If you follow me on Instagram, you will see smoked tri tip show up on my feed often. It’s definitely in my top three of meats to barbecue. It is the first meat I ever smoked. I’ve prepared it in different ways and reverse sear tri tip is my favorite method. It also makes for some of the best street tacos!
Before I get into the process for this recipe, let me answer some questions you may have.
Tri Tip Recipe Video
What Is Tri Tip?
The tri tip is a cut of beef that comes from the bottom sirloin on the cow. It is boneless and tender. As with other cuts of beef, you will want to look for some good marbling (small streaks of interwoven fat) in the meat. There are two different grains in this cut, which can make slicing against the grain a little tricky if you only slice it the same direction the whole way.
What Are the Origins of Tri Tip?
This cut of beef gets it’s origins in Oakland, California where a butcher started selling it whole in the 1950s. Prior to this, the tri tip was usually grinded up into hamburger meat or sliced up for steaks. This cut became popular on the central California coast in the Santa Maria area.
With that, the preferred method of cooking this cut was to grill over an open flame from California red oak wood and finish at medium rare. There are deviations of how it is prepared nowadays and the reverse sear method is one of them.
What Is Reverse Sear Tri Tip?
Before we get into reverse sear, let’s make sure we cover what it means to sear. Searing is when you cook something over direct, high heat to get that nice, browned crust.
Once that is attained, then it is put in the oven to cook at a lower temp until done. Reverse sear is the opposite of that: you cook the meat low and slow first, THEN sear to finish.
In this smoked tri tip recipe, we are reverse sear by smoking the meat first to get that smoke flavor infused. After that, crank the high heat to finish the smoked tri-tip off with that nice, flavorful crust.
How to Trim off Silver Skin on Meat
Let’s walk you through how to trim a tri tip. When you get this roast from the butcher, it may or may not come with a fat cap. Whether you leave that on or not is up to you, but keep in mind that fat is flavor.
Most tri-tip I get has it already removed, but if silver skin remains, then take a boning knife and remove any silver skin that exists on the meat. You will usually find silver skin on the bottom.
To remove, barely put the tip of the blade of the knife underneath the silver skin. Next, push across until the tip of the blade appears from under that surface. Proceed with a gentle, sawing motion down the length of the silver skin until it is removed. Keep in mind there will likely be more than one spot on the roast with a patch of this filmy substance.
Seasoning the Tri Tip
Once that is done, simply take your favorite seasoning or rub and apply. For this smoked tri tip recipe, I recommend keeping it simple with a salt and pepper-based rub. There’s a Santa Maria seasoning from Susie Q’s that I love for this cut. I like to go light on the rub when it comes to this cut because I like the flavor to stand out and not be overpowered by seasoning.
Let the meat sit at room temp for a little while and let the spices sweat into the meat. Raw beef can sit out at room temperature for up to 30 minutes and still be okay.
If you are going keto, choose a rub with minimal to no sugar. A lot of beef rubs are like this, but check the label to be sure.
How to Smoke Tri Tip
Learning how to smoke tri tip is simple. With your grill at 225 degrees on indirect heat with oak wood, simply put the meat on the grill, close the lid, and let it ride to 120 degrees internal temp. Since this roast cooks like a steak, make sure to monitor the temp regularly.
I prefer using my Thermapen ONE instant read digital thermometer made by Thermoworks. It gives me quick, accurate temps without having to stand over the a hot grill for long. A wired probe device, such as the Smoke X, allows me to track both temps in the grill and in the food.
How to Check Temps
Make sure when checking temps on any meat, that you go into the middle of the thickest portion. That way, you know it will be thoroughly cooked to the temp you desire.
Pull the smoked meat off when internal temp hits around 120 to 125 degrees and get ready to reverse sear.
Searing the Meat
When the meat is around 100 degrees, start to get a grill or stove top burner going and your cast iron skillet heated. Some folks prefer to do the reverse sear on the grill grates and get those nice grill marks, but I love to sear in a cast iron skillet. I want that Maillard reaction to take place on the whole surface of the meat, not just the parts that touch the grates.
When you reverse sear tri tip in a skillet, it also allows you to add more flavors to the crust of the meat. Use avocado oil, garlic, and rosemary in the pan and let it cook in. Avocado oil is ideal for cooking at high temps because of it’s 500 degree smoke point, which is why I recommend it.
What Temp is the Tri Tip Done?
For the finish, I like my steaks medium rare (and sometimes medium). With that in mind, I take the roast out of the pan (after searing on both sides) when internal meat temp hits around 125-130 degrees. Keep in mind that there will be some carry over cooking going on, meaning the meat will likely rise a few degrees while resting.
Let the meat rest about 10 minutes before slicing. Doing this will allow the reverse seared meat to relax and let the juices build up, meaning more flavor.
How to Slice a Tri Tip
With any cut of meat, you’ll want to slice against the grain to get a more tender bite. Slicing tri-tip against the grain can be a little tricky, so this section will walk you through how to slice tri tip. As mentioned earlier, it has two different grains running through it. When slicing, the main section to watch for is by the corner opposite of the crook in the meat.
You should be able to see the grains switching directions around that way. Slice right down the middle of that as to separate the meat into two and slice against the respective grains. See my video at the beginning of this article for a visual!
And there it is: you now know how to prep, trim, smoke, sear, and slice it, too. If you want to try a variation of this recipe, I recommend you checking out my teriyaki marinated tri-tip!
Speaking of recommendations, this classic chimichurri recipe is the perfect pairing for grilled meats. It’s blend of herbs and garlic, oil and vinegar make it the best steak sauce!
Other Smoked Tri Tip Recipes
Want some more inspiration for what to do with tri tip? Possibly have leftovers? Check these recipes:
BBQ Smoked Tri Tip
Tri-tip is a roast that cooks like a steak, doesn't take too long to smoke and just might become your favorite cut of beef! Keto friendly, too!
Ingredients
- 1 tri-tip (1.5-2.5 lbs)
- 3 Tbsp rub/seasoning
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 t garlic, minced
- 1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat grill/smoker for 225 degrees on indirect heat over oak wood
- Trim silver skin off of tri-tip. Apply rub on both sides.
- Place meat on grill/smoker. Let cook at indirect heat for at least an hour before checking temps.
- Once internal meat hits temp around 90-100F, get cast iron skillet ready for searing
- When tri-tip reaches temps around 120 degrees, go to skillet and put butter, garlic, and rosemary in. Remove tri-tip from grill/smoker and put in skillet, searing on both sides for 1-2 minutes each or until internal temp hits 125-130 degrees.
- Remove from skillet and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing
- Feast and enjoy!
Notes
- Pecan and/or hickory wood is also great on smoked tri-tip, but feel free to substitute for whichever smoking wood you prefer
- You can sear in the cast iron skillet either indoors or outdoors, over a stove top range or another grill.
- Remember that the grain of the tri-tip changes directions in the middle of the meat. Slice down the area where the two directions meat (usually in the area between the point and crook)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 5 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 10.5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
