How To Smoke A Tri Tip Steak

The delicious and juicy smoked tri tip steak is exceptionally tender and tasty. Tri trip is a beef roast that originates from the bottom portion of the sirloin and is formed like a triangle. The tri tip roast, unlike a brisket, is ideally cooked to medium-rare, like a steak. Compared to other steaks, such as strip and tenderloin, it’s got a bit more texture but an abundance of taste.

What Is a Tri Tip?

The bottom sirloin subprimal of a steer is used to make a tri tip. The term tri tip derives from the fact that it is the bottom part of the bottom sirloin and is triangular.  The tri tip”roast” may also be sliced into steaks, although this is less common. It’s flavorful and well-marbled, but unlike a rib eye or strip steak, which is medium-rare, cooking this cut to a little higher serving temperature, about 55° C. It will be chewy if cooked too long.

When it comes to purchasing tri tip, the advice is always to get the highest quality grade of beef you can afford. The quality of the raw beef, especially when dealing with rare or medium-rare, is directly proportional to the eating quality of the final meal. It’s hardly rocket science, but it’s common sense. The more marbled the tri tip, the more opulent the meal will be.

Preparing Tri Tip

Tri tip does not need as much trimming as a brisket, which requires a large amount of trimming. In reality, the majority of the time, they are already cut. In California, the least priced tri-tips are often found untrimmed and in the meat display case at the butcher’s counter rather than on the grill.

If you receive a tri tip that needs to be trimmed, it’s pretty simple to do it yourself. Even though there is no authentic fat cap to contend with on this cut, you will need to clip away some of the silver skin that is very visible on it relatively often. Then, using a sharp boning knife, slice it off and call it a day.

Smoked Tri Tip

An excellent smoke taste embedded in a well-seasoned, adequately cooked piece of meat smoked tri tip is a fantastic way to prepare the steak. Feel free to use this recipe as a starting point and add your spices or sauces as desired. BBQ is all about creating tasty food, so experiment with this smoked tri tip as much as you want.

To achieve the ideal smoked tri tip, follow these three steps. The seasoning phase comes first, followed by the smoking step and then the searing step. Make sure you don’t miss any of these steps because they’ll help you make the most delicious and juicy tri tip you’ve ever had.

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    How to Smoke A Tri Tip Steak

    Ingredients

    1 entire Tri Tip steak  (about 2.5 lb)

    Hardcore Carnivore Black Rub (about 2–3 teaspoons)

     Instructions

    • Preheat a smoker to  135° C.
    • Using a fillet knife, remove any silverskin or membrane off the surface of the steak. This step isn’t required, but it’s recommended since, unlike fat, silverskin doesn’t break down while cooking and may result in a chewier bite.
    • Dry the meat and season it all over with Hardcore Carnivore Black. Make sure to use a sufficient quantity of rub and coat the whole area. Place the tri tip on the grill. Insert a probe to measure temperature if you have one. If you don’t have a probe instrument, start monitoring the interior temperature after 45 minutes using a meat thermometer.
    • Remove the meat from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 58-60° C at the thickest section and cover it firmly in foil or butcher paper. It should be left to rest for at least 20 minutes.
    • Slice against the grain into 1/4′′ strips and serve shortly after resting.

    How Long Should Tri Tip Be Smoked?

    For a medium-rare steak, allow up to 2 hours to smoke a tri tip, plus 5-6 minutes for searing and 15 minutes for resting. The timings may vary somewhat depending on the degree of doneness you want in the middle of your meat.

    Throughout the cooking process, use an internal thermometer to monitor the temperature of your meat. It’s the only foolproof method for getting properly grilled steaks. It is good to invest in a long-lasting thermometer.

    To guarantee that the meat is done correctly in the center, use the instructions below for smoking and then searing it:

    Pull off your tri tip at the following temperature for the first smoking step:

    • Rare : 46-50 degrees C
    • Medium Rare: 52-55 degrees C
    • Medium: 57-60 degrees C
    • Medium Well: 62-65 degrees C

    Well Done: 65-68 degrees C

    Pull out your tri tip at the following temperature for the second searing step:

    • Rare: 52 degrees C
    • Medium Rare: 57 degrees C
    • Medium: 62 degrees C
    • Medium Well: 68 degrees C 
    • Well Done: 72 degrees C

    Remove the steak to a chopping board and let it rest for 15 minutes after it has reached your preferred temperature during the searing process. It is usually not suggested to cook steak beyond medium since it’s at its most delicious and juicy when cooked this way.

    What We Say

    A smoked tri tip is a beautiful way to prepare the steak since it has an excellent smoky taste embedded in a well-seasoned, adequately cooked piece of meat. Maintaining the correct temperatures, as well as utilizing a high-quality tri tip, are crucial to making the most delicious and juicy tri tip you’ve ever had.

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