OK I have a killer cut of Prime Tri Tip from Costco.

I have made Tri Tip once before but only Sous Vide with moderate success.
The only true success with Sous Vide and me is Beef Short Ribs but that is another story.
This is going to get FIRE.

I have seen where you can cook like a steak/reverse sear - looks good.
I have seen where it is slow cooked to around 130 or so (pretty close to a reverse sear temps).
AND I have seen slow cooked Brisket-Style to the same temps of a Brisket +/- 205 over a longer period of time.

ALL look GREAT.

Anybody with experience or a preference?

On one hand I like the med/rare steak version but I am also a lover of slow cooked brisket.

For those who have done the slow cook - is is pretty much just another brisket?

Wondering if anybody else cooks Tri Tip and how ya'll do it?

If I am lucky enough to find tri-tip in store I usually sous vide and then sear. Its just so good for that.

Only other way I would make it is reverse sear on a two zone fire with some oak wood added to my charcoal.

I smoke at 220 to 250 like a brisket. Pull at 205 then wrap for about an hour.

It is absolutely incredible. Juicy, smoky, deep beefy flavor. It cuts better than a prime steak because the muscle fibers have broken down.

Highly recommend smoking.

Coat it with this rub:

3 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp rosemary
cayenne to taste

Smoke at around 225F to internal temp of 135F.

Slice and enjoy.

I cook like I would a London broil. pretty hot and fast to medium

Tri-Tip is a unique cut made famous in Central-Coastal California principally in San Luis and Santa Barbara Counties. The style of BBQ is referred to as Santa Maria BBQ, where the meat is served with a salsa and beans. For entertaining, your guests have a variety of preferences in the temperatures they like their meat and a tri-tip does a pretty good job of satisfying most of them. Great cut also for sandwiches and steak salads.

With a Prime grade, you're gonna have A LOT of flavor, I rub mine about 12-24hrs before cooking using this Susie Q's out of Santa Maria. One of the best rubs I've ever come across, made for tri-tip.

You're gonna grill over direct heat about 20-30 minutes depending on size, get a bed of hot coals going from hardwoods (oak if possible, mesquite works too) and get some tongs as you'll be rotating and turning it about every 5-minutes. Once it hits the temp you're shooting for (rare in the center), pull it, let it rest for 15-20 minutes minimum. Then, make sure you carve it correctly, like brisket, you want to cut across the grain, see video below

I've treated them like a steak. Smoke at 250 until about 125 internal and then reverse sear on the open fire. Cut and serve on a board sauce.





A board sauce is simply a good quality olive oil with herbs and spices combined. Pour it out on a board and then put the meat while hot on top of the sauce. Start slicing and let the meat juices mingle with the board sauce. A very unique and excellent tasting way to prepare this cut of meat. Search board sauce and you will get lots of different combinations to use for different kinds of meat.

Tri-tip is not like brisket at all, mostly because it does not have the fat content.

Central CA is tri-tip country, and those folks really know how to do it right with oak wood.
To do it that way, it is all about hot and fast:
1) Rub: equal amounts of salt and garlic powder, quarter amount of pepper is traditional. However, I do add quarter amount of paprika and cayenne pepper, because I'm spicy like that.
2) 100% make sure it reaches room temp, it needs to have no chill.
3) Throw it on the hot side of the grill, I usually flip it every 5 minutes or so
4) Slice against the grain!!!
5) Confuse everyone and serve with an awesome chimichurri sauce, it goes so well especially if you eat with your hands.

I lived in SoCal for 3 years and ate a lot of tritip.

It's a cut of sirloin so it's very lean and there is no collagen or fat to break down like brisket. Therefore, I cook it different than brisket. I cook it more like a reverse seared steak (smoker at 225 until internal temps is 120 then transfer to broiler until internal temp is 130).

Only warning I have is that my broiler gets hotter than my rated temp on my Smoke's temp probe wire and I ruined a probe last time. In other words, best just to jab it with a Thermapen every minute or two.

I just sear it, then cook on indirect heat until 135, rest and slice thin against the grain per the posts above.

I do one almost weekly, if not 2x a month at least. They are usually on sale from 5-8 a pound. I get 2.5-3 pound for my family of 4 and that leaves enough for several sandwiches later in the week.

Find your favorite dry rub, sale pepper paprika etc. I build a good briquet fire on 1/2 half my Webber kettle. When it’s all ashy and ready I put it fat side up on the non heat side and also throw a bunch of wood chips on the fire. Apple, cherry, mesquite whatever your favorite is. That’s enough smoke to impart a nice pink smoke ring and good flavor. Then i close the lid as tight as I can for ~15 minutes. At 10-15 I Then flip the meat and leave the lid askew to get the heat back up. My lid thermometer is usually about 350-400 measuring from the cool side. Total of 30-45 minutes on the fire depending how good a fire it is and how rare you like it. then wrap in foil for 15 while making any other dinner items veggies or salad etc. Slice against grain as noted.

Since the dungeness crab commercial season not starting for 2 more weeks I’ll probly do a tri tip tonight.

I think I am going to do the brisket method at a later date BUT I will try it.

I think the slow indirect smoke to 130 is the way to go.

I have seen where some will sear partially through the cook at say 110 then finish off indirect.

Some just sear at the end like a reverse sear steak.

Some don't sear at all.

Not sure If I NEED to sear or not.

Tri-tip is a California thing, as corsair says. I rarely see it at Publix here in the Panhandle. But try to find ANY other cut of roast out there. Cook it as corsair and sooma and ElToro say. Don't try the brisket method: it is a very good cut of slicing meat.

PSA, If your in the greater Bay Area /northern California, raley’s /nob hill grocery store chain has trimmed tri tip at 5$ a pound on sale. This week. That’s a really good price. Just spent $14 and popped a 2.8 pounder in the grill. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so. A pre made salad and some yellow squash to be steamed and I’m feeding everybody with leftovers for less than 20$

We buy tritip regularly. Dry rub and smoke.

The only way we cook it, and maybe I'm missing out, is by smoke at 185 to internal temp of 135. Remove from heat, wrap it in foil and let it rest 5 -10 minutes. Slice thinly and serve.

Consistently delicious. Easy to cook and makes me look like a pro. Temp to just below desired cook is key for me, the "rest" takes care of the balance of cook.

Watch the Bearded Butcher video on Youtube on cutting and cooking a Tri-Tip. These guys have it together, and their rubs are excellent.
https://www.bing.com/videos/se...iew=detail&FORM=VIRE

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quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
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I am far from a tri tip expert, but it should be cooked like a steak. Rare, medium rare with a sear.