Yesterday I decided I was going to try a tri-tip, so I stopped by the local butcher on my way home from work and grabbed the smallest one they had. It was only 1.5 lbs, but figured smaller was better for my first attempt.
Got that little gem home and started the prep work. Rubbed it up with some Billy Bones Beefmaster rub, fired up the OBS, fed in (6) hickory pucks, followed by my trusty bubba pucks, cracked a cold one and then waited for the smoke to start rolling. After about 10 minutes, into the OBS went the tri-tip. I placed a drip pan on the lower most shelf and then the tri-tip on the next shelf up along with my temp probe. I left the OBS's temp control on MAX the whole time. Temps quickly climbed up to about 220 and I maintained the temp between 220 and 230. After about an hour and a half, I inserted my meat probe into the thickest part of the tri-tip and began to monitor meat temps.
My plan was to let it go in the Bradley until the IT hit 140, at which point I would pull it, FTC it and then wait 15 - 20 before slicing. I got to doing a few other things, failed to set any temp alarms and before I knew it, the IT had reached 143F before I noticed. I quickly pulled it out of hte OBS, and FTC'd it.
After I let it rest, I started thinly slicing across the grain with an electric carving knife.
WOW!!!! I was blown away at how good it turned out. I make some pretty killer brisket and I'd be willing to put this tri-tip up against any of the briskets I've ever made. I was worried my first attempt would result in something resembling shoe leather, but this thing was the furthest from shoe-leather you can get.
I got a late start with this and didn't get it into the smoker until 8 pm or so. Pulled it out by 10pm, sliced it by 10:30 and was it BBQ heaven by 10:35pm. It was so good I even went and woke up my wife that had already gone to bed, just to have her taste it, LOL! And yes, she was blown away too! So much in fact that she didn't even mind me waking her up!
The only thing I'm a bit upset about is that my fellow smokers didn't make a bigger deal about this BBQ cut of beef. Had I known a tri-tip can be this good, I would have been smoking them all along. The fact that this cut of meat has flown under the radar for as long as it has is a bit upsetting.
One of the best parts of this cut is also how much quicker this cut can be Q'd than say a brisket or a butt. Most of my briskets take anywhere from 10-12 hours up to 15-18, butts from 8 to 12 usually. This bad boy was done in two hours, two and a half hours from start to having sliced succulent tri-tip on my plate. That is AWESOME!!!
I can't wait to Q another one, a bigger one!
Son....you have to come to the forum more often :D I don't think more then a few days go by that someone is not praising the tri tip, really glad you are enjoying the tri tip..and a good tri tip is hard to beat..
Glad it turned out great for you :)
Us west coasters have been making tri-tips for years. Tri-tips are always available at any store in California for cheap! And briskets here are kinda pricey. It seems to be starting to catch on in the eastern states. Tomorrow there is a sale at the local grocery store for tri-tips at a $1.99 a lb :o limit 2. So my wife and I will be separated in line so we can get four of them ;)
Around here a tri-tip = ground sirloin...... >:(
i never heard of tri-tip cept on here. can't find it anywhere around here. maybe it called something different. i do know it looks great in the pics that have been posted. :)
It's not easy to find here either. I have to go to a small mom/pop type butcher shop to find the tri-tip, where it is $3.99/lb for Choice grade. None of the local chain type grocers carry tri-tip that I have been able to find.
If you can find it, it is worth the hunt. :P
Was it a unicorn tri tip?
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 31, 2011, 08:22:16 AM
Around here a tri-tip = ground sirloin...... >:(
Ditto!
Unless you go to Omaha Steaks then you get 1.5 lb for 25 bucks. >:(
I'm gonna keep asking all the meat departments every week till they start gettin them, I keep tellin them if the put them out people will buy them.
Quote from: OU812 on August 31, 2011, 09:28:35 AM
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 31, 2011, 08:22:16 AM
I'm gonna keep asking all the meat departments every week till they start gettin them, I keep tellin them if the put them out people will buy them.
Curt, if Excel supplies their meat I'm pretty sure they can get tri-tips from Excel.
Quote from: KyNola on August 31, 2011, 09:53:35 AM
Quote from: OU812 on August 31, 2011, 09:28:35 AM
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 31, 2011, 08:22:16 AM
I'm gonna keep asking all the meat departments every week till they start gettin them, I keep tellin them if the put them out people will buy them.
Curt, if Excel supplies their meat I'm pretty sure they can get tri-tips from Excel.
I will bring that to there attention, thanks Larry
I'm sure they probably burger it up around here too since I have never seen it in the store , but my beef guy raises mine for me so I just have to know what part of the animal does it come from and I'll tell my butcher to save it?
Or should he know where it is?
Anybody know what cut it is?
Tri tip is about a 1½ - 2½ pound triangular muscle cut from the bottom sirloin. I forget the name of the muscle but you can Google it.
