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Smoked Tri-Tip

This is super easy, incredibly tender and amazingly aromatic smoked Tri-Top recipe.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 264 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 2.5 pound Tri-Tip steak trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 teaspoon of coarse kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Trim excess fat from Tri-Tip and pat dry
  2. Rub generously with salt and pepper
  3. Allow steak to move towards room temperature while you prepare the smoker of your choice wood.
  4. Insert temperature probe into the thickest part of the Tri-Tip and place on the smoker rack/grill.
  5. Monitor temperature keeping at approximately at 225 F. The steak should be done in about 90 minutes.
  6. At 127F, remove the steak from the smoke and tent it and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Wine &and Beer Pairing: 

The Tri-Tip steak is relatively mild in flavor and quite versatile when it comes to wines.  Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz from Australia), Sangiovese, Chianti and Pinot Noir are also good choices and will produce softer red wine and steak pairings, which you may prefer depending on the steak, the doneness you prefer and whatever else you are serving.

 

Cost:

This can be a very reasonable meal costing $2.50-$3.50 per plate plus your side dishes.

 

Time and Effort:

This can be a very efficient meal as it takes very little effort to prepare but it does take 90 minutes in the smoker.  Since that might be a little more time than you have for a weeknight dinner. I often cook this while I have a faster meal underway for dinner.  Then we have this Tri-Tip the following night and the next few days in the various ways.

 

Alex Approved:

I am delighted to say that this is the first meat dish I have served Alex where he no longer smothers it beyond recognition with BBQ sauce.

 

Leftovers:

Tri-tip steak makes for fabulous leftovers and it is very versatile.  Our top two uses for leftover Tri-Tip are: 1) cut thin and make a fantastic steak sandwich, 2) cut a little thicker and reheat, adding some sides like a starch and salad for a complete and satisfying sit down meal that comes together in minutes.

 

Health:

Even though a heart healthy meal should generally avoid red meat, this particular steak is relatively low in dietary cholesterol.