Tri Tips

I have cooked only one Tri tip as they are kind of hard to find in this area but really liked the one I cooked and want to cook another. I applied a steak seasoning about an hour before I put it on the smoker and cooked it at 275 degrees for about 1 hour 30 minutes and the internal was close to 140. I let it rest for about 15 minutes then sliced it. I thought it was great, family thought it was great but my wife does not like her beef that rare and only took a bite from the edge. I have seen where some cook it until the internal reaches 170 and clear up to 190 degrees.

Fellow smokers here is the question of the day. Is there a right way or wrong way to cook the tri tip? Does it get tough and dry cooking it the low and slow method for 4 or 5 hours?

Rick

I like my tri tip done a little more than I like my leaner steaks like filets. I pull mine at 145 and rest

Hi ricker,

Luckily, Costco in our area has tri-tips and the come 2 to a package. My last purchase I did one "brisket style", and one like a steak. The low and slow was fine, but i liked the taste and texture of the seared one better. You can cook it about 300 degrees until you are near your target IT, then take it off and rest it while you crank your pit to high for the sear.

Ultimately - whatever tastes best to you and yours is the "right" way.

BP has a video or two detailing his tri-tip technique you should check out.

Thanks guys for the info. Where do I find the video from BP and his Tri Tip?

Ricker said:

Thanks guys for the info. Where do I find the video from BP and his Tri Tip?

Click to expand...

Go to Big Poppa Smokers - Pages

Here is a link to the brisket style tri tip cook.
http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pellet...imsbarbeque-thanks-killer-tri-tip-recipe-531/

I am sure your wife will like it. Mine does and has the same issue with rare meat.

Like Big Poppa, I like my tritips done more than my ribeyes and NYs, I cook steaks to a rested IT of 140-143 which I call med-rare. Tritips I'll take to a rested IT of 150-153 which I consider medium. Like anything else in our world of Qing and grilling, there's no right or wrong way to cook tritips. If they are cooked the way you like them they are done the right way.

Ricker, just did this tritip tonight.

rubbed it with oil or rendered beef fat and use something as simple as salt, pepper and garlic or use a Santa Maria seasoning like The Rub Co.

Sear it hot and fast to carmelize/char the outside quickly, 2 mins per side. With your 1000 you should leave the lid up while searing.


Next is low and slow at 250 until IT 150 (medium).


Rest it tented under foil for 20 mins

Looks great there Scooter. Looks like I'll be busy cooking some tri tips shortly. Thanks

Tri Tips are always good....I love them Great flavor...but as most of us from the west have cooked so many every once in awhile you get one that just rocks.....scooter I think your thermometer is too clean or something...152? The cook looks beautiful.

Scooter do you have a scale? It would be interesting to cook the tip tip and cook it like you did and then cook another one where you rocket sear at the end and then rest. That serious eats article where they weight the steaks and discover that the reverse sear weighed more changed my world. I think that we should both see if we come to the same conclusion....

I was not a fan of the reverse sear until I tried it.

Sold.

Big Poppa said:

scooter I think your thermometer is too clean or something...152? The cook looks beautiful.

Scooter do you have a scale? It would be interesting to cook the tip tip and cook it like you did and then cook another one where you rocket sear at the end and then rest. That serious eats article where they weight the steaks and discover that the reverse sear weighed more changed my world. I think that we should both see if we come to the same conclusion....

Click to expand...

Well, I have two different sets of ET73's that I use and get the same results off both sets. Also, my Thermapen confirms what the ET73's are saying so I'm very certain the temps I get displayed are accurate.
I've done TRex and Reverse Sear and prefer the TRex. I just prefer to put the high heat at the beginning and coast the meat up to final temp rather than coast it up close then put high heat on it at the end with little control over where the final temp ends up. The results I get from TRex and RS are identical in moisture and smoke flavor penetration. If there is a difference in moisture and/or taste between the meat I sear first or last, it is undetectable by me and the Mrs. It is just so much easier for me to control the end results with TRex. Besides, if I did RS, I would have to pull my ET73 probe when I seared and sear blind to IT because the ultra high heat (1000F+) is a probe killer! I don't like to finish the cook blind.
There's just too many tangible reasons for me to sear first and the reasons to sear last just don't add up enough to shift the balance to warrant a change to RS.

Scooter Im kiddint you!~ The tri tip looks absolutely fabulous! You keep doing what you are doing...I always sear blind....I was just suggesting a little test....BTW I go back and forth between t rex and reverse Iim just in reverse mode currently

I know you were kidding.
I think another reason I like doing TRex is the autopilot aspect. When I've had a few beers and I do TRex after the initial sear with my stopwatch I slap em down on the MAK low and slow and set the ET73 alarm at my finished temp and I go on autopilot. It's a cut and dry process that allows me to get consistant results having several beers under my belt. Doing RS requires me to think too much at the end and after a few beers getting that sear last done right, well, lets just say my results have been not as consistant!
Prefer to just pull them and tent them when the alarm goes off.

Scooter's pictures are amazing. What a pro!

nah, just a guy who likes to drink beer and play with fire!! lol

yum yum tritip ...luvd the charing u got this one...too bad for everyone else they dont get a taste like i do lol

I HV A SCALE I CAN LEND U...SHOOT U CAN HV IT IF U DONT HV ONE I NVR USE IT.....SO IF U WANT TO MOVE FORWARD ON BPs EXPERIMENT LET ME KNOW IM IN... Just so you know i know what your goin to respond...well now that i hv a smoker i can use my scale...you guys are so far advanced for me...i just want to EAT lol....but seriously when it comes to smoking im stil in infancy

Thanks for the offer smokeslinger but now that you have a smoker you should be able to use your scale!

In case anyone is wondering, smokeslinger is my friend and neighbor. He got tired of constantly smelling the wonderful aroma of hickory coming out of my backyard and decided to create some smoke of his own so he jumped into the world of pellet cooking and purchased a MAK 2 Star! Last weekend was his first cook. Although he has had to deal with auger issues since we did the initial burn in, he has already created some very good cooks! I'll let him tell you about them.
I'm helping him learn the ropes of backyard pellet pitmastering, while at the same time, he is schooling me on the many dimensions of fine microbrewed ales and lagers! I've never really cared for ales before but as it appears, I've not been drinking the right ones until smokeslinger came over to learn how to cook Q one day with several nice bottles of Stone ale under his arm. It's been a mutual mentoring session since then! What goes better with BBQ than beer!?! BTW, Aecht smoked lagers are my favorite so far!!
Steve, get on over to the intro forum and intro yourself to these fine folks!!