Smoked Tri Tip – Reverse Sear

Ready in no time, smoked tri tip roast is an economical cut of beef that is easy to smoke finished off with the flames of a reverse sear.

David and I cooked our first tri tip this summer. Tri tip is a cut of beef that is not as common here on the east coast as it is on the west coast. I got lucky and stumbled across a roast in our local grocery store one day while grocery shopping. 

A tri tip is a great way to enjoy smoked beef in a fraction of the time it takes to smoke other more expensive and larger cuts. It’s even faster than a smoked chuck roast.

The tri tip is rubbed in steak seasoning and placed on the grill over indirect heat, where it slowly cooks to a medium-rare temperature. Then the smoked tri tip is removed from the heat, and the grill is stoked up for direct high-heat grilling. The roast is seared on both sides over the hot, licking flames from the grill until the bark is slightly charred. Finally, the smoked and seared roast is off the grill to rest and then sliced to enjoy.

Today, we are sharing a step-by-step guide about how we did it so that you can smoke a tender and juicy tri tip of your own. 

David uses his Weber Performer Charcoal Grill for this tri tip recipe. However, applying the same principles of temperature and time with your charcoal or pellet grill is relatively easy.

What is Tri Tip Roast?

As the name suggests, a tri tip is a small, triangular cut from the lower part of the sirloin. It is also known as a “Triangle Steak,” “Bottom Sirloin Steak,” or “Santa Maria Steak,” and “Newport Steak.” 

Despite being within the sirloin section of the cow, tri tip is a good cut of meat with excellent marbling. It has a rich beef flavor and tender texture. It also has a much cheaper price tag to similar cuts and cooks in a fraction of the time. It’s also a lean cut of meat which means it’s a healthier cut of red meat.

What Is The Difference Between Tri Tip And Sirloin Tip?

A sirloin tip comes from the round portion of the cow, while a tri tip comes from the bottom half of the sirloin. Tri tip is a triangle-shaped roast with a nice fat marbling, whereas a sirloin tip is leaner.

Selecting a Tri Tip Roast

Popularized in California, tri tip is now marketed more widely across the United States. Here on the East Coast, it isn’t as common. You might get lucky like we did and find one in the meat case at your local grocery store, but you may need to order from your local butcher.

• Size: A typical tri tip can weigh anywhere from 1 ½ – 3 pounds. A 2-pound roast will feed about four people with some hearty sides to go along with the meat.
• Fat: can be either very lean or very fatty. Select a roast with visible streaks of marbling fat.
• Trimmed vs. Untrimmed: untrimmed roasts can have a relatively thick fat cap. It’s okay; just trim to ¼-inch thickness before cooking. The fat will not render and can cause major flair-ups on the grill.

Score the Fat

If your tri tip has a fat cap, make sure to trim it to about ¼ inch thick. Scoring the meat helps render the fat and allows the smoke and seasoning to penetrate the meat. Score the fat, making a crosshatch pattern on the fat cap.

Tri Tip Dry Rub

It doesn’t take long to achieve a crispy bark on a tri tip. We keep things simple by using McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning for this recipe. It’s delicious on beef, and it saved some time making our usual beef dry rub. However, feel free to use your favorite beef bbq rub, which can be as simple as equal parts kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

What is a Reverse Sear?

Many recipes will tell you to sear the meat first then smoke it. As the name suggests, a reverse sear is just the opposite. A reverse sear is a method of cooking in which you smoke the meat at a low temperature first, then finish it over high heat to give it a flavorful charred crust. Meat that is reverse-seared is something to behold. 

The tri tip is smoked over soaked applewood chips. The meat takes on flavor without cooking too fast. When the tri tip reaches about 130 degrees, it is removed from the grill. The grill is stoked up and set up for direct high heat, and then the tri tip is licked over the flames for 3 to 5 minutes. As a result, the meat has a sizzling crust on the outside with a blood-red medium-rare center. 

The advantage of the reverse sear method is that you have more control over the temperature of the meat for small cuts such as the tri tip to prevent overcooking.

Wood for Smoking Tri Tip

For this recipe, we used soaked applewood chips. David chose to use soaked chips to slow down the smoking temperature since a tri tip is not a very large cut of meat.

Any fruitwood or post or red oak is ideal because it cooks so quickly. 

Wood chunks are also acceptable too.

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Tri Tip?

Smoke the tri tip at 225-250 degrees until they hit an internal temperature of 135 degrees for medium-rare, about 30 minutes per pound.

The cook time can vary so keep reading to learn more time and temperature.

Temperature Vs. Time on the Grill

People always ask, “How long does it take to cook a tri tip?” Well, that’s a loaded question. There are a lot of variables that determine how long it will take to smoke and reverse sear a tri tip. 

First of all, don’t grill without an instant-read thermometer. We highly recommend getting an instant-read thermometer such as a Thermapen® ONE so you can stop guessing doneness based on time. Secondly, remember that the meat temperature can rise 3 to 5 degrees once it leaves the grill. 

Always smoke and grill according to the temperature of the meat, not how much time. And pull the meat when just before it reaches the goal temperature so it can rise to the target temperature as it rests.

