Tri-Tips in the Cryovac

[Samichlaus]

I often notice 15-20 lb packages of untrimmed tri-tips at Smart & Final. I have only grilled Tri-tips . Do you guys Q these up? Do you cook the through or do you pull them at 125 then sear them? Is it a good idea to trim much of the fat from them?

[tommykendall]

Samich -

Tri-tips done Santa Maria (tri-tip capital of US) style are completely stripped of their fat cap, dry rubbed, and cooked to med rare (or so) quite a distance over hot wood coals. I've heard some guys smoke and sear them exactly as you suggest. That would render very similar results as the Santa Maria style. I love tri-tips, Wayne S thinks their yuppy cuts so be a yuppy. I think that farking Lucille's BBQ in Long Beach smokes them through and through like a brisket. Waste (IMO) - I think the cut is too lean for it.

[Samichlaus]

I've had it at Lucille's, and your correct about cooking them through.

[tommykendall]

I've had it at Lucille's

I've had it with Lucilles and never even ate there before. Looked at menu and had price stroke mod.

[Neil]

15-20 lb. tri-tips! Holy Fark! I've only seen 2-3 lb. tri-tips around here. Always cooking them medium rare. Mmmmmmmmmmmm

[BigBelly]

Grill um dawg! I thought I would never end up saying something like that!

[Samichlaus]

15-20 lb. tri-tips!

There are 6 or so in one pack.

[BigBelly]

Check this out Sami! This is one of Steven Rachlen (sp) recipe, enjoy!

Beef Tri-Tip

-The interplay of salty, sweet, and sour is pure Filipino, and the lemon rind adds an intense blast of citrus flavor.-

2 medium-size lemons
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 flank steak or piece of sirloin or top or bottom round steak (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds; see Note below)

1. Rinse the lemons. Cut each in half and squeeze out the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into 1/4-inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.

2. If using flank steak, score it on both sides in a crosshatch pattern, making shallow cuts on the diagonal no deeper than 1/8 inch and about 1/4 inch apart. This will keep the flank steak from curling as it cooks; you don't have to score sirloin or top or bottom round.

3. Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon juice mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The beef can also be marinated in a resealable plastic bag.

4. When ready to cook, drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Cook the beef, following the instructions below for any of the grills, until cooked to taste. To test for doneness, use the poke method; when cooked to medium-rare the meat should be gently yielding.

5. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut the meat into broad thin slices, holding a sharp knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Spoon the reserved sauce over the slices and serve at once.

[grillfella]

you always want to leave a small layer of fat on tri tips (helps seal in the juices) just make sure that it is not real thick. Usually when you buy untrimmed they tend to have a thick layer of fat. The ones at smart and final are decent but, also look for choice tri-tip

[tony76248]

I have come to believe that you will do a tri-tip just like a prime rib....is that correct? I have never done one myself, but I noticed that over the last ten years all of the world championship chili recipes include tri-tip!

[swamprb]

I had some smoked/grilled tri-tip at a place in Pasadena (Big Mammas?) anyway they had Tri-tip that was smoked then grilled that was very good, so I tried it this past weekend. Santa Maria style rub, smoked for a couple hours pulled @130*, set in foil for a spell then grilled over hot coals. I wish I had taken a pic, it had the nicest smoke ring and was the hit of my cookout!

[big brother smoke]

Here are several pron shots of some tri-tips I smoked over the past year.