Butcher Shoppe 2 - Well-marbled tri-tip

The butcher's didactic lecture on the importance of beef cows sticking to a strict grain diet to develop well-marbled meat was illustrated by a tri-tip I bought from him and cooked the other night. As you can see from the picture of it prior to cooking, the white, fatty striations are thick and bountiful. After browning in a cast iron pan on the stovetop then roasting in the oven at 350, I sliced it into medallions. In my zeal to avoid overcooking I pulled it out a tad early for my taste. I like tri-tip medium rare and this was firmly in the rare camp. At this level of "doneness" I generally find meat too chewy and metallic tasting so I put my slices back in the oven for finishing (the wife was fine with hers). I served it with a red wine pan sauce, pressure-cooked rice and an artichoke. It didn't really matter what I served as side dishes - the flavor was so good that it was the single best tasting tri-tip I've ever had.