Since I don’t have a dedicated smoker, I improvise one on the two-burner grill. I put wet wood chips in an alum. foil pouch and poke holes in it. I put the wood chip packets on one side of the grill and light the burner underneath it at a low temperature. When the packet starts to smoke, I put the tri tip on the opposite, cool side and close the top. It usually takes about 20 minutes to smoke/roast the tri tip to the 110 internal temp, and then turn on the grill underneath the tri tip.
I’m having leftover tri tip sandwich for lunch today…
It’s very easy. Imagine the tri tip is a large triangle of meat, with the grain running the long direction parallel to the longest leg of the triangle. So to slice against the grain, start at either sharp pointed end of the triangle. Place your knife 90 degrees to the direction of the grain and slice as thinly as the knife will permit.
Yeah, if you cut it with the grain, you will be forever chewing on long strands of leather shoestrings.
I tend to give large, tough cuts of meat like this a “wet rub” of sorts, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge over night. If I’m really trying to impress, I will turn the meat once in awhile in the fridge so the rub is evenly “pushed” into the cut.
Smoke on no hotter than 250°F until you get whatever temperature you are after. You can cook it well and get it tender if you get there really slowly and make sure to either wrap it after a certain amount of time or, alternately, lay some strips of bacon on top and put a tray of water/apple cider/etc in the smoker with it to keep it moist. Just my 0.02.
Tri-tips I cook Bruce are triangle-shaped but really are curved like a “U”. The hypotenuse (or longest side, I realize math geeks that it is the unique tri-tip indeed that is a true right triangle) is usually the two ends of the curve of the “U” so do you cut the short meat first?
Click on the link I posted in Post No. 3. It isn’t a video, but there are a few sequential pictures showing one method of carving a tri-tip along with some instructional narrative.
I love tritip. We never saw it on the East Coast althought at one of our Friday wine company early morning meetings Frank and Gray from Hitching Post brought us lunch of tritip right off the Hitching Post grill from the day before, along with plenty of wine to taste. My tritip bubble was popped then and there.
I get great results on my Weber kettle with hardwood lump and oak smoke. Red oak is traditional and I use soaked wine barrel chips to good effect. I do not intent to smoke the meat just get a bit of oak spice.
Start with an Angus or Choice cut of meat. Half an hour before hitting the coals remove the meat to room temp. Use a Santa Maria rub which contains salt so I do not like to leave it on the meat too long, only enough to start to penetrate the meat.
Sear both sides good for a few minutes and remove to indirect heat until cooked not more than medium for best moistness and tender texture.
I’m a big proponent of cummin based dry-rub, and then finishing it off with a few select drops of Tapatio hot sauce rubbed in, then throw it room-temp over red oak. Definitely take it off sooner as it will continue to cook. I wanna eat what I barely cook, then riiiiiide the rest home. Gitty-up!
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