By July 2031. The fourth book has been out three months and is doing well — "doing well" meaning what I've learned it means after four books: steadily, genuinely, in the hands of people who needed it and found it. Not explosively, not strangely, but real. Susan says the reviews have been the most consistent of any book I've done. Claire says it's the cleanest writing I've produced. I say it's the book I've been trying to write since 2017 and it required four tries to get it exactly right.
Pioneer Day. Twenty-sixth potato salad. Gary's corn. Family gathering smaller than some years — Olivia is in D.C. in final wedding preparation mode, Mason is working, Noah is in Oregon — but Ethan and Mia and the babies were here, and Gary's parents, and Kara and her family. Clara Grace is two and a quarter and very interested in helping with the potato salad. She stirred the dressing with the same focused attention as Noah at nine. I let her stir. It was the best stir.
I'm thinking about what the next decade of the work looks like. The workshops in their fifteenth year. The channel approaching 750,000. Four books. A curriculum used by sixteen school districts in Utah and two in Nevada. A daughter in policy work. A son writing for the future of it. Whatever comes after the fourth book — I'm not in a hurry. The fifth book is there when it's ready. I've learned to trust that the readiness arrives.
Gary’s corn is always Gary’s corn — nobody touches that part of the menu — but the tri-tip has been mine for long enough now that I’ve stopped thinking of it as a decision. It just belongs here, the same way Pioneer Day belongs in July and the potato salad belongs next to Clara Grace’s busy little hands. A smaller gathering this year made it feel even more deliberate: fewer chairs, more presence, and a reason to let the simple things carry the weight they always could.
Tri-Tip Steak
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 lbs tri-tip roast, fat cap trimmed to 1/4 inch
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Season the roast. Pat the tri-tip dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and rosemary in a small bowl. Rub the roast all over with olive oil, then coat evenly with the spice mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
- Prepare the grill. Set up a two-zone grill — high heat on one side, medium-low on the other. For a gas grill, preheat to high (around 450°F) on one burner and medium-low on the adjacent burner. For charcoal, bank the coals to one side.
- Sear the meat. Place the tri-tip fat-side down over the high-heat zone. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes until a deep brown crust forms. Flip and sear the other side for another 4 minutes.
- Finish over indirect heat. Move the roast to the cooler side of the grill. Close the lid and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 130°F for medium-rare, or 140°F for medium — approximately 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness.
- Rest before slicing. Transfer the tri-tip to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Rest for 10 minutes. This is not optional — resting lets the juices redistribute and keeps every slice tender.
- Slice against the grain. The grain of a tri-tip runs in two directions — find the seam in the center and slice each half against its own grain, cutting thin slices at a slight angle. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 520mg