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!
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds tri-tip roast
- 1/2 cup tri-tip dry rub, plus more as-needed
Equipment
- Smoker or gas grill
- Two probe thermometer
- Smoker box (optional)
- Water pan (optional)
Instructions
Season & Marinate
- To season the tri-tip, start by trimming off any extra fat and silver skin. Discard. Then, pat the tri-tip dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle 3-4 Tablespoons of the dry rub over the top of the tri-tip. Using clean hands, pat the rub evenly on the tri-tip. Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Place the tri-tip in an airtight container or zipper bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. Let the tri-tip come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Smoker Instructions
- While the tri-tip warms to room temperature, add wood pellets or wood chips to your smoker, depending on what your smoker uses. Then, preheat the smoker to 225°F with the lid closed for about 15-30 minutes. If your smoker has a water pan, you can go ahead and fill it at this point.
- Once the smoker is preheated, place the tri-tip on the grates of the smoker. Then, insert one probe of the thermometer into the thickest part of the tri-tip.
- Close the lid, and smoke the tri-tip for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F. While the tri-tip is smoking, continue adding wood pellets or wood chips to keep the smoke going, if necessary. Keep a close eye on the temperature to make sure the tri-tip doesn't overcook! Once the tri-tip hits 120-125°F, remove it from the smoker.
Gas Grill Instructions
- To smoke on the grill, you first need to prep the indirect heat set up. (See the image + description in the blog post for more details).Start with a clean grill. Then, remove the grates from the 2 burners on the left. (If you have a 2-burner grill, just remove 1 grate). This will be the hot side of the grill. Next, fill a smoker box with wood chips. Cover, and place it directly on the back of the exposed burners. Then, place a water pan on the exposed burner in front of the smoke box. (You can use an old cake pan or a disposable tinfoil pan.) Fill it with water.Insert one thermometer probe through a clip, and place it on the grates on the right side of the grill. This is where you will be cooking the tri-tip. (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. Once this is all set up, turn on the left burners where the smoke box and water pan is set up. Heat the grill to medium-high heat and close the lid. When the thermometer reaches a steady, consistent 225-250°F, you're ready to go!
- 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.
- Close the lid, and cook for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F. While the tri-tip cooks, keep a close eye on the temperature of the grill. Don't let it get below 225°F or above 250°F. You want it to cook low-and-slow at a consistent, steady temperature. (You may need to play with the burners to maintain a consistent temperature).While the tri-tip smokes, make sure to add more wood chips to the smoker box if they burn out. You can also add more water to the water pan if necessary.Once the tri-tip reaches 120-125°F, remove it from the grill.
Sear & slice
- To sear the tri-tip, you have a few options. Any of them will work great, it's totally up to you!Smoker - once the tri-tip reaches 120-125°F, remove it from the smoker. Close the lid, turn the heat to 450°F, and preheat for 10-15 minutes. Then sear the tri-tip for 4-5 minutes per side until the temperature reaches 130-135°F for medium rare.Grill - heat the grill to 450°F. Place the tri-tip on the grill and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until the outside is browned and the internal temperature reaches 130-135°F for medium rare.Cast iron skillet - heat a couple Tablespoons of butter or a light coating of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, sear the tri-tip for 2-3 minutes per side until it's browned and the internal temperature reaches 130-135°F for medium rare.
- After searing the tri-tip, let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then, slice the tri-tip against the grain and enjoy! (See the blog post for full details on properly cutting tri-tip.)
Notes
I typically buy about 3-4 pounds of tri-tip for 8-12 people. You may need more or less if you have big or small eaters. But don't worry if you have leftovers. This tri-tip is amazing on sandwiches, tacos, and more!
You will need between 3-5 pounds of tri-tip for this recipe. I usually buy mine from Costco, which comes in packs of two tri-tips that are about 2-2 1/2 pounds each. But if you can only find one big tri-tip, that's ok too!
Let the tri-tip marinate in the rub for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. This will give the meat time to soak in all of those delicious flavors!
You do not need to spritz, flip, or wrap the tri-tip in butcher paper. Since this recipe only takes about 2 hours, it won't lost much moisture. You also want it to soak up as much smoke flavor as possible!
To prevent tough steak, make sure not to over-cook the tri-tip. I don't recommend cooking the tri-tip past medium or it will make it dry. You also need to let the steak rest for 10-15 minutes and slice it against the grain. This will make for juicy, tender tri-tip!
If you're smoking with a gas grill, you may need to play around with the indirect heat set up. Since every grill cooks differently, it may take a couple of tries to figure out what works best for you!
Serving: 4ounces, Calories: 228kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.8g, Protein: 23.5g, Fat: 10.6g, Saturated Fat: 4.1g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 900mg, Potassium: 81mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 6.9g, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 5mg
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