Tri-tip advice

[chambersuac]

Brethren,

Greetings! My local H‑E‑B (a regional supermarket chain) has Prime Tri-tip on hand. I don’t know if it’s good price or not, but it was $7-something per pound. Since Sunday is my birthday and I’ve been wanting to try one forever, I splurged and picked up one that’s about 3.5 pounds. So, what’s my best way of cooking it? Reverse seat? Pull at 130 internal (I want it medium rare)???

Any advice is appreciated. I want to enjoy it but mostly don’t want to ruin such an expensive piece of meat.

 

[kickedaside05]

I really like tri-tip and just cooked my first one since I could never find it where I previously lived ( Ohio vs now living in New Mexico). I think you got a good deal as I paid just over $8lb on a military base. I did the reverse sear and the family loved it to include my mother in law which is a picky eater. Just ruled it with some Lowry's seasoned salt and killer hogs brisket rub using worsherire sauce as a binder.

 

[mchar69]

I do reverse sear as well - pay attention, it will come up to temp pretty fast.
I used oakridge Santa Maria as they say the cut comes from the Santa Maria valley and SM rub is traditional - but basic Ksalt +coarse pepper would work.
I'd pull it at 115 then sear it. Good luck Dan! And quit crying about the price - it's $13 a pound here!

 

[Robert]

Dan,


I can't give you much advice on cooking tri-tip as I have cooked very few. However, see the linked post below and scroll down to Thirdeye's post on slicing. It is a great pictorial of how the grain runs in the tri-tip and the best way to slice against the grain.



https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292912&highlight=slicing+tri-tip


Good luck with your cook and happy birthday.


Thanks,


Robert

 

[jkief]

If you want steak like taste/texture, treat like a steak. You can reverse sear-pull at 110-115, then sear or you can sear then smoke to the temp you like. It won’t take long either way. If you want a brisket style taste/texture, cook it like a brisket. I’ve done both and both are really good. No matter how you cook it, CUT IT AGAINST THE GRAIN. It will literally ruin your taste for tri-tip if not. The grain will change directions somewhere near the middle. Best practice is to cut it in half where the grain changes, then slice each piece.

 

[mbrass]

Brethren,

Greetings! My local H‑E‑B (a regional supermarket chain) has Prime Tri-tip on hand. I don’t know if it’s good price or not, but it was $7-something per pound. Since Sunday is my birthday and I’ve been wanting to try one forever, I splurged and picked up one that’s about 3.5 pounds. So, what’s my best way of cooking it? Reverse seat? Pull at 130 internal (I want it medium rare)???

Any advice is appreciated. I want to enjoy it but mostly don’t want to ruin such an expensive piece of meat.

In a perfect world, cook over a wood fire where the flames are just high enough to kiss it every once in a while. I flip every 5 min or so and mop (red wine vinegar, garlic, oil) after each flip. When it hits 115, put it a bit closer to the fire and give it a nice sear. I pull around 120-125, then let it rest for 10 min or so before cutting. If you can’t cook over a wood fire, a traditional reverse sear works great. Most important advice is cutting against the grain. Note, the grain direction changes around the midpoint (Google “slicing Tri Tip” and you’ll see pictures/videos).

I use a Santa Maria rub. My go to is Susie Qs.

Have fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

As stated above, cutting is all important. I live in California and tri-tip is a big thing out here. I cook it almost weekly. I usually cook it indirect in the Weber kettle over mesquite lump until an I.T. of 115 then throw it on the other side and get some nice char on the outside. My go to seasonings are simple. Either McCormick’s Montreal steak seasoning, Oakridge Santa Maria or a marinade that take 24-48 hrs, Soy, fresh ginger, fresh minced garlic, one chopped onion, red pepper flakes and a little Marsala wine. Just cooked up 4 of them marinated like that last night. For lack of room to cook indirect on the Weber I started them in the offset rolling at 350 degrees and then transferred them to the kettle at the end. And I would say you did great on the price. At least compared to here, and the beef come from 60 miles away. Go figure.

Best of luck. Hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Birthday!

 

[thirdeye]

With perfect conditions tri-tip are wonderful when cooked over a hot raised direct fire. Or in my eye, just as good over a medium fire, rest, and end sear. When conditions are not perfect, like not knowing exactly what time you will be cooking, tri-tip is a great sous vide cook. I go 3 to 4 hours @ 133°, dry and sear.

 

[chambersuac]

Thanks for the advice. It turned out really good, but I honestly think I prefer a well smoked brisket. The advice from Thirdeye to take a picture before seasoning it was a great piece of advice.

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

Looks mighty tasty!

 

[Learning to BBQ]

Looks like tri-tip is different depending on where you live. Nicely done Dan!

My tri-tip that wal-mart started selling is in strips.