Do you want a great BBQ, but don’t want to break the bank on a huge piece of meat or spend all day at the cooker? Cook tri tip! Tri tip is an economical cut that is deliciously beefy. Like skirt steak, you have to make sure you cut it correctly, but it has a much more steak-like texture that is hard to resist. Here at the beginning of grill/BBQ season, it’s a great way to get back into the swing of smoking outdoors if you haven’t been doing any winter cooking. Tri tip is quickly gaining in popularity, so grab one at your local market and be the first to introduce it to your neighbors!
What is the tri tip?
Tri tip is the cow’s tensor faciae latae muscle, which is found at the bottom end of the sirloin, below and in front of the hip of the cow. It is called tri tip in reference to its triangular shape and the fact that it comes from the tip of the sirloin primal. It is sometimes called Santa Maria Steak, but that is actually a specific preparation of this muscle, not the muscle itself.
This cut is a delight because of its lean tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and relatively low cost. Because of its low ratio of connective tissue, it is as tender as—or even more tender than—a strip steak. And juicy? I don’t know if I know a juicier cut, honestly. As I slice this roast after a rest, juice positively pours out of it, and yet the flesh is not dried by moisture loss. With a price point well below that of most steaks, it may offer the best value on the whole cow for steak.
How to cook tri tip
As noted above, the tri-tip is sometimes called a Santa Maria Steak, and that steak is a part of the traditional central-California barbecue. It is great grilled or cooked on a rotisserie, and, judging by the internet, most people roast it in the oven like, well, a roast. Don’t get me wrong, those are all wonderful ideas. But we think one of the best ways to cook this delicious cut of meat is to smoke it. Following the guidelines put forward by Smokingmeat.com and How to BBQ Right, we decided to cook out tri tip a bit lower and slower than you would in an oven to get smoky, rich taste, and then reverse seared the meat on the grill to get those Maillard-browned flavors that we love so much. We set our smoker for 220°F (104°C).
What temperature to cook tri tip to?
No matter how you cook it, this is a cut of meat that you will want to cook like a quality roast or a steak: shoot for 130°–145°F (54°–63°C), and have rosy, juicy tender meat. To make sure we hit this, and are smoking in the appropriate temperature range, we recommend a leave-in probe thermometer like the SmokeTM, with its wide array of available Pro-Series probes.
ThermoWorks-Approved Table of Chef-Recommended Temperatures
| Rare | Medium Rare | Medium | Medium Well | Well Done | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef, Veal & Lamb Roasts, Steaks & Chops |
120°-130°F (49-54°C) | 130°-135°F (54-57°C) | 135°-145°F (57-63°C) | 145°-155°F (63-68°C) | 155°F (68°C) and up |
Slicing tri tip
While the tri tip is a steak-like cut, it has very long muscle fibers, and long muscle fibers mean stringy, chewy steak if you don’t handle them correctly. You have to cut across the grain of the meat fibers to shorten the individual fiber pieces you’ll be eating. Look at the clip below for tips on cutting the tri tip.
As you can see the grain of the meat runs radially from the ‘outside’ corner. To deal with this, we recommend cutting from the said corner toward the crook of the meat, then slice each piece against its grain. You could start at the thinnest corner and cut perpendicular to the grain as you move along, adjusting your knife angle a little bit each time, but the two-chunks method really is easier to get slices that are perpendicular to the grain.
Smoked tri tip recipe
Based on Smoked Tri-tip Roast by SmokingMeat.com and Smoked Tri Tip Recipe by HowToBBQRight.com
Ingredients
- 1 Tri tip roast, trimmed
- 2-3 Tbsp Dijon or brown mustard
- 4-5 Tbsp your favorite BBQ rub, or a 50/50 mix of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Heat your smoker to 220°F (104°C).
- Rub the roast all over with the mustard and then the rub.
- Insert the penetration probe into the tri tip and set the meat probe for 110°F (52°C) for medium-rare or 115°F (54°C) for medium. Yes, those temps are low, but we’ll be searing it and raising the temps on the grill.
- Set up the Smoke’s air probe, with the high alarm set to 245°F (118°C) and the low alarm set to195°F (91°C).
- Place the meat in the smoker.
Temperature monitoring, here we come! - Close the smoker and cook the tri tip.
- Keep an eye on the temperature, and when the meat temp hits about 90°F (32°C), preheat a grill to very hot for reverse searing.
- When your meat alarm sounds, verify the temperature with a Thermapen® to be sure the meat has reached the temperature you are looking for.
- Place the tri tip on the grill for a few minutes on each side to give it some yummy Maillard browning and caramelization.
- Check the internal temp with the Thermapen again, to be sure you end up at 130°–135°F (54–57°C) for medium-rare or 135°–145°F (57–63°C) for medium.
Mmmm…grilled, too! - Allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes to allow carryover cooking to finish and for the proteins to reabsorb the juices in the meat.
- Slice your tri tip and enjoy! In this case, we have made a superior steak sandwich, served with potato chips because BBQ season has begun!
You’re welcome
When it comes a quality cut at a great price, you cannot beat the tri tip. This beef cut is sweeping through the BBQ and grilling world—and with good cause! Try one this weekend, and use your Smoke and Thermapen® to make sure you get the very best out of this tasty, tender piece of meat!
