Culinary Disasters

Tri-tip is one of those cuts of beef that is slowly but surely gaining momentum.  It is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin primal cut and also goes by the name triangular roast.  There are only two on each cow so they can be a little tricky to find but definitely worth looking around. 

Tri-tip is also a very versatile cut and is amazing on the smoker, grilled, used for fajita meat, skewered, or even used in chili instead of chuck roast.  In fact many competition chili teams are started to use tri-tip because of the lower fat content cuts down on the amount of grease in the chili.  I had it for the first time a couple years ago at a BBQ competition and have been addicted to throwing it on the smoker when I can find it.

For this recipe you are going to need:

• 1 trimmed tri-tip (usually about 1.5-2.5 lbs in size)
• Your favorite BBQ rub if you don’t have one just relax I will post a simple and easy one below

Take the tri-tip out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter while you fire up your smoker using the minion method till it is 200-225 degrees.  Apply your favorite BBQ rub or use the basic rub below:

• 2 TB of paprika
• 1 TB of kosher salt
• 1 TB of black pepper
• 1 TB of garlic powder
• 1 TB of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Place a thermometer in the tri-tip and place it on the smoker.

Tri-tip is best at an internal temperature below medium and past medium it turns into a bad rubbery mess.  I prefer to cook tri-tip like any steak cut to medium-rare and I will take it off the smoker at 125 degrees internal (about 1.5 hours).  Let it sit on the counter for a good 10-15 minutes.  The carryover heat should take the tri-tip to 130-133 degrees internal which is perfect medium-rare. 

Cut the tri-tip into 1 to 2 inch sections and serve. 

Tags: beef, All //