Smoked Tri-Tip

Rub the night before

• Trim the silver skin and any thick fat.
• Pat both pieces dry.
• Coat with mustard or Worcestershire if you want a binder.
• Rub evenly on every side.
• Set on a tray and refrigerate uncovered overnight.

How you know: Uncovered is the point — it dries the surface so the crust forms.

Set up the grill

• Set the Searwood to 225°F.
• Load oak or hickory pellets.
• Push a probe into the thickest part of each tri-tip.
• Put both pieces on.

How you know: The 3 lb and the 4 lb piece will not finish together. Track them separately.

Smoke

• Hold 225°F and check the probes periodically.
• After the first 1½–2 hours, watch them closely.
• If the surface looks dry after 2–3 hours, spritz lightly every 60–90 minutes.

How you know: Do not soak the meat. A light mist only.

Pull and heat the grill

• When a piece hits 115–120°F internal, take it off.
• Crank the Searwood to 450–500°F.
• Wait until the grill actually reaches temperature.
• Put the tri-tips back on.

How you know: Do not wrap tri-tip in butcher paper. It is not a brisket.

Sear

• Sear 1–2 minutes per side.
• Roll it and sear the edges 30–60 seconds.
• Check the probe often.

How you know: This is a crust, not a cook. If you are standing there 20 minutes, something is wrong.

Call the temperature

• Pull at 130–135°F for medium-rare.
• Pull at 135–140°F for medium.

How you know: It keeps climbing off the grill. Take it as it approaches your target, not after.

Rest

• Off the grill.
• Tent loosely with foil — do not wrap it tight.

Slice

• Find the direction of the muscle fibres.
• Slice against the grain, fairly thin.
• The grain changes direction partway through a tri-tip. Turn the meat and keep slicing against it.

Serve

• Smoky crust, juicy centre, pink through the middle.