Products Used:
References:
Read more about tri tip at Smoked Tri-tip Roast by SmokingMeat.com
and at Smoked Tri Tip Recipe by HowToBBQRight.com
Wayne Brown says
Tri-tip is one of my favorite cuts! I just discovered it not too long ago as well. While it’s hard to find here in Charlotte NC, it’s worth it!
Mike Kelly says
The target internal temperature is 110F at the point you move it off indirect cooking to sear for about 5 minutes/side? What is the recommended final internal temp?
Jesse says
Mike – Cooking to 110°F would put my target temp at about 120°F. However, that’s because I like mine more on the rare side. If you’re wanting a more medium tri-tip, consider searing when the internal temp reaches 130°F, or about 10°F away from your target temp (140°F).
Glenn Wark says
Do you recommend leaving the probe for the searing step? Do you let it rest first? One time I pulled the probe out and then watched all the juices spray out.
Thanks,
Glenn
Jesse says
Glenn – When I followed the recipe, I removed the probe before searing the meat. I kept the lid open on the grill for the searing step and had the Thermapen in-hand to make sure I didn’t overcook the meat. Unless you have a hi-temp probe, I would not recommend leaving it in the meat when you move the cut to the hot side of the pit, otherwise you risk burning up the probe.
Arlyn says
This has my mouth watering already. I definitely have to do one soon. What you recommend for seasoning this cut. Would you use some beef shake, or perhaps marinade?
Jesse says
Arlyn – If it’s your first Tri-Tip keep it simple and season with a little salt and pepper. Once you’ve mastered the cook you can experiment with rubs and marinades. I rub the cut with my own blend of spices that includes cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, etc. Whatever you do, keep it fresh and simple!
VG says
Ahhh, you’ve discovered cumin! Excellent. Now, try finely ground, mild chile rojo instead of the paprika. You’ll love it. Trust me. (find it in the ethnic foods aisle at your local grocer.)
VG says
Ahhh, you’ve discovered cumin! Excellent. Now, try finely ground, mild chile rojo instead of the paprika. You’ll love it. Trust me. (find it in the ethnic foods aisle at your local grocer.)
Audrey says
I’ve grilled many a tri-tip. It’s a lovely piece of meat. But I grill it first on direct heat first to brown the outside, then finish on medium indirect heat till about 125 in thickest part. It doesn’t take long at all. Then let rest and slice across the grain. It’s awesome with chimmichurri sauce. My rub also includes pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika).
I can’t believe the BBQ Pitmasters didn’t know how to cook this cut. It’s so prevalent in the West that I figured grilling aficionados would at least have read about it.
Rod s says
Did you miss the part about smoking it?
ROBERT WILSON says
If you want to know the best, and MOST traditional way to cook Tri-tip, Santa Barbara
Tri-Tip? It is THIS way. 1st:( and NO ONE will tell you this first step, and it is CRUCIAL!)
Angle cut off the bottom narrower 1/3 of the Tr-Tip, cutting at a 45degrees or so aginst
grain of meat. This will allow you to cut sleaks, or thin slices for the tenderest bites you will ever encounter for steaks/thin cut slices…THAT is your 1st crucial step. *Also leave the Fat Cap ON IT! PERIOD! (Why would you want to loose all that flaver people!). 2nd:, Start your Grill with Mesquite Charcoal ONLY! (No other wood needed, You “can” mix in Apple wood if you have it, or post oak if in Texas, but not prefered, best is JUST Mesquite Charcoal. Hardwood charcoal, or Gas in a pinch BBQ emergency). 3rd: Dry season Medium heavy with a Salt/Black Pepper/New Mexico Mild Red Chile Powder/(Paprika is 2nd best)/Garlic GranualesMIX . **(Seasoning Mix is 1/4 Salt+ 1/4 Black Pepper + 3/8 NM Mild Chile Powder + 1/8 Garlic Granules *(Do not use garlic powder, or garlic salt, Yuck!). 4th: Lay down your HOT Charcoals evenly when ready to grill. 5th: Have a Meat Thermometer ready this 1 Temp Number::: 117 degrees. NOTHING else. 6th: Put on both Pieces of your tri-tips onto a lower grill height, until the FLAMES are “always” a bit on the Meat/grill *(No major flame ups is better, but LET the flames sear the outside the ENTIRE time you cook these tri-tip pieces. Keep turning every few minutes and ***IMPORTANT: TAKE OFF WHEN MIDDLE TEMP IS !!7 DEGREES EXACTLY!!!!! BOTH SIZES OF PIECES!!!!! NO DEFFERENCE IN THBEIR TEMPS!!!!….7th: let rest OFF of the Grill. They will come to almost EXACTLY 125 degree’s before they stop cooking. These will be 90% Rare inside. You can cook them a bit further if needed? …but why? 8th: You can cool them in fridge, or cut warm on slicer for BEST STEAK SANDWICHES ANYWHERE, FROM ANY CUT OF MEAT FROM A COW PERIOD!!!
9th: You can then also cook further on grill whole the smaller ones for those poor people that like their meats Medium+…again YUCK!
****THIS IS WHAT GOD INTENDED TRI-TIP TO BE FOR. WHEN HE BBQ’S MEAT FOR HIS COOK OUTS ! HE “ONLY” USES TRI-TIP CUTS, FLAP-ON!!!