Smoked Tri-Tip | Smoker or Grill

This smoked tri-tip roast is cooked low-and-slow and reverse-seared for juicy, tender steak every single time! Made with homemade dry rub, this tri-tip can be easily made on a smoker or a gas grill. This is the perfect recipe for beginner BBQ-ers!

As a west coast girlie who was born in raised in Las Vegas, there are two main benefits that I am particularly fond of. The first is that you can pretty much find a 24/7 diner/liquor store/burger joint in any major city. And the second is that tri-tip is readily available at all times.

We all know I love a good steak whether it’s reverse-seared and covered in peppercorn sauce or in the form of beef Wellington bites. But when it’s warm out and the sun is shining, tri-tip is the go-to each and every time.

After testing this recipe multiple ways and many, many times, I think I’ve finally settled on the best tri-tip recipe. (Shout out to my dad for letting me borrow his smoker and helping me develop this recipe!) Also, if you don’t have a smoker, don’t worry. I have a gas grill hack that works great too!

Tri-tip is primarily a west coast thing, but luckily, it’s starting to make its way to other parts of the country! Tri-tip is a boomerang-shaped cut of steak that comes from the bottom of the sirloin. It has a similar taste and texture to brisket, but it’s from a completely different part of the cow. If you ever come across a tri-tip, make sure to grab one! It’s flavorful, tender, and perfect for grilling or smoking.

Tri-tip is the best steak, ok?

I love that tri-tip is gaining popularity outside the west coast, because honestly, it’s so underrated. I can’t tell you how many summer nights I spent grilling tri-tip with my dad growing up. But, smoking tri-tip also makes it juicy, tender, and so flavorful. Plus, it’s a pretty affordable cut. As a culinary school grad, this is my secret trick for making steak for a dinner party without spending a ton of money!

• This tri-tip is tender, smoky, juicy, and full of flavor.
• It’s such an easy recipe for dinner parties or BBQs.
• You can use this tri-tip in sandwiches, tacos, & more!
• This recipe can be made in a smoker or on a gas grill.

The ingredients you’ll need

You only need two ingredients to make this recipe! First, obviously you’ll need tri-tip. Between 3-5 pounds of tri-tip will do depending on how many people you want to serve. I like to buy it from Costco, but on the west coast, it’s usually available in the meat aisle of any grocery store. If you live somewhere where tri-tip is less common, try checking out your favorite local butcher shop!

You’ll also need dry rub. I make my own tri-tip dry rub, but any beef rub you have on hand will work in this recipe.

Wood chips

You will also need wood chips or pellets for your smoker depending on what kind of smoker you have. If you’re using the grill to smoke the steak, make sure you have wood chips, not pellets. Hickory, oak, mesquite, and pecan are all great options!

Seasoning & marinating

No matter which cooking method you choose, the first thing you’ll want to do is give the tri-tip a good seasoning and marinating sesh. Here’s how:

1. Start by trimming any fat or silver skin off of the tri-tip. Then, pat it dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of dry rub on the roast. Use clean hands to pat the rub evenly on the tri-tip. Flip it over and repeat it on the other side.
3. Place the steak into a zipper bag or container. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
4. When you’re ready to smoke, remove the roast from the fridge and let it come to room temp for about 30 minutes.

How to smoke on a smoker

I used a Traeger to make this tri-tip but any smoker will work! Just make sure to follow the manufacturer instructions for set up.

1. While the tri-tip warms up, set up your smoker with wood pellets or wood chips (depending on what your smoker uses). Then, preheat the smoker to 225°F (107°C) with the lid closed for about 15-30 minutes. If your smoker has a water pan, go ahead and fill it at this point!
2. Place the seasoned tri-tip on the grates of the smoker. Then, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the tri-tip.
3. Close the lid, and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F (49-52°C). Keep a close eye on the temperature to make sure the steak doesn’t overcook!
4. While the tri-tip is smoking, continue adding wood pellets or wood chips to keep the smoke going.
5. Once the tri-tip hits 120-125°F (49-52°C), remove it from the smoker. Then, sear it on the smoker, grill, or in a cast iron until it reaches 130-135°F (54-57°C) for medium-rare.
6. Let the tri-tip rest for 10-15 minutes. Lastly, slice against the grain and enjoy!

I do not spritz the tri-tip while cooking. Since it’s only smoking for a couple of hours, it doesn’t dry out during cooking. I also don’t wrap the tri-tip in butcher paper. With the short smoke time, you want to give it as much smoke as possible!

How to smoke tri-tip on a grill

While smoking on a gas grill won’t give you the exact same results of a smoker, it’s a great option if you don’t have a smoker. Just a head’s up that you’ll need to monitor the temperature of the grill more often than you would with a traditional smoker. Here’s how to do it!

Smoking step-by-step

1. While the tri-tip comes to room temp, start prepping your indirect heat set up. Pour some wood chips into a smoker box and fill a heat-safe pan with water. Place both over the direct flame of the grill. (Full indirect heat set-up instructions below!)
2. Once the grill reaches 225-250°F (107-121°C), place the tri-tip on the grill grates over the indirect heat on the cool side of the grill. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the tri-tip.
3. Close the lid, and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F (49-52°C).
4. While the tri-tip cooks, keep a close eye on the temp of the grill. Don’t let it get below 225°F (107°C) or above 250°F (121°C). You want it to cook low-and-slow!
5. Add more wood chips to the smoker box if they burn out. Also, pay close attention to the water pan and add more water if you need to!
6. Once the tri-tip reaches 120-125°F (49-52°C), remove it from the grill. Then, sear it on the grill or in a cast iron skillet until it reaches 130-135°F (54-57°C) for medium-rare.
7. Let the tri-tip rest for 10-15 minutes. Then, slice against the grain and enjoy!

