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Someone tell me what's up with tri-tip?

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caseydog

somebody shut me the fark up.
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I hear about tri-tip all the time, and I hear it is awesome.

But, every time I go to middle or Nothern California, someone hands me tri-tip in some form, and it is tasty, moist, but tough as leather.

I look at tri-tip the way I look at ANY steak at Outback Steakhouse -- people lure me into a trap. It is like Lucy with a football an I am Charlie Brown. Try this, you'll love it. Then the plate comes, and I hate it.

I ate one of "the best tri-tip sandwhiches" you can get once' and I bit into it, and half the damned meat slid out of the bun. I had this six inch beef tongue hanging down my chin and an empty bun in my hand.

So, is tri-tip like other delicacies, where most of the commercial stuff is crap, but if you do it right, it is really good?

What have I missed?

CD
 
Now CD... I'm no expert at all... I just did my first one and I asked for a lot of advice. I smoked it last night, and we had a VERY nice dinner with it. And today, I've just had a roll with tri-tip leftovers and it was so tender I could have pulled it, even though it was not smoked to pulling temp.

So, what I'm thinking is this.
1. If you treat any cut of meat badly, it won't forgive you
2. If you don't rest it, it will be tough.
3. If you cut it wrong, it will be tough.

Commercially, those above 3 things happen in combination, or by themselves almost every time and that's why you've always been disappointed. I can only recommend getting a tri-tip and following the advice that made me try and BBQ one. I'm a convert. Tri Tip is AMAZING!

Cheers!

Bill
 
The grain in a tritip is a little weird. It's possible that whoever is slicing it isn't paying attention to the direction if the grain.


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caseydog said:
I hear about tri-tip all the time, and I hear it is awesome.

But, every time I go to middle or Nothern California, someone hands me tri-tip in some form, and it is tasty, moist, but tough as leather.

I look at tri-tip the way I look at ANY steak at Outback Steakhouse -- people lure me into a trap. It is like Lucy with a football an I am Charlie Brown. Try this, you'll love it. Then the plate comes, and I hate it.

I ate one of "the best tri-tip sandwhiches" you can get once' and I bit into it, and half the damned meat slid out of the bun. I had this six inch beef tongue hanging down my chin and an empty bun in my hand.

So, is tri-tip like other delicacies, where most of the commercial stuff is crap, but if you do it right, it is really good?

What have I missed?

CD
Click to expand...

It's very difficult to make it tender. Most of my experience has been like yours and I hang with the pros. Slicing it thin will help.
 
Locally I can usually find a deal on strip steak for less than tri tip. So far I'd always take the steak. If I could get tri-tip at brisket prices then I might see more of the fuss :p
 
Soybomb said:
Locally I can usually find a deal on strip steak for less than tri tip. So far I'd always take the steak. If I could get tri-tip at brisket prices then I might see more of the fuss :p
Click to expand...

No one should ever pay strip prices for tri-tip. I do exactly what you're doing when tip prices shoot up (they seem to be volatile): buy the better cut.

It used to be that, on the central coast of CA at least, tri-tip was cheaper than brisket and far more widely available. Not anymore.
 
Tri-tip is one cut of meat that is nearly impossible to hold in a restaurant for normal service. It does not react at all well to being in a cambro or being held for long in a smoker. Also, when done hot and direct, it has a tendency to have the grain loosen over heat then contract once removed.

Further complicating it, is the fact that most restaurants slice it wrong. In order to make it easier for service, they either slice it early, or have someone who does not really understand how to slice it properly.

Finally, it is most often served at a medium, even if you ask for rare, it rarely is served as anything but medium. Now, if you are actually in Santa Maria and surrounds, and can get with some of the old timers, they will show you some good tri-tip. I actually do one catering event a year, which is a tri-tip cook and quite frankly, without bragging, if you were to come to that, you would find the tri-tip to be tender, flavorful and beefy. But, I only serve once the meat comes off the grill for about 15 minutes per tri-tip, then it goes to the fridge and a new one is pulled. It just will not hold for long.
 
Considering all the raves I read on this forum for tri-tip, I just have to think I have never had it done right. Since most of the the big "steakhouse" chains can't cook a good steak, I guess it is possible that most vendors selling tri-tip just don't know how to cook it, either.

Tri-tip is not popular in Texas, and it is not easy to find to cook it myself. I'd like to cook some myself, but I'd have to find a good cut of meat, and study up on how to cook it.

CD
 
caseydog said:
So, is tri-tip like other delicacies, where most of the commercial stuff is crap, but if you do it right, it is really good?
Click to expand...

Pretty much. Even on the central coast, where people get lots of tri-tip practice in, there's still people over cooking it and cutting it wrong.

Usually it's "BBQ" places that try to cook their tip like it's brisket, but sadly poorly-prepared tip isn't limited to those places.

If you're ever in San Luis Obispo, my benchmark restaurant tri-tip is at Firestone Grill. They have a good method going (slow cooked over oak, kept warm in an oven, then reverse sear, at least as far as I can tell) which allows them to sling a heck of a lot of tri-tip, and they are very consistent.

Cook it like the good piece of meat that it is instead of trying to beat it into submission like some people do and it will turn out great.
 
landarc said:
Tri-tip is one cut of meat that is nearly impossible to hold in a restaurant for normal service. It does not react at all well to being in a cambro or being held for long in a smoker. Also, when done hot and direct, it has a tendency to have the grain loosen over heat then contract once removed.

Further complicating it, is the fact that most restaurants slice it wrong. In order to make it easier for service, they either slice it early, or have someone who does not really understand how to slice it properly.

