Beef Tri-Tip with Three Onion Marmalade

Tri-Tip is a an amazing cut of meat.  It's not a super expensive cut, but it is easy to work with.  It has a good texture, not too fatty, not too dry.  It takes really well to rubs and marinades.  The first time my family had this recipe I couldn't stop talking about how delicious it was, my kids said I was acting like I was kissing someone.  I guess I was really appreciating it's flavors at the dinner table.  The meat ends up with a nice spice and the onions with the acid from the vinegar add a nice acid flavor.  So, so, so good!

1 1/2 lbs trimmed tri-tip roast
1/4 c. ancho steak seasoning (this seemed quite salty for my family, I would cut down to 3 or 3 1/2 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large, thinly sliced red onion
1 large, thinly slice yellow onion
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste


1.  Prepare the onion marmalade:  Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the red and yellow onions; cook and stir about 5 minutes then add the green onions.  Cook and stir an additional 3 -5 minutes, until tender and beginning to brown.  Reduce heat to low; cook 12 minutes or until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally.  (This is a good point to start preheating your grill.)  Increase eat to medium-high, stir in vinegar, cook 4 minutes or until reduced by half.  Stir in the sugar; season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and keep warm.
2.  Generously season the meat with the seasoning rubbing it well in to all sides of the roast.  Place meat on grill over medium ash covered coals (I am not a great griller so I can't give any better instructions than what I found in the original recipe) or use medium heat on a gas grill.  Place skinny end of meat over a lower heat level as it will cook much quicker than the thick end.  Grill for 25-350 minutes, flipping the meat occasionally to prevent over cooking, until instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 140 for medium-rare.  Remove from heat an let stand 10 minutes (meat will continue to cook, increasing around 5-10 degrees in temperature).
3.  After the meat has rested, slice across the grain and serve with the onions.
4.  Make kissing noises as you eat.