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smoked tri tip with sauce

Smoked Tri Tip

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  • Author: Chef Lisa
  • Prep Time: 8-12 hours
  • Cook Time: 75-90 minutes
  • Total Time: 33 minute
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
  • Category: beef
  • Method: BBQ
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Smoked tri-tip is cooked low and slow in about 2 hours on a grill or smoker. The marinade gives a great herbal note to the beefy flavor and the dry rub creates a wonderful seasoning to each slice.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2–3 pound Tri-Tip (look for lots of marbling)

Tri-Tip Marinade

  • 2/3 cup cranberry juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1–1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, stem removed and leaves minced (1 sprig)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Tri-Tip Dry Rub

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Sauce

  • Reserved marinade (to equal 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

  1. Trim fat and silver skin from the tri-tip.
  2. In a large zip-close bag, combine the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the tri-tip and seal. Marinate for at least 8 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. (Occasionally rotating the bag so the meat is fully submerged.)
  3. After the meat has marinated, remove the tri-tip from the bag and pat dry (reserve marinade to use as the base of the sauce. Return the marinade to the refrigerator until ready to prepare the sauce.) 
  4. Using your favorite beef dry rub or combine the rub ingredients above and generously cover all sides of the tri-tip with the rub. Allow the meat to rest and come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
  5. Soak cherry or hickory wood chips in water and preheat a gas grill for indirect cooking. Test your grill to figure out the best set up to maintain a constant 225°F cooking zone. 
  6. Fill a smoke box or create a foil pouch with the wood chips. (If making a foil pouch remember to poke plenty of holes in the top to let the smoke out.
  7. Arrange the tri-tip on the grill over the indirect cooking zone and let the meat cook low and slow for about 60-70 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 115°F.
  8. Remove the meat from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Increase the grill temperature to high or 425°F.
  9. When the grill comes up to temp, sear the tri-tip for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove when the internal temperature reaches 125-130ºF or your desired doneness.
  10. Remove meat from the grill and tent loosely with foil. Let the tri-tip rest for 20 minutes.
  11. In a small saucepan, bring the reserved marinade to a boil for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon beef bouillon and stir to combine.
  12. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the boiling sauce and stir to thicken. Remove from heat and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer sauce to a serving dish. 
  13. Slice the tri-tip against the grain into thin slices and serve warm with the sauce. Pay attention to how the grain runs since it changes direction at the crook of the tri-tip.

Notes

Choose a tri-tip roast with good marbling throughout.

For food safety, make sure the reserved marinade comes to a boil for at least 2 minutes.

See the above diagram for instructions on how to slice the tri-tip.

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Find it online: https://apinchofsaltlake.com/smoked-tri-tip/