Tri-Tip Adam Perry Lang Style (pron)

[aawa]

I went to the butchers this morning to see if anything struck my fancy. The tri tip and the andouille spoke to me and I picked them up.

I was going to go the nice basic salt, pepper, garlic route on the tri tip but I then remembered Adam Perry Lang had a recipe for a honey garlic glazed tri tip in his Serious BBQ book, so i decided to go that route.

I peeled both the tri tips I bought. You can see one is clearly a lot better looking that his brother.

I then made the chili powder paste and seasoning blend.

Flavor Paste -
1/4 mild chile powder
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon beef base in paste form

Seasoning Blend -
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon course ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

I let the tri tips sit and I went to get the kettle fired up. I remembered reading that California Tri-tip is typically done over oak wood fire. So I took some branches that I was seasoning and burned them down over a bed of kbb.

APL does the typical sear then indirect cook, so that is what I did. I threw on a couple chunks of oak onto the coals to give it a little bit more oomph of smoke. During the indirect cook I applied the glaze every 5mins as instructed by APL.

Honey Garlic Glaze
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
5 garlic cloves (microplane grated)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

I pulled them when the IT reached 135 degrees and let them rest for 20mins. Here is a crappy shot of one. You can see the juices that came out while resting. I definitely used that Au Jus when plating. :loco:

I sliced against the grain at a 45 degree angle and here is another crappy shot of the medium rare tri tip slices, plated with the sauteed onions and grilled zuchinni and squash.

Finishing dressing that goes on the cutting board
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped chives
sprinkle of Salt (recommend fleur de sel, I used sea salt)

After slicing sprinkle a little bit more finishing salt

The Tri Tip turned out good, but I am on the fence if it was great or not (so probably not great). The sweetness from the glaze just didn't seem right to be on this application of beef. I probably should of throw it directly over the coals at the very end to cook off some of the sweetness. Overall though it was a good dinner, but I probably won't be using that recipe again because I am not a big fan of beef being sweet.


***Editted to include recipes from APL***

 

[cirk]

Man I want Tri tip so bad! You guys are killing me!

 

[V-wiz]

You and me both, been craving tri tip

 

[garzanium]

Ok..maybe I been doing it all wrong...specifically not using enough wood!

 

[aawa]

Ok..maybe I been doing it all wrong...specifically not using enough wood!

I only used half a chimney of KBB as a bed of coals for the wood to burn down. I burned the wood down to coals and by the time the tri tips hit the kettle the KBB was almost dead but the wood coals were nice and hot and provided a majority of the heat.

 

[Wneill20]

Very nice

 

[HookedOnQ]

Awesome.

 

[sliding_billy]

Looks real good!

 

[landarc]

It sure looks nice. Personally, I think that while tri-tip is great in a lot of guises, I most often reach for simple rubs with it. Salt, pepper and garlic and it will be best. I know a lot of folks like teriyaki but, that just goes better on pork ribs.

 

[aawa]

It sure looks nice. Personally, I think that while tri-tip is great in a lot of guises, I most often reach for simple rubs with it. Salt, pepper and garlic and it will be best. I know a lot of folks like teriyaki but, that just goes better on pork ribs.

I completely agree with you. I enjoy simpler rubs when doing beef (brisket, short ribs, steaks, tri tip etc) I normally do salt, pepper, garlic and every once in a while onion powder.

I will say that I did like the base flavor of APL's paste (chili powder, worchestershire, beef base paste, and soy). His seasoning blend I thought was a little different with the lemon pepper being in it (I prefer lemon pepper on chicken and not beef) I might have to try a piece of beef with the paste and seasoning blend and that is it to pass judgement on it.

The glaze was the sweet part. Apple Juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, crushed red peppers, and I think a few more things just made the beef too sweet for my liking. I didn't think it complimented the flavor of beef very well. Now pork on the other hand I think that glaze would be very good on.

 

[landarc]

I think this comes down to the fact, that many people in this country eat so much sugar, in everything, that they can't taste anything that is not sweetened. Same for salt. You feed them a piece of beef and it tastes bland to them.

(As an aside, I have now twice had Harry Soo's brisket and a couple of other winning briskets, and I think they are doing the opposite, under-seasoning, so they pop from the crowd.)

 

[cowgirl]

Looks tasty!!

 

[aawa]

I think this comes down to the fact, that many people in this country eat so much sugar, in everything, that they can't taste anything that is not sweetened. Same for salt. You feed them a piece of beef and it tastes bland to them.

(As an aside, I have now twice had Harry Soo's brisket and a couple of other winning briskets, and I think they are doing the opposite, under-seasoning, so they pop from the crowd.)

That makes a ton of sense. I also find that many people like to drown their food in condiments/sauces so that all you can really taste is the condiment/sauce. I prefer the condiment and sauces to act as an enhancer and only use very little of it, so I can taste the full flavors of the main ingredients.

 

[martyleach]

I'm with Landarc here in that you don't need to go crazy on tri-tip. Let the meat stand on it's own. I love Suzie-Q's rub but it is just what Bob said. garlic salt, pepper, etc. Simple! It is really a tasty, well marbled meat that has been overlooked for years (except in California).

 

[Garrett]

Looks really good! Like the idea of burning the wood down.

 

[aawa]

I'm with Landarc here in that you don't need to go crazy on tri-tip. Let the meat stand on it's own. I love Suzie-Q's rub but it is just what Bob said. garlic salt, pepper, etc. Simple! It is really a tasty, well marbled meat that has been overlooked for years (except in California).

It is hard to find here on the East Coast, and when I do find it, it is expensive. These were $7.99/lb and both almost 3 lbs each.

I found them a couple times before and always treated them with salt, pepper, garlic and loved the way they came out. I was feeling adventurous and decided to give APL's method a go.

 

[BobM]

It looks great! :thumb:

 

[Fishawn]

Had some great marinated TT's from a local meat provider...... When doing them myself, its simple/basic stuff that lets the TT beef flavor come through.... Oil, Kosher and CBP.... Maybe a fresh Garlic schmear ..... Have tried a lot of different rubs/seasonings on them, and basic always wins..... Just MHO..... TT's have been around WA for a long time...... Best beef value for the money IMO.

Personally, I like the reverse sear.......

 

[aawa]

I editted the original post to include the recipes for the paste, seasoning blend, honey-garlic glaze, and board dressing.

Had some great marinated TT's from a local meat provider...... When doing them myself, its simple/basic stuff that lets the TT beef flavor come through.... Oil, Kosher and CBP.... Maybe a fresh Garlic schmear ..... Have tried a lot of different rubs/seasonings on them, and basic always wins..... Just MHO..... TT's have been around WA for a long time...... Best beef value for the money IMO.

Personally, I like the reverse sear.......

I tend to cook with simple spices etc so the natural flavors of the meats shine, but I wanted to try something from APL's book. I also like reverse sear over regular searing then indirect cooking, because it seems the meat is a bit juicier and more tender. APL for this recipe called for the normal searing and then indirect cooking so that the TT can be mopped with the glaze.

I was happy with the cook, but the results didn't wow me.

 

[westy]

Nice lookin Tri tip. I tend to steer away from sweet as well with this cut. Try using APLs Four season blend( basically a tri tip rub), then baste with his Basic Baste( a fat baste with olive oil, butter, rendered fat etc). Its a great tri tip.