Indirect heat set up

To properly smoke on a gas grill, you will need to create an indirect heat set up. This means that you will want one hot side of the grill and one cool side.

1. First, remove the grates from two of the burners. As you can see in the photo above, I removed the two farthest to the left. This will be your hot side of the grill. (If you have a 2-burner grill, you only need to remove 1 grate).
2. Next, fill a smoker box with wood chips. Cover, and place it directly on the back of the exposed burner. Then, place a water pan on the exposed burner in front of the smoke box.
3. Now it’s time for the thermometer set up! Insert one probe from the probe thermometer through a clip, and place it on the grates where you will be cooking the tri-tip. (In the photo above, this is the right side of the grill.) Make sure the thermometer isn’t actually touching the grate – we want it to monitor the temperature of the air, not the metal! This will be the cool side of the grill, meaning we’re not using heat.
4. Once this is all set up, turn on the burners where your smoke box and water pan is set up. (Left side of the grill). Heat to medium-high.
5. Lastly, close the lid. Once the thermometer registers 225-250°F (107-121°C), you’re ready to go! Place the tri-tip on the cool side of the grill and cook according to the directions above.

Continue playing with the burners to maintain a temperature of 225-250°F (107-121°C). You don’t want the grill to get to hot or cold.

DIY smoke packet

If you don’t want to buy a smoke box, a foil packet is a great hack! I would make a couple packets so that you can keep the smoke going if the first batch of chips burns out.

1. Start by tearing off a large piece of tinfoil and placing it flat on the counter, short side towards you. Then, place a big handful of wood chips in the center.
2. Starting with the top of the foil rectangle, fold it toward you, covering the wood chips.
3. Next, grab the edge closest to you and fold it over the top fold, hot dog-style.
4. Fold in the sides once, sealing the edges tightly.
5. Then, fold the sides once more to make sure everything is very secure.
6. Flip the foil packet over so the smooth side is on top. Use the tines of a fork to poke holes all over the top for the smoke to escape. Use it like you would a smoker box!

Searing the tri-tip

Once the steak is smoked, you’ll want to finish cooking it with a good sear. This will add extra flavor and a gorgeous crust! My personal favorite way to do this is on a grill, but you can also use a smoker or cast iron skillet.

• Smoker – once the tri-tip reaches 120-125°F (49-52°C), remove it from the smoker. Close the lid, crank the heat up to 450°F (232°C), and preheat for 10-15 minutes. Then, sear the tri-tip for 4-5 minutes per side until it reaches 130-135°F (54-57°C).
• Grill – heat the grill to 450°F (232°C). Place the tri-tip on the grill and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until the outside is browned and it reaches 130-135°F (54-57°C).
• Cast iron skillet – heat some butter or a light coating of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, sear it for 2-3 minutes per side until it’s browned and the internal temperature reaches 130-135°F (54-57°C).

Temperature guide

The key to perfectly cooked tri-tip is constantly checking the temperature to make sure it’s not overcooked! I highly recommend using a thermometer to keep track of the internal temp.

Doneness	Smoker Internal Temp	Searing Internal Temp
Rare	110-115°F	120-125°F
Medium Rare	120-125°F	130-135°F
Medium	130-135°F	140-145°F
Medium Well*	140-145°F	150°F
Well Done*	150-155°F	160°F

For tender, juicy tri-tip, don’t cook the steak past medium. I recommend medium rare!

How to cut tri-tip

A secret about tri-tip is that it has two different grain directions. That means you’ll want to cut it properly against both grains for juicy tri-tip! Here’s how:

1. Once the tri-tip has rested for 10-15 minutes, find the spot where the two grain directions intersect. (This is super easy to see when it’s raw, but you can usually still see it when it’s cooked too).
2. Cut the steak in the dividing line where the two grain directions intersect. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
3. Now, look for the grain direction on each piece of tri-tip and slice both pieces against the grain. Slice it thinly for the most tender steak possible!

Refrigerate & freeze

• Refrigerate – place leftovers in a zipper bag or airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.
• Freeze – store the leftover sliced tri-tip in heavy-duty airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating tips

• Oven – wrap the tri-tip tightly in tinfoil and heat it in the oven at 325°F (163°C) for 5-10 minutes.
• Microwave – you can also microwave the slices for about 1 minute, just keep in mind they might dry out a little.
• Air fryer – I also like to reheat chopped tri-tip in my air fryer for tacos or sandwiches! Cook it at 390°F (200°C) for 4-5 minutes for crispy tri-tip.

Side dishes

Tri-tip is super versatile and goes with all kinds of side dishes! Here are some of my go-tos:

• BBQ side dishes – watermelon peach salad with feta, raw carrot salad, or antipasto tortellini salad
• Cozy sides – simple rice pilaf with orzo or rosemary cheddar mashed potatoes
• Veggie sides – hot honey Brussels sprouts, lemony green beans, or charred broccoli with pecorino

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

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