Smoked Tri-tip

Living in SoCal for some 35 years a lot of the local favorites are imbedded in my food memories.  Chief among those memories is a Santa Maria Tri-tip.  A good Tri-tip is hard to find here in SE Texas but when I find one, I stalk up them.  

What's not to love about a good Tri-tip simply rubbed then smoked to a perfect medium rare.  I used an oak hardwood blend from Traeger as in Santa Maria they use oak logs to slow roast the meat.  To get a good crust I broil both sides of the tri-tip when done in the smoker.

Also, to ensure I get a good medium rare I use a meat thermometer.  The Traeger meat probe once calibrated is as accurate as Thermpro thermometers that I use when I have multiple slabs of meat to smoke.

Smoked Tri-tip

• 1 2-3 pound Tri-tip roast.
• Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning

The evening before season the Tri-tip heavily with the Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate over night.  

One hour prior to start of smoking remove from fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Unwrap the plastic wrap and set on a baking sheet.  Preheat smoker to 180F.

Insert temperature probe in thickest part of the tri-tip.  Place meat into the smoker and smoke at 180 until the probe registers 125-130F.   Allow 4-5 hours to reach temperature.  (It took me 4 hours 15 minutes on an 85F day to get to temperature).  Once the meat is at temp, remove from smoker and remove the probe.

Take the smoked meat and place under broiler for 4-5 minutes per side to develop the crust.  Rest covered on a foil lined baking sheet 10-15 minutes.

Slice against the grain.  I served with our last bottle of Saarloos & Sons "The Crown", a 2019 Syrah that was the best danged Syrah I ever had.