Beef Temperature Cooking Chart

Preferred Doneness	Pull Temp(After Smoking)	Target Temp(After Searing)
Rare	115-125°F	120-130°F
Medium rare (recommended)	125-130°F	130-135°F
Medium	130-135°F	135-140°F
Medium well	140-150°F	145-155°F
Well done	NA	NEVER!

Watch David at the Grill

My daddy brought me up the right way: “If you don’t need steak sauce, if your steak is cooked right.” Don’t be like David… Don’t use steak sauce.

You can find the recipe for Smoked Onion Dip HERE.

Ingredients Needed

• 1 ½ – 2 pound tri tip
• Beef Dry Rub: Montreal Steak Seasoning or favorite beef dry rub

How to Make Smoked Tri Tip With Reverse Sear

#1 Prep the Tri Tip for Smoking

• Rinse: Start with a tri tip within a 2-pound range. Rinse it under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels.
• Trimming:  If untrimmed, use a sharp knife to trim off excess silver skin and deep fat pockets. Trim the fat cap to ¼-inch thick. If it’s any thicker, it will not render and may cause flare-ups.
• Score: Use a sharp knife to make diagonal cuts approximately 1 to 2-inches apart across the fat cap of the roast. Allow the blade to penetrate the fat without slicing into the meat below. Next, turn the meat 90 degrees and make a crosshatch score across the fat in the opposite direction.
• Rub: Rub the spice rub onto all sides of the beef. Let it cure in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight if you have time. Smoking the roast right away is okay, but sitting in the fridge for several hours allows the rub to penetrate the meat.

#2 Prep the Grill For Smoked Tri Tip

• Soak Chips: Soak a few handfuls of wood chips for about 30 minutes in water before placing them on the hot coals.
• Fire Up the Grill: Set up the grill for 3-Zone Fire and preheat the grill to 225 degrees F. Use only half as much charcoal as usual to maintain this low temperature. (A half charcoal chimney full.) When the coals are hot and covered in white ash, pour half into each charcoal basket (or small pile) on both sides of the grill.

#3 Smoking the Tri Tip

• When the coals are ready, place the prepared tri tip onto the center of the hot grill grate. Insert the temperature probe (if using). Toss a handful of soaked wood chips onto the hot coals; cover and allow the beef to smoke.
• The wet wood chips provide a lower, slower smoke and decrease the heat. Use the vents on the grill to make head adjustments.
• Bring the temperature up to 225 degrees F, using the vents to regulate the temperature. You may need to add a few fresh coals and more wood chips as the beef smokes.

#4 Low and Slow

• Make sure the grill stays as close to 225 degrees F as possible. 
• Resist the temptation to open the lid unless you need to add more charcoal or soaked wood chips to maintain temperature and smoke.

#5 Testing For Doneness

• Smoke the tri tip until a golden brown “bark” (outside crust) forms and the internal temp of the meat is about 125 to 130 degrees F (we shoot for medium-rare temps), about 30 to 35 minutes.
  
  Our grill temperature was really high, and we cooked ours a little too fast. Keep a close watch on it. As David mentions in the video, it’s important to go by the temperature of the meat and not the time.
  
• Use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness throughout the roast. Remember, the internal temperature of the meat will increase slightly after it has been removed from the grill, so keep that in mind. 

#6 Reverse Sear the Smoked Tri Tip

When the trip tip roast reaches the desired internal temperature, remove it and stoke up the grill to reverse sear it.

• Prepare the grill for direct high heat grilling. Spread out the already hot charcoals and light up fresh hot charcoal.
• When the charcoal is ready, and the grill is hot, place the roast back onto the hot grate. Grill the beef directly for about 3 minutes on each side. Check the meat temperature with an instant-read thermometer often.
• Remove the meat from the grill immediately when it is about 135-140 degrees F (medium). The carry-over heat will bring the meat to the perfect doneness of 140-145 degrees F. A perfectly cooked tri tip will have a dark red center and be light pink on the outside. Use the chart above to gauge your pull temps. 
• Wrap the meat in foil and allow it to rest for at least 10-20 minutes before carving. The foil captures the natural au jus, and holding allows the surface parts that have dried out during cooking to absorb some of the juices.

#7 Slicing A Tri Tip

• Carefully unwrap the foil and transfer the meat to a cutting board to slice. The key to tender bites is to carve the tri tip against the grain. It’s important to know that the direction can change within this cut of beef. The direction of the grain is something you want to check out before rubbing and grilling, so you understand the grain of your meat. It may help to carve the roast into where the grain changes and slice each piece separately.

#8 Serving the Tri Tip

• Perfectly cooked meat should be moist and juicy. You can serve it simply sliced on a plate drizzled with the natural au jus from the foil the meat was wrapped in while resting. NOT WITH STEAK SAUCE like David does… HAVE MERCY!

What to Serve With Smoked Tri Tip

• We paired this meat with easy collard greens and smashed potatoes, both perfect compliments to this beef. Other suggested side dishes to go with the tri tip roast would be: Grilled Cabbage, Easy Coleslaw, Grilled Brussels Sprouts, Caesar Salad, Potatoes Au Gratin just to name a few.

The hardest part is finding the cut in your local grocery store because I haven’t seen one since I bought this one. So it looks like we will visit our local butcher here real soon!

Try this tri tip recipe and tell us what you think in the comments below.