Chopped Tri Tip Lettuce Wraps

Name: Chopped Steak Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Creekstone Farms Tri-Tip Roast, (4 cups chopped after cooking); Bear &amp; Burton’s The W Sauce (Worcestershire); Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning; 1 yellow onion, sliced; 2 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil; Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Texas Brisket Rub; 1/2 cup 505 Fire Roasted Hatch Chiles; 12 leaves baby romaine; Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce, to taste; 2 oz blue cheese crumbles, divided; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1 tbsp buttermilk; 1 tsp white wine vinegar; 1 clove garlic, crushed, chopped; 1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Texas Brisket Rub

Jul 23, 2024 • Tom Jackson

Introducing a vibrant and mouthwatering recipe that brings together the smoky, savory goodness of tri-tip steak with the crisp, refreshing crunch of baby romaine leaves. These Tri-Tip Steak Lettuce Wraps are a delightful fusion of flavors, featuring Creekstone Farms Tri-Tip Roast, seasoned to perfection with Bear & Burton’s The W Sauce and Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning. Topped with caramelized onions, fire-roasted Hatch chiles, and a creamy blue cheese dressing, these wraps are perfect for any gathering. Whether you're hosting a summer barbecue or an elegant dinner party, these lettuce wraps promise to impress with their bold flavors and beautiful presentation.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

Live-fire char from a Santa Maria-style grill: Cooking the tri-tip directly over charcoal with added oak wood produces a deep, smoky char that a standard gas grill or stovetop simply can't replicate — this is the foundation of the entire dish's flavor.
Two uses of Cattleman's Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub: The same rub seasons both the caramelized onions and the blue cheese dressing, creating a consistent smoky-savory thread that runs through every component of the wrap.
A genuinely make-ahead blue cheese dressing: Blending it with an immersion blender produces a smooth, restaurant-quality dressing that can be made in advance and keeps well, taking one more task off your plate the day you're serving.
Built-in leftovers: The recipe intentionally yields more chopped tri-tip than the 4 cups needed for the wraps, giving you a head start on a second meal like tacos or a quick steak salad.

Chopped Steak Lettuce Wraps

Tom Jackson

Rated 4.8 stars by 5 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

16

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

514

Get ready to delight your taste buds and impress your friends with these delicious Tri-Tip Steak Lettuce Wraps. Perfect for a casual get-together or a family dinner, these wraps bring together tender, smoky steak with the crisp freshness of baby romaine leaves. Topped with sweet caramelized onions, roasted chiles, and a creamy blue cheese dressing, each bite is a burst of amazing flavors. Easy to make and even easier to enjoy, these wraps are sure to become a favorite in your recipe collection!

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Ingredients

Creekstone Farms Tri-Tip Roast, (4 cups chopped after cooking)
Bear & Burton’s The W Sauce (Worcestershire)
Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Texas Brisket Rub
1/2 cup 505 Fire Roasted Hatch Chiles
12 leaves baby romaine
Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce, to taste

Blue cheese dressing:

2 oz blue cheese crumbles, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed, chopped
1 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Texas Brisket Rub

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Directions

Fill two charcoal chimneys with lump charcoal. Place a fire starter underneath each in the bed of the Yoder Smokers El Dorado Santa Maria Style grill. Light the starers and let the coals burn until hot to the top of the chimney. Dump into on side of the grill bed.
Slather the tri-tip with The W Sauce and rub in a thin layer. Season with Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning.
Place a Lodge 12” Steel Skillet over the coals to preheat. When warmed, add the chile infused oil, then the sliced onions and season with Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Texas Brisket Rub. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned at the edges. Remove from the skillet and rough chop.
While the onions cook, grill the tri-tip directly over the coals. Add oak wood to the coal bed for added flavor and color. Cook on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 125ºF. Remove from the grill and rest for 5-10 minutes, then chop into small pieces. You will need four cups of chopped steak for this recipe, so you will have leftover steak.
Combine the four cups of chopped steak with the chopped onions and 505 Fire Roasted Hatch Chiles and mix well.
To make the blue cheese dressing, place half of the blue cheese and the remaining ingredients into a quart sized container. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, then mix in the remaining blue cheese crumbled to the dressing.
To make the lettuce wraps, fill each baby romaine leaf with about one quarter cup of the steak mixture and top with the blue cheese dressing. Top with Pit Fire hot sauce.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

What is tri-tip, and why is it a good choice for this recipe?
Tri-tip is a triangular cut from the bottom sirloin known for its rich, beefy flavor and excellent marbling. It's tender enough to grill quickly to a sear-and-rest finish like a steak, while having enough fat and connective tissue to stay juicy when chopped and mixed with other ingredients, which makes it ideal for a recipe like this where the meat gets combined with onions, chiles, and dressing rather than served as a standalone slice.

What should I do with the leftover tri-tip?
This recipe only uses 4 cups of chopped tri-tip, but a whole roast will yield more than that. The leftover meat works perfectly in Smoked Tri-Tip Tacos, or chopped into a quick steak salad, steak fried rice, or a steak quesadilla. Refrigerate any extra for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Can I make the blue cheese dressing ahead of time?
Yes — the dressing keeps well refrigerated for up to 5 days in a sealed container. Making it ahead actually improves the flavor, since the garlic and Lone Star Brisket Rub have time to fully meld into the base. Give it a quick stir before serving if it separates slightly in the fridge.

What kind of hot sauce should I use to finish the wraps?
The recipe calls for Cattleman's Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce, which brings a savory, slow-building heat that complements the smoky beef and blue cheese without overwhelming either. Any quality hot sauce with a similar profile works as a substitute if Pit Fire isn't available.

Can I make this indoors?
2 out of 5 — Can be done inside, loses key flavor. A cast iron skillet over high heat can sear the tri-tip to the correct internal temperature, and the onions, dressing, and assembly are all fully stovetop. What you lose entirely is the live charcoal-and-oak char that this recipe is specifically built around — without it, you get a good chopped steak wrap, but not the smoky depth that defines this particular dish.

Recipe Highlights

Slather with W Sauce before the rub, every time: Coating the tri-tip in Bear & Burton's The W Sauce before applying Cattleman's Grill California Tri-Tip Seasoning creates a tacky surface that helps the rub adhere through the grilling process, rather than falling off or steaming away over direct heat.
Pull the tri-tip at 125°F, not higher: Tri-tip is best at medium-rare to medium — pulling at 125°F internal and resting 5–10 minutes brings it up to a perfect finished temperature without overcooking. This cut dries out and toughens noticeably past medium, so don't be tempted to push it further for the sake of "doneness."
Add oak wood directly to the coal bed, not as a separate smoke step: Tossing oak chunks into the charcoal while the tri-tip cooks builds wood smoke flavor and color directly into the sear, rather than requiring a separate low-and-slow smoking phase — this keeps the cook fast while still delivering real smoke character.
Chop the steak after resting, not before: Letting the tri-tip rest 5–10 minutes before chopping allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Chopping immediately off the grill releases those juices onto the cutting board instead of keeping them in the meat, where they belong for the lettuce wrap filling.