Anyone successful at tri-tip ??

[Sdlaird]

hey! new to the forum, but not to tri-tip. All good approaches so far.

I love doing my tri tips "brisket style" 225 until the IT reaches 160 or so. double wrap tight in heavy foil and take the IT to about 200. rest in a small cooler still in foil and wrapped in towels for minimum 30 minutes (as long as two hours) slice and serve. when I unwrap, I save the juice for an au jus.

as mentioned, across the grain slicing is key. tri tip is funky though in that the grain changes in the middle of the cut and you have to re-orient by about 45* to stay across the grain.

 

[Pacman]

I've tried the low and slow approach to tri-tip once, but typically do the low and slow until around 110 - 115 IT and then crank up my 1250 to 375 - 400 to sort of sear until I reach about 135 IT. Either way works well depending upon what you plan on serving.

In one of the pastrami/corned beef threads, people are reporting success corning a tri tip rather than a brisket. That sounds interesting as well.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I watched a video of a guy butchering and cooking a tri tip but I have always been cautious of this piece of meat, but I dont know why. I guess it gives me the same feeling as london broil, which I tried once (back when I was less educated about meat) and it was tough as nails. I can imagine some cuts of meat just need to be high quality to begin with and london broil is probably one of them. I can also imagine I cooked it very wrong. This guy starts at 165° for 1 hour, internal 110°, then cranks it to 500° for about 15 minutes to internal 135°.

Anyone experienced with tri tip that can offer their opinion of it, flavor tenderness etc etc.
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That method you mentioned should work fine. I like to sear on a hotter, direct fire than my pellet grill. I sear on charcoal very close to the meat.

Basically, treat tri-tip like a thick steak. IF you cook it medium rare or rare, it will reward you with a flavor packed, juicy piece of beef. Overcooking to medium and well done detract from it.

One of the most important things about enjoying a tender tri-tip is in the slicing. It's important to cut across the grain.

 

[BNeal]

I do mine both like a steak and also like a brisket. I really like the low and slow all the way up to about 200. But killer either way. Did anyone mention that it's important to cut across the grain? ;-)