For the tri-tip, pick out a well marbled one. Trim the silverskin and any external fat, gristle, etc.. Cover it in the rub (I use John Henry's Texas Brisket Rub) and place in the freezer until it is getting firm, almost frozen (~1.5 to 2 hours).
Build a roaring hot fire to sear the meat. I mean a really hot fire, very close to the grate. You're trying to sear without cooking inside. I use a 10" dia charcoal basket, loaded with mesquite charcoal, and placed nearly against the bottom of the grate and glowing orange when I put the meat on.
Sear the almost frozen tri-tip nicely on both sides. Place it back in the freezer while you reconfigure your kettle/komado/etc. or if you have another smoker, you can prep that smoker for low temperature and simply move it to that smoker and forgo all the reconfiguring of your setup.
Remove that charcoal from your grill and put it in your snuff out can (I use a stainless ice bucket and put the lid on). Leave the lid open on the grill to cool while your tri-tip cools in the freezer.
Reconfigure your grill for indirect smoking. Use a very small amount of charcoal to build a smal fire and add a decent size chunk of mesquite wood for smoke. Shoot for a temperature around the high 100s, 175-200F, and good amount of smoke without being sooty. When it's stable, put the tri-tip back on and put a temp probe in the middle. Keep an eye on the fire, since this small of a fire can burn out the fuel. If you can keep it this low with a minion method, more power to you. My fires during this cook tend to start very low temp, and as the wood burns it seems to turn to charcoal in part due to low air flow, then it starts adding heat to the fire after a while and my cook ends up near 225F when I finish up after a couple hours. Cook the tri-tip to your desired doneness for a steak (130 to 150F depending on how you like your steak). If you do this step with care, you can get as much as 2.5 to 3 hours of smoke on the tri-tip before it reaches you desired done temperature. 2 hours is good, more is better. The target done temperature should be your priority for removing from the grill. So, low temp of the pit is important.
While it's smoking, make the au jus. The ingredients I use are shown in the picture. Beef stock from that brand is darker and richer than broth. Thats what I use. I tend to make about 20 ounces of au jus, so this is my portions:
- beef stock 20 ounces
- Rub 1/4 cup
- Dales Steak Seasoning 3 tablespoons
- Franks Red Hot sauce 1-2 tablespoons or to taste
- 1 tablespoon of worchestershire sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons of red wine
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You can add a couple strips of good wood smoked bacon if you like. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat to a boil while stirring. You can simmer it for a while or just shut the burner off and let it cool on it's own. Cool it down to below your meat's cook temperature. You don't want to boil your meat in the au jus. Get it down under the cook temperature by a good bit before using it.
Remove it from the grill and rest the tri-tip at least 1/2 hour. Slice approximately 1/8" thick across the grain. A super sharp brisket knife is what I use. I cut the tri-tip in two to get the best angles for cross cutting of the boomorang shape. If you're not going to eat it right away, you are better off chilling it before slicing, as it will make slicing much easier and more consistent.
Put the sliced meat in a suitable container where you can have a single layer of the sliced meat. Pour the au jus over the meat. The longer it's in the au jus, the more the flavors of the smoke and spices blend deeply into the meat. Frankly, the second day is better. Even cold, it's good the second day or longer. You can reheat, but do it very carefully not to exceed the doneness temperature you finished the tri-tip to. A big tray of it is easy to reheat in the oven at very low temperature. I usually reheat the next day for a party or catering. It's better than the first day.
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BTW, you can use that au jus recipe to save a dry brisket or enhance a good one. The concept, if not the exact recipe came from a competition brisket champion. It also goes very will with a grilled steak as a dipping sauce.
