Smoked Tri-Tip Recipe

Smoked Tri-Tip is flavourful, juicy, and melt in your mouth tender. Make the best beef tip roast on any type of smoker with this easy recipe!

This Smoked tri-tip recipe is perfect for weeknight meals or serving guests. It’s easy and inexpensive to make with really delicious results you are sure to enjoy.

Read on for everything you need to know about smoking the best tri-tip.

What is Tri Tip?

The tri-tip is a triangle shaped cut of beef from the bottom sirloin butt. It is thick, marbled, and perfect for grilling and smoking.

When shopping for tri-tip, look for a high quality cut of meat that contains plenty of marbling. The results will be more tender and full of flavour.

You will also want to buy your tri-tip trimmed, we don’t want to be dealing with a large fat cap while smoking the meat.

It’s a pretty inexpensive cut of beef which makes it a great choice for weeknight dinners.

How to Season Tri Tip

To more evenly cook the tri-tip, you can sprinkle it with salt as it comes to room temperature. If you do this, you’ll want to skip most, if not all, of the salt in the later steps.

You can smoke the beef with simple seasonings – salt and pepper will do the job. You may want to give it a little more complex flavour though, such as in this recipe by choosing to use a dry rub.

Be sure to choose a dry rub that is suited for beef.

How to Smoke Tri Tip

Smoking a tri tip is really quite uncomplicated and simple, making it a great choice for beginners.

Season – Apply your seasoning evenly all over the tri tip to get a nice crust.

Smoke – Smoke at 165 degrees Fahrenheit using hardwood pellets for the length of time necessary. You want to pull your meat off the smoker when the internal temperature reaches about 5 degrees off from your desired temperature.

Rest – After you hit your target temperature, allow the tri tip to rest for 10-15 minute.

Slice – Slice against the grain into thin slices and serve.

How Long to Smoke Tri Tip

Tri-tip is so lean that it’s important to not overcook it.

You will want to smoke your tri tip for about an hour and a half plus 10 minutes of rest time for a medium rare cook. Times will of course vary slightly based on the size of the cut and how done you’re trying to cook your tri-tip.

You will want to use a digital thermometer with a probe in order to check the temperature of your meat as it cooks. This is a fail-proof way to make sure you perfectly cook your meat.

Follow the guide below for smoking the meat to ensure you get a perfectly cooked tri-tip:

For best results, pull off your tri tip at the following temperature:

• Rare: 115-120 degrees F
• Medium Rare: 125-130 degrees F
• Medium: 135-140 degrees F
• Medium Well: 145-150 degrees F
• Well Done: 150-155 degrees F

I do not recommend smoking beef past medium, as it is the most flavourful and juicy when it is cooked between medium rare to medium.

Substitutes for Tri-Tip

Tri-tip can be difficult to find, if that is the case you can substitute with a top sirloin cut, be careful the beef roast you choose has generous marbling,.

Do I need a Traeger Smoker to Smoke Tri-Tip

You really don’t need a high-end smoker, you can achieve delicious results with any pellet grill you have. A pellet grill will give much better results than a gas grill or electric smoker.

That said, a higher end smoker like a Traeger Pro Wood Pellet Grill will offer more features to help you get reliable results every time.

Buying a high end smoker really is an investment so you should do a little research before making a purchase,

How do I monitor the Temperature of my Tri-Tip?

Many smokers will come with a meat probe already attached. Using the one that comes with the smoker is ideal.

If your smoker does not have a probe you will want to purchase one separately. I recommend this Probe Digital Cooking Meat Thermometer that you can order from Amazon.

Ingredients for the Smoked Tri-Tip

Tri-Tip – You will want a trimmed 2-3lb tri-tip roast, brought up to room temperature. I wouldn’t smoke a roast smaller than 2 lbs.

Brisket Rub – I used a basic brisket rub you can find at just about any grocery store. Feel free to use your favourite dry rub that complements that great beefy flavour. Traeger makes an amazing prime rib rub that is perfect for this. You don’t have to stick to just using 2 tablespoons either. Apply to your heart’s content.

You can also make your own homemade brisket rub by combining 2 Tbsp each of kosher salt, black pepper, and ground coriander, and 1 Tbsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Looking for more Delicious and Easy Beef Recipes?

If you are looking for more tasty ways to cook beef, check out some of my favourite recipes:

This easy yet flavourful and tender corned beef brisket is made conveniently in the Instant Pot in no time!

Cook a perfect sirloin tip roast with this recipe each and every time. Juicy, full of flavour and cooked to perfection, you can’t go wrong with an herb crusted roast like this!

Best Side Dishes to Serve with Sirloin Tip Roast

This sirloin tip roast can be served with anything you normally enjoy a roast with! Try one of these amazing side dishes to turn your sirloin tip roast into a complete meal:

• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Cowboy Baked Beans
• Melting Potatoes
• Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
• Oven Roasted Vegetables
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Apple Butternut Squash Casserole

Click here to see even more tasty side dishes to serve with beef roast.

How to Make Smoked Tri-Tip

Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 15 Mins | Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Mins
Ingredients:

• 3-Pound Tri-Tip, room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Brisket Rub

Equipment:

Probe Digital Cooking Meat Thermometer

Directions:

Preheat pellet smoker to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small dish, combine the seasonings and mix well.

Sprinkle the mixture over the tri-tip, on both sides, and lightly rub in.

Once the smoker is ready (about 15 minutes), place the tri-tip in the middle of the grate and insert the meat probe into the thickest part of the meat.

Smoke for about 1 hour or until the internal temp reaches 110 degrees. At this point, increase heat to 500 degrees.

Smoke for another 30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 125 degrees.

Remove and let rest before serving.

Slice against the grain for best results. Enjoy!