Tri Tip Recipe

I haven't tried a tip in the smoker yet.. but, I've Q'd a bunch of them. I can see adding some smoke and I'm sure I'd probably do a pretty decent smoke for a couple of hours and transfer to the Weber to finish. We like our T'tips medium rare.. I think I might be able to control that much better on the grill than in the smoker.

I'd be interested in what others have to say.

Bill

Hi Fresno...Haven't tried individual tri tips but have done a few tri tip roasts and they turn out great. I don't see why this method wouldn't work on individual steaks 'though.
-basic dry brine for four hours(kosher salt, tenderquick, brown sugar)
-Rinse Well
-rub with Worcestershire,garlic powder,CS chick rub & refrigerate for two hrs.
-smoke with 1oz. hickory at 225Deg. to internal temp of 140Deg.
Hope this helps,
CB

Hey Chateau, thanks for the "tips"....will give it a try this weekend!!

Fresno, I first posed that question to the forum about 3 years ago when I too lived on the central coast ( Santa Maria ). Here is a recipe that worked well for me and did not stray too far away from what I was taught was the classic. Rub your trimmed tri tip with salt, pepper and garlic powder or use Susie Q Santa Maria style seasoning ( http://www.susieqbrand.com/ ) and smoke at 250 with a few ounces of red oak to an internal temp. of 155-160. Foil and let rest for 15-30 minutes. This will give the juices time to re-distribute. My results were good to me. It had the red oak flavor and was cooked medium all the way through. Also, do a search for tri tip on the site. I came up with 81 hits. Don't know if all were on the subject but there's a lot of info out there. Hope this helps. Doc

fresno....how did the tri tip turn out?
CB

CB, had company over and did not get the time the smoker deserves to try the tri tip yet. I'll let you know when I do it, Thanks

Hey Doc, Thanks for the info on tri tips...will let you know.

For what's it's worth, I just tried my first tri-tip and it turnned out fantatstic! I was expecting it do be pretty dry, but was extremely surprised at how moist it was. Took left overs to work and got rave reviews.

I smoked a 3# roast and I didn't trim any fat. Took it straight out of the package and used a basic rug from the grocery store and kept in frig overnight. No brine at all. Put in the smoker (fat side up) at 225 with 1 oz of hickory. Brought it up to internal temp of 155 (which took 3 hours). wasn't ready to eat it that quickly, so I took it out, wrapped in foil and a towel and put in an igloo for a couple of hours.

I was extremely surprised at how well it turned out (I had juices running all over!!!) and it made great sandwhiches the next day for work.

Imzeppy, thanks for the info....did you do this in a smokette??

Hi Fresno:
Actually, I have a Smokin Tex, but from what I have seen they are very similar...zep

I usually grill mine but yesterday I tried smoking a 3# roast. I used 2.5 oz of oak since that is what they use to grill over up in Santa Maria. It took 3 hours to reach 155 but the result was way too much smoke. Maybe 1 oz would of been plenty.

Hi Ron:
I only used 1 oz and before I started I really didn't think it would be enough. But after reading these posts I trusted what was said and went with the 1 oz of hickory. It was WAY enough!!!!! It was really smoky at that amount. I think any more would have been too much for my my taste. Try 1 oz next time and I think you'll be happy with it...Zep

Ron I,
One thing that I have learned is that the units are efficent when it comes to using wood. I usually use about an ounce of red oak for a roast that size. I must confess that I do cheat a little though.......I now live on the coast of MS. but have a personal stass of CA red oak that I got from the Santa Maria area. Maybe it's just me but it seems to impart a little different taste. I hardly use straight hickory as it's too powerful for me. Keep good notes and you will get there.

doc

Doc nailed it with the SusieQ seasoning. We've used it for years on steak and tri tips. Not only is it excellent on the grill, but it's great for smoking too. Although salt based seasoning can dry leaner cuts of meat out, Tri-tip isn't as bad as some other cuts... Just don't over-do it and try to pick your roast with a little more fat.
Ron, one thing you might try is to use a mild fruit wood (I prefer apricot or peach) and you won't get so much strong smoke flavor when you go 2-3 hours.
A buddy of mine swears by searing the roast before smoking. It helps seal the juices in, and prevents too much smoke from penetrating the meat. Hope this helps

I Q tri-tip all the time and never thought about smoking it I'll have to give it a try.

While I like the original Santa Maria Rub I found a couple others (rubs and marinades), on the Oregon beef council website and others, I like just as well or in the case of the Oregon Rub even better. I'm not sure how it will work with the smoker.

Oregon Herb Rub

1 Tbs Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Celery Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Dill
1/4 tsp Sage
1/4 tsp Rosemary

1 Mix all ingredients together and spread liberally on Tri-tip or other cuts of beef.
2 To enhance flavor rub mixture into the beef and refrigerate for several hours prior to grilling.

Pacific Rim marinated Tri-Tip
2 lb Tri-tip
4 Green onions sliced
1 cup Soy Sauce
3 Tbs Sesame oil
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Tbs Ginger, fresh, chopped
4 cl Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Toasted sesame seeds

Trim excess fat from meat. Combine remaining ingredients excluding sesame seeds. Place meat and marinade in covered glass dish or plastic bag. Refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade. Grill over medium coals, turning occasionally, about 30-35 minutes for rare or to desired doneness. Remove from grill; tent with foil for 10 min. Cut tritip cross-grain into thin strips. Place on serving platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Grilled Tri-Tip, Lompoc-Style
4 lbs beef tri-tip roast
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbs worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 med lemon; juiced
3 cloves garlic; chopped
1/4 tsp dry mustard

Combine oil, Worcestershire, soy, lemon juice, garlic and mustard. Marinate meat in sauce in refrigerator for 24 hours, turning several times. Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before grilling. Grill over medium heat about 15 to 20 minutes on each side, brushing frequently with marinade

Rancherus Barbecued Tri-Tip


2 whole beef tri-tips; about 2 lbs. each
salt and pepper to taste
***CUMINUNLIME MARINADE***
1 1/4 cups beef broth
2/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ground cumin
3 Tbs ground coriander
5 cloves garlic; minced
***JALAPENO MARINADE***
1 1/2 cups white wine
8 oz diced jalapeno chilies
3 Tbs dried oregano leaves
1/3 cup olive oil



The two marinades featured here offer two distinctively different flavors. Either is easy to prepare and is an excellent complement to the robust flavor of the beef tri-tip. Remove all fat and connective tissue from the tri-tips. Prepare marinade of choice. Place tri-tips in non-reactive baking dish, such as glass or enamel; pour in marinade and cover. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. Remove tri-tips from marinade and barbecue over medium-hot coals, turning occasionally, about 35 minutes for rare. Brush with oil frequently while barbecuing. To serve, cut across the grain into thin slices and season to taste. Makes 12 servings. CuminUnLime Marinade: Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl. Makes about 2 1/4 cups. Jalapeno Marinade: Place 1/2 cup wine, chilies, oregano and 2 tbsp. oil in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until finely minced. Stir in remaining oil and wine. Makes about 2 1/4 cups.

Hope ya enjoy them.