Grass-finished tri-tip from farmers market (pic Heavy)

stemc33

Tonight's meal consisted of grass-fed/finished tri-tip I got from the farmers market. Sides included potatoes fried in apple smoked bacon bits with tomatoes diced in and lettuce for color. Then capped off with Tillamook old-fashion vanilla ice cream sprinkled with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Not sure why the rancher left a huge fat cap on the tri-tip, but I did the best I could to remove it. A butcher I'm not.

SGH

Excellent looking tri tip. I had some last week end at Thatgrimguy place that was grass fed and it was par excellent. Nice cook my friend and great pics as well.

stemc33

Thanks @SGH‌ , tri tip is becoming on of my favorites.

SGH

@stemc33‌
You are welcome my friend. I agree tri tip is outstanding when cooked to the side of rare. I could eat it everyday. Again yours looks excellent my friend.

stemc33

I've been sitting here thinking about this cook and it made me start thinking about the whole reverse sear thing.

How do you guys get the results you want? I still have a hard time getting what I want doing it traditional.

This tri tip was cooked at 550° direct at standard grate level. Flipped every 3 minutes until 130° at the center of the meat. During the rest, the temp increased to about 140°. This was only in the middle where the probe is pictured above. The ends were around 155°. This actually works out well because my wife won't eat anything that bleeds.

Does it take a while to get the feel for the reverse sear?

stemc33

Just bumping to see if anybody can add information about getting the desired results on reverse searing. I did a quick search on the forum and am not really reading anything on how to reliable predict outcome on a reverse sear.
I'm sure I'm over thinking it, but any info would be great.

SGH

@stemc33‌
I will gladly offer my thoughts. Bare with me while I type it up my friend.

SGH

@stemc33‌
To get it perfect every time takes a fair amount of practice when dealing with large cuts of meat. With small chops, steaks and chicken breast it's no problem at all due to the predictable heat transfer to small cuts. However here is some useful information for reverse searing large cuts. First and foremost you must have a very accurate thermometer for checking internal temp. It is a absolute must. I both use and recommend the Thermapen. Next when doing a very large cut I would recommend cooking indirect. It's much easier to catch the internal temp when cooking indirect as you are using convective and reflective heat instead of the radiant heat produced by direct cooks. When cooking direct the temp rises much faster due to the combined effect of reflective, radiant and convective heat. The radiant heat is absent when cooking indirect. Next on the larger cuts I like to cook in the 250-275 degree arena. This gives you far more control and predictablity of the internal temp. When I am within 20 degrees of my final target temp I pull the meat. At this point I set up direct for the sear. On large cuts I like to flip constantly to prevent scorching. This also aids in getting a nice uniform color all around. Every time I flip for the second time I check the internal temp to be sure that I don't over shoot my goal. If you note above I said I pull when I'm within 20 degrees of my target temp when doing large cuts. When doing small cuts I pull when I'm within 10 degrees. Why? On smaller cuts the temp will rise much faster internally. It's actually fairly easy if you are organized and just think about what you are trying to achieve. If you follow my suggestions above I feel that you will be successful and satisfied with the end result. If I left anything out or if you have more questions just ask my friend. I will gladly offer what I can. Hope this helps my friend.

ericp

Being from Cali I do alot of tri tps for catering events. I slow cook mine indirect at 250-275 until 5-7 degrees from desired temp. I pull and let rest for 20 min and crank up the temp. I give it a quick pat dry and sear the heck out of it. Comes out great and much easier to reach the exact temp you want. I think 550 and flipping so much is not the right approach but i have seen it done so many ways. Hope this helps. I have never done a grass fed tri tip and the color looks great. Your finished product looks great also. Here is a recipe that is pretty famous down here. I do this sometimes but I do it with a reverse sear. I dont baste until I'm in the reverse sear process and it comes out great

ericp

sorry it didnt paste

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1117388/morro-bay-rich-s-santa-maria-style-tri-tip

SGH

And please remember that the above is just my way of doing it and what works very well for me. There are many ways to reach the same end. The one above is just the one I use and enjoy with great success my friend.

stemc33

Thanks @SGH‌ . What about the rise in temp during the rest? I'm not really that particular of an exact med rare to med, just as long as it's in the ballpark. Basically just trying to become a better outdoor cook. Will a reverse sear help tri tip have a more consistent temp throughout or is tri tip a cut that always has varying temps? Like I said above, the variance in temp actually works at my house because we desire different doneness on our meat.

SGH

@stemc33‌
As noted above the 20 degree early pull gives you a real safe window to avoid over shooting on large cuts. You will get a approximate 10 degrees rise during the sear then a 5-10 degree rises during the rest depending on the overall thermal mass of the meat in question. Hence the 20 degree early pull. I find that cooking indirect I can get real even results on most all meats. Tri tip included. If the cut has a thin strip or tail you can always roll or tuck to compensate. Some of this you just have to learn by cooking and experimenting a little. Then before you know it it's second nature to you. But using the indirect method on meats of even proportions you certainly can obtain real consistent temps throughout.

stemc33

Thanks once again @SGH‌ It's amazing how much time and knowledge you contribute to the forum. It's always fun reading your post whether your going back n forth with @NPHuskerFL‌ or giving out good advice. It's a good combination and is very much appreciated.

SGH

@stemc33‌
Thank you for the kind words my friend. I'm glad that you enjoy my posts.

stemc33

Thanks for the info and link @ericp‌ , for some reason I missed the post when you first posted it.

Sixpack1

@stemc33 & ericp both those cooks look amazing. I also agree with stemc33 and enjoy SGH post and have bookmarked several of his cooks for future use. I also appreciate the education I've gained on this site from many of the great Eggheads chefs on here.

GalanteNate_OneEa

Looks tasty! Great pics!