Cookin' up a "Costco Tri-Tip" for dinner... YUM! (and there's PR0N!)

The "Morton's of Omaha" brand marinated tri-tip ("steakhouse" variety) is farkin' out of this world. Cook it at 300, pull it at 155 or so, let it rest, and it's like CANDY. Absolutely melts in your mouth!

So, I'm cooking one right now on my hand-me-down MECO charcoal grill. This is the first tri-tip (or anything other than chicken thighs and MOINK balls, actually) that I've cooked on a charcoal grill. I'm offset cooking it with a combination of lump and Kingsford Comp left over from the last two smokes I did, along with a couple lumps of manzanita for some smoky flavor.

One probe in the meat and the other sitting on the grate measuring air temp.


Nice, blue smoke...


It's crusin' along at 300-320, just where I want it!


I'll get some shots of it when I slice it. This tri-tip actually tastes much better when well done rather than medium rare or even medium. I usually eat steak medium rare, so it was quite a shock when I realized how much more I like this stuff when it's well done (at least medium well, actually).

Prolly gonna take some over to my grandparents. Last time I took them some of this tri-tip, they nibbled on it for three days and couldn't thank me enough! They've been depriving themselves of good food lately... it's really sad. They're turning into cheapskates in their old age. ;-)

Anyway, I'll be back in a little while with some juicy pr0n. :becky:

-Rodney

Derek said:

Yum, It sure does look good Rodney

Whats the duel probers for? I know one is for the temp but whats the second for?

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One is reading the meat and one is reading air temp inside the grill.

swamprb said:

Nice Rodney!

Wonder how long before Morton's of Omaha becomes Kirkland's Choice?

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No kidding... LOL... they put that brand on pants, tires, baby wipes, refrigerators... why not tri-tips?

Alright, guys... here comes the pr0n. I did some pretty extreme close-ups. ;-)

Here is the tri-tip just after it came out of the grill. My wife wanted a little more black bark on it, and I think it was a good call. Back out on the grill it went after this pic. Had I read Frank Sacco's post before this point, I would have followed his suggestion to the letter. ;-)


The tri-tip has been seared. I love that little grill! The cooking grate can be lowered to right on top of the coals! Great for searing stuff. So then I told myself that I couldn't let that beautiful bed of coals go to waste, and not expecting yes to be the answer, I asked my wife if we had any canned pineapple rings. WE DID! So out came the Yoshida's Gourmet sauce, and I cooked me up some KILLER grilled pineapple. So tasty! Also, yes, I know the tri-tip is cut wrong... that's how my wife wanted her little extra-well-done tip of the roast. Stay tuned for the good stuff...


Oh man... this stuff was GOOD...


And here's the hardcore stuff!!!







Check it out... it even has that cool gold sheen. I forget what causes that...

Oh man, that was a tasty dinner! *yawn* G'nite, everyone!

-Rodney

Chuckwagonbbqco said:

Rodney awesome job---everything looks great ----but if you loved the tenderness of this tri-tip, there is a way to make it MORE tender. It may be hard to believe that it can get better, but if you carve the tri-tip perpendicular to the grain of the meat-it will be more tender. The picture of the whole tri-tip on the plate shows the grain very clearly, and you can see that you cut almost parallel to it. The second picture up from the bottom shows the long striations that come from cutting parallel. I am not trying to be overcritical or be a smart azz----My goal is for you to have the best possible tri-tip that can be attained. Any questions please PM me. I am fairly close to you and would be nice to get together with other brethren and see what we can cook up. Keep up the good work. Leonard---Chuck Wagon BBQ Co

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Leonard-

In that first shot of the sliced meat, yeah, it's sliced wrong because that's the way my wife wanted it, contrary to my recommendations. The following shots all show the meat cut across the grain, the way it should be. :-D Yep, I'm totally aware of that aspect! :thumb:

Yeah, I'd love to get together with other brethren in the area. I know there are at least 4 here in Sacramento/Roseville/Rocklin, at least one in Stockton, several in the bay, one up in Chico...

SmokinAussie said:

Awesome stuff Rod, and excellent photography as well.

Keep it comin'!

Cheers

Bill

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Thanks! Not bad for an iPhone, huh? The 3GS has some pretty cool macro/autofocus ability that works pretty well, as long as there's plenty of light. Gotta send my Canon G9 in for repair... it just died suddenly and I have no clue what went wrong with it. :tsk:

sewerrat said:

I typically like my beef still moo-ing . .. is meat good and juicy done this much?
What was the internal temp when pulled?

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I pulled it at about 153, let it rest, and then seared it.

This brand of tri-tip is the only piece of meat I've ever cooked that is actually BETTER this well done rather than medium rare to medium. I've cooked it medium rare, and it's tougher and the flavor isn't as good. It's still juicy and tender! I tried to get shots of it that showed the juices flowing out.

Like I said, it's hard to screw one of these things up! :becky: