cardiff crack tri tip + the miracle grill mat

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Today’s post is a bit of a two for one kind of deal – we’re trying out two products in one post today! The fine folks over at the Seaside Market in Cardiff were nice enough to send me a sample of their beautiful Cardiff Crack which is a marinated Burgundy Pepper Tri Tip.

grilled-tri-tip

It’s a really hefty piece of meat that they sell over at the Seaside Market in Cardiff and it’s marinated and ready for you throw on the grill to enjoy at home.

tri-tip-package

It comes nicely packaged.

tri-tip-instructions

And also has instructions on the best way to grill the tri tip.


miracle-grill-mat

I also received some Miracle Grill Mats to try out. It is totally one of those “As Seen On TV” products that I wasn’t sure if it would work… but my dad tried it out and grilled everything one day for sampling.

cardiff-crack-tri-tip-grilling-mats

Here’s the tri tip on the grill. My dad cut down one of the Miracle Grill Mats so it would fit better on the grill. Here he’s starting out the corn on the grill mat.

jalapeno-poppers-prep

My dad also made some jalapeño poppers that he cooked on grilll. These are stuffed with cream cheese and another soft cheese (sorry, I don’t remember the name). The seeds have been taken out so these are not hot at all.

grilled-charred-corn-on-the-cob

Here’s one view of the corn started to get toasted and the jalapeño poppers that are starting to melt a bit.

jalapeno-poppers-corn-tri-tip-grilling

The poppers are all crowded onto the Miracle Grill Mat – but there seems to be plenty of room for everything!

cheesy-jalapeno-poppers-grill-mat

Here’s a closeup of the jalapeño poppers right before they’re taken off the grill. Without the Miracle Grill Mat I’m pretty sure that delicious crunchy cheese would have fell down in between the grates and would have been lost and gone forever (sniff sniff). With the grill mat, it provides a nice even surface for the poppers to get grilled on and nothing gets lost or falls down into the coals (hooray). The Miracle Grill Mat works after all!

grilled-buttered-corn

Even though the corn was cooked on top of the Miracle Grill Mat, it still got a nice bit of color and a bit of char.

bubbly-mac-n-cheese

My contribution to this dinner was making mac and cheese! Bubbly, yummy, mac and cheese. Mmmm. Normally I’d put bread crumbs or panko on top, but I didn’t have any. Boo.

cardiff-crack-tri-tip

cutting-the-meat

Dad sliced up the tri tip for us as well.

sliced-tri-tip

These slices are probably a bit too thick… but you can see it came out a nice medium rare. The Cardiff Crack was pretty darn tasty. I didn’t even realize until later that the Cardiff Crack is the same meat they they use to put on top of my favorite Tri Tip Nachos at Petco Park! The meat is really flavorful from the marinade they use. I’d prefer pairing this another way (maybe in a sandwich with some BBQ sauce or trying to recreate those tri tip nachos at home), but the meat is still delicious on it’s own.

Hope you are having a wonderful Labor Day – it’s the unofficial end of summer – but being that we live in San Diego we can still grill pretty much all year long. I’m certain we’ve got more grilling in our future and that those grill mats will come in handy (for veggies and possibly more jalapeño poppers).

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary tri tip from the Seaside Market. I also received a set of complimentary Miracle Grill Mats and Baking Mats (not featured). I was not paid or further compensated for either product. All opinions stated here are my own.

 


6 thoughts on “cardiff crack tri tip + the miracle grill mat

  1. OMG. I need that popper recipe !! Can you give an oven version of that recipe (for those who dont have a bbq)? Maybe put it under broiler in the oven?

    The bf’s brother JUST went to Seaside to get this tri tip!! He said it was pretty good (kinda expensive but tasty nonetheless). I’ve never visited Seaside – is it kinda like Iowa Meat Farms?

    That ENTIRE meal was a feast for the eyes. I’d like to be your token quirky blogger friend at these meals. Do you season the corn with anything prior to grill?

    1. You’d probably want to bake the poppers in the oven – maybe 350 for 20 minutes? Plus a little broiler action if you like it crispy on top. I bet you would leave the seeds in cause you’re all spicy like that! I like my dad’s method of just nestling the second cheese as a block into the cream cheese. I did like a mixture and I overfilled mine, so be sure to not overfill!

      I haven’t actually been in Seaside Market so I’m not sure! I want to go check it out though, it sounds like a fun little market.

      Haha, are you inviting yourself to my house for foods? 🙂 We should have a blogger potluck sometime.

      Usually we season the corn post-grill. I don’t think it needs it while grilling.

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