Tri tip brisket style?


 

JoelH

New member
Hi all,

I have somewhat recently learned that some people do their tri tip like brisket. I am curious and also confused (I'm a die hard Santa Maria style person).

Most of the instructions I have seen say to take the tri tip to like 160, wrap it, then go to 200.

My question: how does this not dry the heck out of the tri tip? I don't know the science of what goes on once wrapped but it seems strange to me to take it that hot and have it turn out okay. Seems like that is near beef jerky temps! :p

Should I try this? How many of you do it this way?

Thanks,
Joel
 
Tri tip is more expensive than brisket in my area. I do like brisket, I do like lean beef.

Personally, I would not do it. The "Brisket method" is here to break down collagen, and render fat. If you'd cook a brisket like a tri tip roast, you'd end up with a tough and dry piece. The long cook time breaks down its collagen and makes it tender.

My local beef tends to be lean. I don't think my tri tips would have enough fat to be moist after a brisket like cook.

But YMMV. People also do like cooking a chuck roast like a brisket. I tried it once, and it did turn out OK for my taste. But Brisket for me was on a different level.
 
I think that if I had a Santa Maria, I would do tri tip on that in a heartbeat. But you could probably smoke it like a brisket and use it for some chili.
 
I think that if I had a Santa Maria, I would do tri tip on that in a heartbeat. But you could probably smoke it like a brisket and use it for some chili.
Blasphemy. Don’t put TT in chili!

TT is meant to be grilled, flipped, slightly charred and sliced and put onto sandwiches.

I’m not a TT expert but I’ve had my fair share over 32 years and even some from Central Coast CA (Paso Robles).

Served with a side of mixed beans and a cold beer, very few meals reach this level of near perfect match.

@Jonas-Switzerland , TT is always more expensive than brisket, even here in the USA.

I remember full brisket packets being $1.99#. These days $2.99 is a great steal. $3.99 is common for choice.

I have two briskets coming up for Jewish Near Year around Oct 2 and 3.
 
Blasphemy. Don’t put TT in chili!

TT is meant to be grilled, flipped, slightly charred and sliced and put onto sandwiches.

I’m not a TT expert but I’ve had my fair share over 32 years and even some from Central Coast CA (Paso Robles).

Served with a side of mixed beans and a cold beer, very few meals reach this level of near perfect match.

@Jonas-Switzerland , TT is always more expensive than brisket, even here in the USA.

I remember full brisket packets being $1.99#. These days $2.99 is a great steal. $3.99 is common for choice.

I have two briskets coming up for Jewish Near Year around Oct 2 and 3.
Meh. I've done it dozens of ways, and if a protein is overcooked, reconstitution is not a bad idea. He's worried about overlooking it, Brett. I don't waste food. If it overcooks, it gets liquid.
 
I did this once, it was good, but not as good as properly cooked one.
Same here. Fun to try, it was good, but nowhere near as good as grilled tri-tip or properly smoked and bbq’d brisket. Same experience with trying this with chuck roast. I did both as an experiment and in my opinion, neither experiment bears repeating.
 
I have done this! I did it on my Recteq RT1250 pellet smoker though.

Smoked it at 180F with a smoke tube for 5 hours then raised setting to 225F. When the tritip hit the stall around 160F, I double foil wrapped it with 7 pats of butter, then continued the cook till internal was 200F. Removed it from the smoker, kept it in foil, and rested it 30-45 minutes. Was excellent juicy, tender, and excellent! We made taco's with the beef.

I had one stashed in the freezer for a repeat but my wife used it other night and made an awesome goulash; oh well...
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I like a bit of a of a smokey taste to my tri tip .
I smoke my tri tip on my kettle while it’s getting up to temp with a reverse sear.
At the low to low mid 120’s I start the sear until I reach what I am looking for then let it rest a bit before serving.

This works well for me .
It’s not like doing a brisket by any means but it’ll pass the finger test every time.
I would think that a long cook would dry out this cut so I usually keep the time on this cook to 20-30 minutes per side and just a few minutes searing it.
 
Brisket style tri tip is my favorite. I do a quick sear then put it in a foil pan tightly covered with foil. I add a cup of beef broth before it gets covered and cook to 203°. Not everyone loves it but many non believers convert after eating it. Nice au jus to serve with it. Most of my friends don’t like pink inside so it works for us. Very tender and never dry.
 

 

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