The Official Tri-Tip thread

[CJF]

Looks really good, PAC. For smoking, the theory is you'll get a more pronounced smoke ring going cold to the smoker. The colder the product the better the chemical reaction.

[Drunk Tank]

Nice job PAC. Hopefully you found the whole process incredibly simple. How long did you let the tips rest before carving?

as for cold vs bringing to temp, go cold. Bring to temp for searing a steak but for smoke go cold. That's just my opinion and I'm sure others have different advice. Plus, the advice changes all the time anyway, experiment and have fun.

You are spot on with your advice. Smoke=start cold, sear=room temp.

[imanihonjin]

I did tri-tip for the first time last night and it was absolutely amazing. Thanks to all the tips here, the meat came out better than I could have imagined and yes, DDD, I did incorporate cutting on a bias.

[Joe Public]

I'm warming up for kick-off weekend:

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[San Juan Sun]

This Saturday I'm thinking about doing tri-tip tacos or sandwiches.

Tacos would be on fresh corn tortillas, with pico, cabbage, that crumbly mexican cheese and a creme fresh.

Sandwiches... anyone ever tried it on soft rolls with a BBQ sauce and cabbage, alomost like a brisket sandwich?

[ERCougar]

This Saturday I'm thinking about doing tri-tip tacos or sandwiches.

Tacos would be on fresh corn tortillas, with pico, cabbage, that crumbly mexican cheese and a creme fresh.

Sandwiches... anyone ever tried it on soft rolls with a BBQ sauce and cabbage, alomost like a brisket sandwich?

Yeah, I've had a tri tip sandwich (in a restaurant). Fantastic.

[TripletDaddy]

sorry i didnt answer before. forgot.

i do tip sandwiches all the time. they are a huge hit. love toasting the inside the of the bread and then once toasted, dipping the inside of the slice into the (David) Blood. I have found that it is better to slice the tip extra thin for sandwiches otherwise you destroy the bread trying to chew off pieces. Extra thin not meaning deli thin but more thin than you would slice to serve. As far as toppings, i go BBQ sauce or plain, never mustard or any other condiment. Love tomatoes and red onion slice. My wife likes havarti cheese on it but i skip cheese on my steak. We also love to chop up spicy yellow peppers and top the steak with those. As for bread, i like those whatever they are square sandwich rolls from The 'Co. Have also had great success with extra thick sourdough but if you that route, toast on both sides. I have found that toasting the bread helps keep the sandwich a little more firm, which matters when you are trying to bite through steak.

I down two of these for a meal and I am usually feeling pretty good about myself and my career.

[PaloAltoCougar]

This is helpful sandwich info. We hosted the sister missionaries last evening and I did two tips on the Traeger, following board-approved methods. The sisters acted as if this were the most spiritual experience they'd had all week and perhaps it was, as the tips were really good. We still had some left over, however, so sandwiches it is. I'd expect to prep them without much embellishment, but I confess I've occasionally added some A-1 to cold 'tip in the past. Please forgive.

[Drunk Tank]

Grilled bell peppers, caramelized onions and salsa (individually, not as a whole) are also delish on tri tip sandwiches. BBQ sauce is my fav condiment on them.

[Y84it]

Well, after reading this I may do the Tri Tip first on my new Traeger. Looks easier than Brisket and faster.

[Green Monstah]

It's good, but it's not brisket. It may be a good option to work out the kinks and to figure out how the smoker works.

My family really likes Montreal Steak rub on it. I think I use the Surfah approach. Cool smoke it for about an hour, then crank it until it gets to the temp you want (that may be everyone's approach, I don't recall). Should be easy on the Traeger (it takes a little more planning on my WSM). Great smoky flavor, and if carved right, it's a decently tender cut.

[Drunk Tank]

My daughter wanted tri-tip for her birthday dinner so obviously I had to oblige. We had the party at my folks house. There were about 13 of us in all. When I got to my folks house, I discovered that my brother had brought a little Weber kettle. Normally when I cook over there it is on their Weber Genesis so this was a nice surprise. I decided to show my brother how to smoke using the kettle. We set it up using the snake method and used red oak chunks that I ran home to get from my stash. The smoker maintained temps between 225-245° with the bottom and top vents fully opened. It was tough squeezing 4 tri-tip on there. I did a quick sear on them when they reached about 120° internal temp.

I didn't get any pics of the meat while cooking but here are a few pics and shot of the sliced meat. I used Susie Q Santa Maria rub on it which is basically salt, pepper and garlic powder. It was delish and a nice rare/med. rare.

[Joe Public]

That looks good, DT. Does vent location (i.e., where the vent is relative to the coals, meat, etc.) matter at all in that set-up?

I was flipping through sports talk stations the other day on the drive home. One show had some guest named "Chet Briquette" who was answering grilling/smoking/outdoor cooking questions from callers. One caller explained that he was smoking tri-tip and wasn't happy with his results. "Chet" scolded him for cutting against the grain and told him to cut with the grain so as to not ruin his meat.

[Drunk Tank]

That looks good, DT. Does vent location (i.e., where the vent is relative to the coals, meat, etc.) matter at all in that set-up?

I was flipping through sports talk stations the other day on the drive home. One show had some guest named "Chet Briquette" who was answering grilling/smoking/outdoor cooking questions from callers. One caller explained that he was smoking tri-tip and wasn't happy with his results. "Chet" scolded him for cutting against the grain and told him to cut with the grain so as to not ruin his meat.

Ah yes, good ol' Chet Briquette. I think it was the Petros and Money show. Lol

Vent should be opposite the burning coals.

[CJF]

Just had my favorite meal for breakfast. image.jpg

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