Low and Slow Tri-Tip

MDPeterson · Jan 7, 2024

Cooked a Santa Maria-style Tri Tip last week, using the low and slow method. I wanted the cook to take a little longer, so I kept the temp as close to 250 as possible. Regardless, the meat was at 132 in the center (and 138 on the outer edge) an hour after I put it on. Is there any way to slow this down even further? It turned out pretty good, but I was hoping to get it a bit more tender.

Mark_E · Jan 7, 2024

Welcome to the site!

The very best hunk of beef I've ever had in my life was a tri tip. My wife agreed. Better than picanha. Better than ribeye. It was amazingly marbled, a perfect shade of pink, and so it gets 90% of the credit. All I did was cook it. I lightly dry brined it. I did it indirect on a kettle at 225 and then seared it. I'm thinking it probably took about an hour and a half including the sear? Probably a 3 lb tri tip. Served with the cutting board as the centerpiece and sliced correctly against the grain with Fluer De Sel finishing salt on the side. This was about a year ago. None of my cooks before or since have equaled that cook. And I know why. It was that particular hunk of beef which I hand picked off the shelf. That and a little luck. Well, a lot of luck.

If your tri tip was more marbled, it would be more tender. And your slicing method is critical.

It's very very important to choose the right hunk of beef on the right day at the right butcher/store. And you still need to be a little lucky. Avoid bright red, look for pink. Look for great marbling. You can't go to the store with the plan to buy a tri tip. What you do is go to the store with an open mind, and then buy whatever looks amazing, regardless of the cut. When you see the cut that looks fantastic - whatever it is, it doesn't matter - you buy it. No hesitation, no pondering. Just buy it. And quick, before somebody else gets it. Boom.

If you see nothing that looks fantastic, walk out of the store empty handed. Or buy chicken or something. Wait for next time. Be patient. Wait for something that looks spectacular.

I wish I could comment further but I've never cooked on a santa maria type cooker. Santa Maria is what made the tri tip famous, right? So it's hard to argue with the method.

Bob Bass · Jan 7, 2024

MD... Sometimes Hottingers has a good selection of Tri-Tip.
As Mark noted, It's one cut that demands careful attention to grain direction to achieve that 'melt-in-the-mouth' mouthfeel !
The bottom sirloin is not really a muscle of locomotion. Therefore it does not require the low and slow like a brisket.

DanHoo · Jan 7, 2024

MDPeterson said:
Cooked a Santa Maria-style Tri Tip last week, using the low and slow method. I wanted the cook to take a little longer, so I kept the temp as close to 250 as possible. Regardless, the meat was at 132 in the center (and 138 on the outer edge) an hour after I put it on. Is there any way to slow this down even further? It turned out pretty good, but I was hoping to get it a bit more tender.

I've been cold smoking my tri tip for one to two hours using a smoke tube and wood chips. Pecan and post oak. Pit temp 80F to 160F with heat from one to two tubes. I then light a very, very small amount of coal and keep pit temp 200F or so until the tri tip is 124F internal.

I then pull the TT into a warmed baking dish wrapped tightly and hold it until a final reverse sear with a very hot direct fire.

Here's an example