Quote from: grnhs on August 31, 2011, 08:33:09 PM
I'm sure they probably burger it up around here too since I have never seen it in the store , but my beef guy raises mine for me so I just have to know what part of the animal does it come from and I'll tell my butcher to save it?
Or should he know where it is?
Anybody know what cut it is?
Hope this helps.
(http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww263/OU812_bucket/bovine_breakdown.gif)
done many of tri tip
Quote from: OU812 on September 01, 2011, 06:55:32 AM
Quote from: grnhs on August 31, 2011, 08:33:09 PM
I'm sure they probably burger it up around here too since I have never seen it in the store , but my beef guy raises mine for me so I just have to know what part of the animal does it come from and I'll tell my butcher to save it?
Or should he know where it is?
Anybody know what cut it is?
Hope this helps.\
Thanks Curt, helps alot
(http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww263/OU812_bucket/bovine_breakdown.gif)
Smoked one last night...
My schedule changed, so after a low smoke for 2-1/2 hours, I move it to a 150° oven and let ride a while.
Came out very tender and still fairly rare!
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DFiWwo4snJI/Tl7iuoIj1sI/AAAAAAAAAMw/dLhM0PhCqOg/s800/IMAG0144.jpg)
Quote from: hal4uk on September 01, 2011, 04:44:48 PM
Smoked one last night...
Me too. Since discovering the beefy goodness of the tri-tip, less than a week ago... I've already smoked 3 of them!!! And I have 1 more in the fridge waitng for it's turn on saturday.
I've only been able to find them at one local meat market, but they are all on the smaller side there. I haven't found one over 1.5 lbs yet. They all seem to be between 1.4 and 1.5 lbs. I'd prefer to find some closer to the 2 lb size if possible. I guess I'll just have to keep looking.
Of the three that I've done so far, I've done them all the same way and they've all turned out excellent. I leave them in the Bradley till IT hits 143-145, then a 20-30 min FTC before slicing. All have come out very tender and flavorful this way, with rave reveiws from the family.
Quote from: muebe on August 31, 2011, 08:20:53 AM
Glad it turned out great for you :)
Us west coasters have been making tri-tips for years. Tri-tips are always available at any store in California for cheap! And briskets here are kinda pricey. It seems to be starting to catch on in the eastern states. Tomorrow there is a sale at the local grocery store for tri-tips at a $1.99 a lb :o limit 2. So my wife and I will be separated in line so we can get four of them ;)
Hahahaha You and me both. I'm heading out any minute to do the same. Ralph's!
Taking the tri-tips out when they are still rather rare is certainly a nice way to go, but this time I would like to cook them longer until they are fork tender. I will look for some recipes on here. If anyone can point me to a good "slow" method, please do!
This is the number one thing we BBQ in California. Awesome piece of beef!
I was NOT happy yesterday when I went to buy the tri tip. I didn't notice on the ad that it said "One Day Only". The sale was only for Thursday and I missed it. Too cheap to pay $3/lb for untrimmed tri tip!
So I will be smoking chicken and fish instead!
I usually pay $2.99 for untrimed choice, or $3.99 for Angus choice. IMHO for a tasty meat and no bones, it is well worth it.
I've been reading all the hype about these and I'm dying to try em!
I wish they were available here! ???
Quote from: Chili Head on September 03, 2011, 07:31:29 PM
I've been reading all the hype about these and I'm dying to try em!
I wish they were available here! ???
I wonder why certain places don't offer them? Seems like a pretty common cut of meat to me.
Quote from: Doctor Woody on September 03, 2011, 10:01:13 PM
Quote from: Chili Head on September 03, 2011, 07:31:29 PM
I've been reading all the hype about these and I'm dying to try em!
I wish they were available here! ???
I wonder why certain places don't offer them? Seems like a pretty common cut of meat to me.
Woody it is a common cut on the west coast but hard to find in the east.
Quote from: muebe on September 04, 2011, 08:42:08 AM
Quote from: Doctor Woody on September 03, 2011, 10:01:13 PM
Quote from: Chili Head on September 03, 2011, 07:31:29 PM
I've been reading all the hype about these and I'm dying to try em!
I wish they were available here! ???
I wonder why certain places don't offer them? Seems like a pretty common cut of meat to me.
Woody it is a common cut on the west coast but hard to find in the east.
Come to think of it, my parents don't see it too often where they live (in IL) so I guess it's more common here on the west coast.
They say there is no demand for it around here, so they grind it for ground sirloin. GRRRRRR!
I bet it's possible to have someone at your favorite meat market save a few out. If they get a few people asking for it, they might just start selling them whole.
what would you ask the butcher for? tri-tip? if he does not sell them would he know what i was asking for? is this known by any other names?
Quote from: pensrock on September 04, 2011, 01:47:45 PM
what would you ask the butcher for? tri-tip? if he does not sell them would he know what i was asking for? is this known by any other names?
If you talk to someone that has been working with meat for years and they don't know what a tri tip roast is, you can bring a print-out showing the cuts of meat on a cow, just in case.