Breaking in the mini with my first Tri-Tip


 
A

AbeLos

TVWBB Member
Finally got a chance to break in the 14.5" that I scored with a killer deal.

Tri-Tip is an oddity in my neck of the woods and found some at Sam's, of course I got the biggest one they had and I figured it was the perfect size to throw into the mini and decided to give it a shot. It came out overdone, but it was super moist and tender so I am not going to complain.



Threw a chimney of KBB with some Pecan and a little bit of Apple.



I was wanting to hit 350 on the mini, but would only hold a temp of 305 for the duration of the cook. I pulled at internal temp of 120 and put the grate on the charcoal ring to get a little char on it.



I let it rest for an hour, and then sliced. I wanted it to be medium rare to medium, and was a little disappointed that I didn't that nice pink coloring; however, my disappointment subsided when I realized how juicy and tender it was.



Overall I am pleased with the result, I could have done it on my performer, but I like a challenge and wanted to cook something on the mini. I'll tweak it some next time to try to get some higher temps, I'll probably start with removing the water pan to get some direct heat on it. I guess I'll be heading to Sam's once again to find another.
 
Not bad for a first run. Throw a turkey breast or a chicken on that new WSM and let it roll at about 350*F. It'll splatter 'stuff' on the sides to season it and after a few cooks you'll have a tough time getting it above 250*F.

FWIW; I grew up next door in Garland. Bought my first motorcycle from a guy in Richardson.
 
Might not have the pink coloring, but from what you describe, you did great. As long as it was tender and juicy and tasted great then it was a perfect cook in my book. Congrats on the mini and enjoy the outcome.
 
Looks tasty, and most important you're pleased with the results.

Maybe the lack of pink is because of the duration of the rest? I usually smoke a tri-tip until the internal temp is 125 according to my Maverick probe, then do a 5-minute sear and only a 10 minute rest, as per this recipe. I'm not following their prep guide as the tri-tips I buy already have a marinade but the cook/sear/rest times are what I follow. I also don't leave the pan in (looks like you've got a foiled pan) as per that recipe, and every tri-tip I've made has come out medium-rare just as I like it. So maybe experiment with a shorter rest next time... but looking at your pictures I'm getting hungry. Enjoy! :wsm:
 
Love it!

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Josh B H said:
Looks tasty, and most important you're pleased with the results.

Maybe the lack of pink is because of the duration of the rest? I usually smoke a tri-tip until the internal temp is 125 according to my Maverick probe, then do a 5-minute sear and only a 10 minute rest, as per this recipe. I'm not following their prep guide as the tri-tips I buy already have a marinade but the cook/sear/rest times are what I follow. I also don't leave the pan in (looks like you've got a foiled pan) as per that recipe, and every tri-tip I've made has come out medium-rare just as I like it. So maybe experiment with a shorter rest next time... but looking at your pictures I'm getting hungry. Enjoy! :wsm:
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What temps do you get in the WSM when smoking the tri-tip? I could only get up to 300, I read where someone removed the silicon port to get higher temps, but I tried that the next day with some pork roasts, temps still stayed at 300. In all honesty, if 300ish is the max I can expect out of the mini, I am fine with that because high heat is one less thing to worry about.

I was thinking the rest may have had something to do with it as well and the only reason I let it rest so long is because "The Boss" didn't even have the sides started. I'll head back to Sam's again to see if I can get another one to do this weekend.
 
Great looking tri tip! When I smoke beef roasts (whatever type) I like to run my pit at a low temp. The reason is that they cook to fast and I want to get as much smoke to the meat as possible. So for that I will run the pit around 180°-200°. Then if I want to I will sear to finish, but honestly I usually skip that step. We like our meat in the medium rare area so I am usually pulling it at 130°-135°, then rest for 30-45 minutes prior to slicing.

I have found that the per-marinated meats can loose there color and don't always turn out red or pink.

I just picked up a 14.5" and am planning a cook tonight to run it through the paces. I have 4 homemade minis and I rarely use a diffuser especially when I do higher temp smokes. If you leave the water pan out you will be able to achieve higher temps than 300°.
 
CaseT said:
Great looking tri tip! When I smoke beef roasts (whatever type) I like to run my pit at a low temp. The reason is that they cook to fast and I want to get as much smoke to the meat as possible. So for that I will run the pit around 180°-200°. Then if I want to I will sear to finish, but honestly I usually skip that step. We like our meat in the medium rare area so I am usually pulling it at 130°-135°, then rest for 30-45 minutes prior to slicing.

I have found that the per-marinated meats can loose there color and don't always turn out red or pink.

I just picked up a 14.5" and am planning a cook tonight to run it through the paces. I have 4 homemade minis and I rarely use a diffuser especially when I do higher temp smokes. If you leave the water pan out you will be able to achieve higher temps than 300°.
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I like the idea of starting off with a fresh tri-tip, but finding them in your average grocery store is an issue in Texas. Occasionally, they will show up, but it's not often; I'll keep an eye out though. In the meantime, I will have to use a pre-marinated one and will definitely take out the pan and see if that along with reducing the rest will help me out with the color.

I'm liking all the helpful suggestions.
 
AbeLos.

If you're struggling to get above 300f with all vents open, you can always put a skewer between the lid and centre section. Increasing with chimney effect. Drawing in more air through the bottom vents = more heat. I never want to mess with that flipping silicone grommet again.......ever!! :mad:

My 0.02p. (0.026302¢ UK/US conversion). :)

Oh yeah, very nice maiden voyage there.
 
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Bob.
I did take today's inflation into account. What I did was off-set the base inflation rate against the value of the Brazilian topaz, the Costa Rican Tarrazu coffee bean at the close of the FTSE 250, & came up with 0.026302¢ figure. I thought that was obvious. Maybe I should have made it more clear. I apologise. ;)
 
AbeLos said:
I like the idea of starting off with a fresh tri-tip, but finding them in your average grocery store is an issue in Texas. Occasionally, they will show up, but it's not often; I'll keep an eye out though. In the meantime, I will have to use a pre-marinated one and will definitely take out the pan and see if that along with reducing the rest will help me out with the color.

I'm liking all the helpful suggestions.
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Wish we could trade places for a minute, we have some killer prime tri-tip here you would love. I just paid an arm and a leg for a brisket and can't find quality ones anywhere except my butcher.
$$$
 
AbeLos said:
What temps do you get in the WSM when smoking the tri-tip? I could only get up to 300, I read where someone removed the silicon port to get higher temps, but I tried that the next day with some pork roasts, temps still stayed at 300. In all honesty, if 300ish is the max I can expect out of the mini, I am fine with that because high heat is one less thing to worry about.

I was thinking the rest may have had something to do with it as well and the only reason I let it rest so long is because "The Boss" didn't even have the sides started. I'll head back to Sam's again to see if I can get another one to do this weekend.
Click to expand...

I have no trouble getting 350 at least. I'm using a 22" WSM, no pan, start with a half chimney of unlit coals on top of a full chimney of coals that were lit using the "standard method" (see the linked recipe, "Firing up the Weber bullet"). I don't need to open the vents much, and don't use all the charcoal in this cook - I can shut down the vents at the end and use the leftover fuel in a future cook.

I've learned to try to estimate my end-to-end times from startup to serving, since coordinating end times with "The Boss" and any sides is important too. Good luck on tri-tip #2!
 
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