Finally, it is most often served at a medium, even if you ask for rare, it rarely is served as anything but medium. Now, if you are actually in Santa Maria and surrounds, and can get with some of the old timers, they will show you some good tri-tip. I actually do one catering event a year, which is a tri-tip cook and quite frankly, without bragging, if you were to come to that, you would find the tri-tip to be tender, flavorful and beefy. But, I only serve once the meat comes off the grill for about 15 minutes per tri-tip, then it goes to the fridge and a new one is pulled. It just will not hold for long.
Click to expand...

Thank you! This is the kind of answer I was hoping for. It is not the meat, but how you cook it.

It sounds like another one of those cheap cuts of meat that CAN be awesome, but only if you know how to cook it.

I still want to give it a try, just to take on a challenge, but it sounds like I need to do my homework before I light up the grill.

CD
 
CD, basically it is just the end piece of the lower loin primal, if you can find a place that cuts t own meat, not whole animal, but one that gets primals, then you can get a tri-tip. The Ball Tip comes off the rump primal, it also works. These often end up being cut up by the butcher and sold as sirloin tips, stew meat or ground into ground sirloin and ground round. I would have to say, that a good tri-tip is right there with brisket for me in terms of meat off the BBQ.

Cook and cut, cutting is so important, to cut across the grain is key. I have to say, I can't think of many times I have seen it cut properly in a restaurant.
 
CD I have had luck finding tri-tip at sams. The only downfall is that I have to buy a bag full of em. So I wind up like 4-5 tri tips. My wife doesnt like em. Like you I have yet to be overjoyed with the cut. I have cooked probably 10 or so. I do the reverse sear, and pull at med-rare. Let em sit for 15 min or so under some foil, then slice across the grain. They are ok, but I can think of better cuts to spend my money on lol.
 
I agree with most of the previous posts. I actually didn't realize until I joined the Bretheren that tri-tip wasn't always available everywhere (I guess it's one of the few advantages to being in Southern California). I've been cooking it for years, especially at work since it's usually a fairly inexpensive way to feed a lot of guys. Over cooking will affect the tenderness more than "better" cuts of meat and slicing is key. The grain actually runs two different directions which needs to be taken into account. If it's not sliced across the grain it will be tough, even if it's not over cooked. Don't give up, it's a nice cut of beef.
 
Landarc & Firemedic, good points on all counts. One other thing that can make a huge difference is the quality - I only use USDA Choice or Prime for Tri-Tip and have yet to be disappointed. I won't touch Select as I am usually disappointed just about every time, even when it's cooked and cut perfectly. I've had Choice and Prime Tri-Tip that was near filet tender, and Select that was plain tough as nails...


firemedic said:
I agree with most of the previous posts. I actually didn't realize until I joined the Bretheren that tri-tip wasn't always available everywhere (I guess it's one of the few advantages to being in Southern California). I've been cooking it for years, especially at work since it's usually a fairly inexpensive way to feed a lot of guys. Over cooking will affect the tenderness more than "better" cuts of meat and slicing is key. The grain actually runs two different directions which needs to be taken into account. If it's not sliced across the grain it will be tough, even if it's not over cooked. Don't give up, it's a nice cut of beef.
Click to expand...
 
I cook a lot of Tri-Tip and have cooked it on a variety of my pits, direct on the drum, indirect 3 zone on the kettle and the reverse sear on the BGE, WSM and Cajun Bandit and the main thing is to not overcook them. Try slicing on the bias across the grain.

Tri-Tip is the beef cut at a lot of 1 day PNWBA events and I was fortunate enough to nail it in 2008!

IMG_1199.jpg


I wouldn't consider Tri-Tip a cheap cut either.

IMG_1192.jpg
 
swamprb said:
I cook a lot of Tri-Tip and have cooked it on a variety of my pits, direct on the drum, indirect 3 zone on the kettle and the reverse sear on the BGE, WSM and Cajun Bandit and the main thing is to not overcook them. Try slicing on the bias across the grain.

Tri-Tip is the beef cut at a lot of 1 day PNWBA events and I was fortunate enough to nail it in 2008!



I wouldn't consider Tri-Tip a cheap cut either.
Click to expand...

Yours is definitely not too tough. :thumb:

Although, I did win 3rd place to your Seventh Place in Tri-Tip at the PNWBA Central Area BBQ Cookoff in 2009! :p

http://www.pnwba.com/results_2009/central_area_bbq_overall_09.pdf

DSC_0090%20(Large).JPG


DSC_0014.jpg


I also kicked your butt in ribs. :heh:
 
Last edited:
I've made a few now, and they have turned out pretty well. This last one I smoked on a grate sitting in a shallow pan on a bed of Carrots, Onions, Celery, and one Jalepeno (uncut).

The gravy made from the drippings is some of the best I have ever had. And if you have never made jalepeno flavored gravy, you can't understand the unbelievable flavor it adds. People are amazed when I tell them that is where the unique flavored gravy comes from. It is not hot, just different. You have to try it to understand.

People have told me not to share this it is so good. Excellent on Mashed Potatoes.
 
Follow the "Master's Cut" Tri-Tip challenge this week on the Brethren Throwdown thread. You'll see some good work there.

For Tri Tip, Slicing direction, Individual Slice thickness, and a proper rest are ESSENTIAL. Traditionally TT is cooked indirectly over Oak Wood, but still receives some benefit from the Millard effect.

The "reverse sear" is really nice if you can pull it off on a backyard cooker, but commercially it is difficult due to pit space and temperature commitments.

It will never be a steak, but for a roast, it's KILLER!
 
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