down and thickened with a bit of cornstarch. Both fennel and coriander are extremely aromatic and flavorful, and add a unique brightness to both the meat and the gravy.

#1. Brown the Meat

The first step in this recipe is to cut a 3 pound Tri Tip roast into three pieces and brown each piece in a hot skillet.

Browning the meat is about creating flavor. Searing meat at high heat sets off something called the Maillard reaction. At around 285°F, amino acids and sugars rearrange themselves, creating a brown hue, and new flavor and aroma compounds.

Cutting the meat into three pieces will help it cook a bit faster, and create more surface area for browning.

After cutting a Tri-Tip Roast into 3 pieces (steaks), pat them dry with paper towels. Dry meat browns much better than meat with excess moisture on the outside. Sprinkle it with salt and then place it into a hot skillet that contains a bit of oil.

Let the meat brown on one side, then flip it over and allow it to brown on the other side as well. When the pieces are brown on both sides, remove the meat from the skillet and place it in the bowl of a slow cooker or instant pot.

#2. Make the Fennel and Coriander Gravy

Add the onions to the hot skillet and cook until they are just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, coriander, fennel, paprika, oregano, and about a teaspoon of ground black pepper to the onions and cook, stirring for about another minute.

Pour in some broth and stir, scraping up all the browned bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet.

Then, scrape everything in the skillet into a blender and puree until it's smooth. Pour the gravy over the meat.

#3. Set the Time on the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

1. Instant Pot: Set the pot to cook at high pressure for 35 minutes with a natural release.
2. Slow Cooker: Cook the meat on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6 hours, until the meat is so tender it's falling apart.

#4. Finish the Gravy

Remove the meat from the slow cooker or instant pot, setting it on a serving platter. Cover it with a piece of aluminum foil to keep it warm while you finish the gravy.

Pour all the sauce from the bowl of the slow cooker or instant pot through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan. Put the cornstarch into a small bowl and slowly whisk in about ½ cup of the sauce.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the rest of the sauce in the saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes, until the gravy has thickened.

Taste the gravy and add more salt and pepper if you like. And that's it. Ready to EAT!

What to Serve with Tri-Tip Steak and Gravy

Potatoes, of course. There's something about tender beef and rich gravy that begs to be eaten with potatoes. Here are a few of my favorite options...

• If you want to get kind of fancy, Potato Gratin with Smoked Salmon and Paprika Cream Sauce rocks - with or without the smoked salmon. Sometimes I add the smoked salmon and sometimes I don't. It's super delicious either way.
• Equally awesome with gravy covered steak is a big bowl of Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes. To be fair, there are very few things not made better with a generous serving of Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes.
• One of my all-time favorite super fast and delicious recipes from my Grandmother: 10-minute Au Gratin Potatoes.
• Simple, Perfect Roast Potatoes are exactly how roasted potatoes should be – richly flavorful, creamy on the inside, crisp and crackling on the outside.
• Crispy Fried Potatoes {Country Potatoes} are soft and creamy on the inside, and golden and crispy on the outside.

I also like to serve this dish with simple Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots and Microwave Green Beans with Bacon.

The whole plate reminds me of something my mother might have cooked for me as a child, leaving me feeling all cozy and cared for.

FAQs and Expert Tips:

More Warm and Comforting Recipes:

• Asian Short Ribs {Slow Cooker or Oven Braised}
• Indian Chicken {Non-dairy, Slow cooker}
• Tuscan Braised Beef with Garlic Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
• Classic Meatloaf {with Sausage}
• Rosemary Braised Steak Tips over Quinoa
• Beef and Barley Soup with Bacon and Roasted Mushrooms
• Slow Cooker BBQ Beef, Rice and Veggie Bowls