Too Fast Tri Tip

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I inaugurated the new WSM (after two years of very sucessful work on an ECB) and the difference is as completely accurate as everyone touts. But I did run into some issues:

I smoked three nice size trouts (12-13") on the top and two tri-tip roasts on the bottom rack. I used way too much fuel as it turns out (almost a full ring). Temp was measured with a Polder in one of the tri-tips and Taylor 6" candy therm in the top vent. My temps at the top were very steady and never below or above 260-275.

After 50 min the trout came off and were beautifully done. Golden smoked skins, juicy meat.
HOWEVER, about 10 min later the Polder alarm, set at 145 for med/rare went off. I took one of the roasts off just to see what was going on and sure enough it was exactly med/rare done. But due to short cook time not as tender as usual (still very tasty). So what happened? Was the Taylor temp reflective of grate temp at top and too hot?
Similar sized tri tips in an ECB have always taken at least 3.5 hrs to cook (albeit usually with a rack of ribs too).
 
Guess that was too tough a question...anyway, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. No biggie.
 
I'm curious to hear about what you think happened. In my mind, tri-tip is a fairly tender cut of meat to begin with, so low/slow cooking is not going to make it more tender, in fact will probably do just the opposite. I think most people prefer to grill tri-tips at a much higher temp.

Regards,
Chris
 
I agree with Chris, unless you are using a different cut of tri-tip than I'm used to.

I wonder about your ECB being able to maintain the temperature range you mention and was, perhaps, actually cooking at a much lower temperature. This would explain the major difference in time. I find that the danger zone of 40? to 140? does not take as long as it does from 140? to 195?, thankfully.
 
I'm sure that the combo of new WSM, mesquite lump, too much fuel, smaller meat load resulted in cooking temps close to 250 and much higher than my ECB temps (which I usually tried to maintain close to 210-215)and therefore shorter cooking time. What I liked about the longer cook time is that it gave more smoke flavor. For example I didn't see the usual smoke ring around the edge. Next time I will keep my temps much lower.

The meat WAS wonderfully tender as usual. My daughter's boyfriend provlaimed the best meal he's ever had! The kid is no dummy when it comes to suckin up. HE also thinks the WSM is way cool looking and reminds him of R2D2.

I feel for those parts that don't carry tri-tips. It's about as perfect a Q'uing meat as there can be. I have yet to try a brisket Q. How does it compare to the tri-tip??

One thing I now believe is that dry wood will not flame up in the WSM. I was very skeptical about that. That alone is worth the price of the WSM.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BubbaOcky:
[qb]I have yet to try a brisket Q. How does it compare to the tri-tip??[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Much more difficult to cook, since it's such a tough piece of meat. Some feel you'd be better off sticking with tri-tip...but brisket can be fun to cook if you're patient and willing to practice a lot. It's the most challenging cut of meat to master on the BBQ, in my opinion.

Regards,
Chris
 
Chris, when all is said and done, how do they compare (to you) in taste and texture. I like a challenge. Tri-tip is TOO easy and not much of a challenge.
 
When brisket is done just right, it is more tender than tri-tip, in my opinion. In terms of flavor, brisket has a more intense beef flavor than tri-tip...but that's true of most tough cuts of meat. Chuck roast, brisket, pork butt, ribs, and other tough cuts have amazing flavor compared to more tender cuts, but they have to be cooked using low and slow methods to make them tender enough to eat. That's where the challenge comes in with brisket. Cooked too much and it dries out, cooked too little and it's real tough.

If you're looking for a life-long challenge, you should try cooking briskets. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
Chris, I notice you cook the brisket to a very high internal temp, presumably to get it tender enough. Does this mean one cannot Q a brisket to a medium rare, pink stage? I really much prefer that in my beefs.
 
As Jim so aptly put it, you can't eat a brisket that's cooked medium rare, or even medium. Brisket, like other tough cuts of meat, is a muscle that gets quite a workout. As a result, it's filled with tough connective tissue. Cooking it to a high internal temp quickly won't do the trick, either. It takes hours of low, slow cooking to break down the connective tissue to make a brisket tender.

Cook in the WSM in the 225-250*F range until at least 185*F internal, then check for tenderness using a fork or the Polder probe. When it does in and out easily, it's ready to eat. Taking the brisket to 205*F internal makes it really tender, perhaps moreso that some people like.

Regards,
Chris
 
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