Tri Tip - a "C"

reh111 · May 2012

Didn't really know what a Tri-Tip roast was until I came here and saw some discussions about it - was at Sam's yesterday looking for something to grill on the BGE this weekend and saw a package of 2 Tri-Tip Roasts in the meat dpt and decided to try it- brought them home, rubbed them with the favorite rub, put them in a baggie and left them over night - looked through all the threads on here about how to cook them and, this is how it went:

First, I got my BGE (medium) stabilized at 250 - place setter with legs up - set my Oregon temp controller at 120 - it took a little less than an hour to get there and then I took them off and wrapped them in foil - at this point, this is what they looked like:

Cranked the BGE up to "I wish I had burped it before I opened it":

Then put them on for searing, 2 minutes/side:

Took them off and sliced them - perfect doneness:

Served them with individual Chili Relleno casseroles - http://www.recipe.com/mini-chile-relleno-casseroles/

Yeah, they had fallen by the time I had gotten the Tri-Tip carved.

So, the verdict - the Tri-Tip was fairly chewy but had good flavor - the nod to Cinco de Mayo was just OK

So, I give them both a "C" - if I've missed something, I'd love to hear it - otherwise, I'm probably not doing either again

ribnrun · May 2012

I cook them the opposite way. I sear first and then finish them direct @ 350 to 400. I get my egg up to temp and toss the tri tip on for 2 minutes with the lid open. Then I flip it and shut the lid with the daisy wheel and vents adjusted to give me 350 to 400. This meathod works for me pretty well and makes it so I don't have to take the meat off the grill. I let it go about 10 to 20 minutes per side with the lid closed, depending on the size of the cut and the temp. I cook to 145 internal and pull, rest for 10, then slice. Comes out the way my house likes it that way.

MikeG · May 2012

I light wide fire then once loaded choke it down to 250 and roast indirect to 125 IT.

I then open the bottom vent, unload the Egg and plonk the TT's right onto the coals, which will be going strong right away. A good 2 minute sear on each side = much goodness.

deekortiz3 · May 2012

Most will say to do tri-tip the opposite way... Sear first, cook second. I personally don't sear or foil for that matter and I have gotten great results with tri-tip.

reh111 · May 2012

Most will say to do tri-tip the opposite way... Sear first, cook second. I personally don't sear or foil for that matter and I have gotten great results with tri-tip.

That's what I have always done with any meat I've done but..... it makes sense that it's a whole lot easier to cook at a lower temp first and then crank it up to a searing temp than to sear it at 600 - 700 degrees and then try to get the fire down to 250 - 300 ---- that's always been a problem for me - just takes too long - so I decided that those who cook first and sear last had a point - maybe not ????

Duganboy · May 2012

Did you slice it across the grain? It makes all the difference in the world. I do the sear first, then shut everything done and roast til internal temp is 135.

The "chewy" part of your post might be due to slicing.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · May 2012

Did you slice it across the grain? It makes all the difference in the world. I do the sear first, then shut everything done and roast til internal temp is 135.

The "chewy" part of your post might be due to slicing.

+1. That's the ticket with Tri Tip. It can be cooked perfectly but if you slice it with the grain.....no bueno

ribnrun · May 2012

I don't think any meat is good sliced with the grain. Tri Tip is not meant to be thick sliced imo. Thin slices make tender meat and great sandwich stock the next day.

This thread inspired me, got a tri tip defrosting for tomorrow, lol.

twlangan · May 2012

I've done a LOT of sirloin tip roasts on grills in my day - in fact, grilling is the only way we do them. I'd never heard of them called tri-tips until I came to this forum.

My advice - cook them longer. Sirloin tips are a somewhat tough cut of meat and need a long, slow cook to get them tender. I'm rather surprised you got them to the point you did in under an hour. Next time, cut your temp back even further if you can and aim for 3 hrs - even if the internal temp goes higher than med-rare or medium. I think you will find that this cut will be more tender if cooked longer, even if it is more done in the center. The Egg will keep it moist and it will taste great even if closer to well done. Steaks are a different animal - I never aim for well done on those.

Another thing to consider too - the animal the roast comes from can have a major effect on how tender or tough the meat is. We raise steers here on the farm and just finished one we butchered a year ago that had a bad leg. This was the toughest meat we have ever had. Learned to never butcher a lame steer again. I believe the stress prior to butchering caused the meat to be tough. We've always ate our own steers and every once in awhile we will get one that is a bit tougher than normal. it is possible the roasts you got this time were from an animal like that. The key is to keep trying until you master it.

gte1 · May 2012

I sear then do raised direct in the 400-425 range. I pull at 122-125 then cover tightly and rest for at least 10 min or longer. The temp obviously rises during the rest, but I have found that the meat becomes much more tender also. You need to rest like a roast not like a steak. Cross grain is also a strict requirement.

Once you get it down you will find this to be a great cut of meat. The other thing I like about tri-tip is because of its non uniform thickness you get multiple levels of doneness which works great for larger groups of people

George

Drunk at the EGG · May 2012

I had my BGE at 500 and tossed my tri tip on. Mesquite marinade. I just flipped it often and kept pouring the remaining marinade on it. Great char once it was done. Came out perfect and sliced against the grain. Yummy.

Lit · May 2012

From the photo it doesn't look like you sliced across the grain. I cook alot of tri tips and I always end up with long pieces of meat I have never seen one sliced like that and be across the grain.

SoCal_Griller · May 2012

I have been cooking tri tip for years on a gasser and cooked my first one on my LBGE yesterday. On the gasser I would sear at 500 then let the temp drop to 350 and cook until 140, some times indirect, others direct. For the LBGE, I brought the dome temp up to 600 direct and seared on both sides for about three minutes. Then I pulled the TT and covered with foiled, dropped in a place setter and brought the temp down to about 350 and put the TT back on and cooked to 135. The meat had great flavor and the color was great, a perfect medium rare, BUT the meat was a little chewy and the wife was not impressed. I agree with twlangan, that sometimes you can get a tough piece of meat due to stress on the animal. I had the same thing happen on the gasser, so it does happen. Next time I will cook the TT direct all the way through, thats how they do it in Santa Maria, CA, home of the Tri Tip.

Bear 007 · May 2012

I did one yesterday, first time for just smoking, I didn't sear it at all, just put it on at 250 with some oak and took it up to 130° internal. I usually do one a week, yesterday's was the best I ever had. You can also baste them with

1/4c Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c Red Wine
1/3 cup Olive oil
4 cloves crushed garlic

it adds another dimension.

I've got to say, sirloin is one of my favorites.

Tri Tip - a "C"

Comments

Categories