PICS--Santa Maria Smoked/Grilled Tri Tip

Mod note.

Please keep it on topic, vension for example is not in the same thread as a tri-tip (just in case someone wondered).

make it easier when searching.

Sorry for the mod note, but a lot of "joint" posting going on and makes it a little hard to move threads when needed.

Thanks for the help

We do tri-tip all the time on the grill here in So Cal. However rather than a rub, we do a garlic paste (rough idea of recipe below) and marinate the meat in it for at least 4 hours, but usually overnight. Then we sear it over hot coals and move it for indirect heat and add some soaked Red Oak Chips to the coals for the smoke. Take it off at 145, tent it and let it rest for 30 mins before cutting.

The above works great, but I plan to get the Cookshack involved this next time - where we will smoke it in SM025 first and then finish it on the grill. Question: Could you first sear it then finish it in the CS?.

I ordered some California Red Oak Chunks from here: http://www.fruitawoodchunks.com/redoak.html

Santa Maria Marinade for Tri-Tip
1-2 Heads of garlic pealed
TB Kosher Salt (tablespoon)
TB Fresh Cracked Pepper
1/4 c Olive Oil
2 TB Fresh Rosemary (not traditional, but I add it)

Throw the above in a small food processor and combine to make a paste. Stick the tri-tip in a large ziplock and add the marinade. Marinate for at least 4 hours (overnight OK), let it come up to temp out of the fridge for an hour or so, then start cooking.

To serve, we cut it against the grain fairly thin and put it on a long soft roll and then finish it like a pulled pork sammy... a little coleslaw and your favorite BBQ sauce.

italia. That recipe sounds very interesting. I love strong doses of garlic in marinades and sauces. I'll give this a try.

Thanks Pags. I am going to do two TTs tomorrow night.. One using your recipe above and one with the garlic marinade. On the marinade, use your best judgement on the amount of salt, I just go by feel.

Regarding the Red Oak that I purchased, the chunks are fairly large (about 5 ounces each). I spoke to the guy from Fruita and he said that they will cut them down to "Cookshack size" if you just request it when ordering.