Smoked Tri Tip

Smoked tri tip super beefy flavored meat that is great right off the grill. But it also shines as a leftovers in beef stroganoff, and for sandwiches like french dip and Philly cheesesteak. It gets even better since it is quick to smoke or grill. 

What is Tri-Tip

The tri-tip is an elongated triangle-shaped piece of meat from the sirloin area (bottom by the hip) of the cow. The cut is from the bottom of the sirloin area (technically called sub primal) where three areas of muscle meat give it a triangle shape. This means when you go to cut the meat you have three points where the grain changes. It is full of beefy flavor and is naturally tender from the marbled fat throughout.

Weighing in between 1-1/2 – 3 pounds it is great to feed a small group or to provide the meat for future meals. It can be labeled differently across the United States. The most common nicknames are triangle tip or triangle roast, Santa Maria, bottom sirloin roast, etc. To make thins even more confusing, the roast can be cut into steaks and those steaks also have a bunch of nicknames like Newport steak, Santa Maria steak, or triangle steak. 

Compared to other lean cuts like brisket or flank steak, which both come from different areas of the animal, the brisket is much larger (up to 20 pounds) and more involved to cook properly, flank steak is much thinner and leaner and thus less tender.

Smoked Tri-Tip on a grill

You can smoke a tri tip on your grill (although I love my Traeger). With just a little advanced sleuthing to figure out what burner setup will give you a consistent temperature for indirect cooking, you can cook low and slow with the grill you already have.

A thermometer is necessary to get an accurate reading on the temperature in the grill. Don’t go by the dial that is found on the grill as it doesn’t tell you how hot it is where you will be putting the meat. Once you figure out you burner setting to get 225°F over the indirect cooking area you are good to go.

With the temperature figured out, you need to work on getting smoke. There are wood chip smoke boxes you can buy at most hardware stores wither grilling accessories are located. Wood chips can also be purchased there. In a pinch, you can make a DIY foil packet. Get directions here.

This recipe calls for a cooking temperature of 225°F which is low enough to get the smoked flavor into the meat. Remember every time you open the grill lid, it drops the temperature and affects the cook so it is a good idea to invest in a probe thermometer to get an accurate gauge of how the meat is cooking.

How to Slice Smoked Tri-Tip

Correctly slicing tri-tip is vital to creating tender meat. Remember the cut has interconnecting muscles that change the grain of the meat. You always want to slice meat against (across) the grain of the meat. After the tri-tip has rested and it is time to slice it, find the crook of the roast and cut the meat into two pieces. The grain changes direction there, fanning out from the middle, so it’s helpful to cut the tri-tip into two pieces first. Slice as much meat as you want for the meal. Save the remaining meat unsliced for future meals. 

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