Week 8 - Zinfandel and Black Pepper Marinated Tri Tip (compliments of ZAP)

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
1 Tri Tip approximately 1 to 1-1/2#
4 cups Zinfandel
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh savory
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
6 green cardamom pods
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
sea salt to taste
1 Tbsp. coarse ground fresh
black pepper
1/4 cup honey
fleur de sel to taste

Procedure:
Pour the bottle of Zinfandel into a non-reactive saucepot. Place two cups of Zinfandel into a saucepan and bring to a boil, remove from the stove, and add the thyme, savory, garlic, shallot, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. Set aside to cool, allowing the flavors to infuse into the Zinfandel.

Meanwhile, rub the tri tip with the coarse ground black pepper. Put the tri tip in a zip lock bag, and when the marinade has cooled, add it to the tri tip and seal the zip lock bag. Marinate for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the remaining two cups of Zinfandel into a saucepan and place on the stove over high heat. Reduce it until just a 1/4 of a cup remains; add the honey and season to taste with sea salt. Set aside.

Light the BBQ with mesquite wood and allow the coals to heat up. Remove the tri tip from the marinade and season well with sea salt. Place on the hot grill and cook until the desired doneness.The time will vary depending on the size of the tri tip, the heat of the grill, and the desired doneness you prefer your meat cooked. The last 3-5 minutes before the tri tip is done, brush with the Zinfandel and honey reduction. This will give the meat a nice glaze. Be sure to monitor the heat of the grill, as too high of a heat will cause the honey in the glaze to caramelize very quickly.

Allow the tri tip to rest for at least 10 minutes prior to slicing. Thinly slice across the grain of the meat and sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. Serve immediately.