<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LarryR:
You rest 45 huh? Interesting, I've never had any issues slicing, slices like butter for me. I'm curious, what temp to you pull yours at and what does she look like after resting that long? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Larry,
This is a case where I don't even know what temp I pull it at. I don't use a thermometer to cook tri-tip, I test it when it's ready by poking with a fork, you just get a feel for it after a while and know when it "feels right".
I shoot for having it all pink inside, but not darker red, which is leaning towards the raw side.
Your pic before, as I pointed out, looks to be a good target to get to. I do that without a thermometer and just kinda poke/push it with the BBQ fork I cook it with. When it's not done you can feel it kinda jiggly inside, as my daughter would say...it needs to be soft to the touch, but feel as if it's starting to get firm...once it is completely firm, it's overcooked.
My wife doesn't care for this cut when it's all 'qued up with sauce on it, it's the char'd meat aspect she likes without all the smokey flavor. This style doesn't have a bunch of BBQ sauce on it, although folks serve it like that, the ranchers originally did it on a long poker I've heard. I insist on the fat when I buy them, but some butchers insist on trimming it off. They obviously cook theirs differently than I do. When I sear the meat in the beginning, if you would see a video of it, you would think I'm burning the meat, because the flames will flare up 3 feet when flipping/bouncing on the grill.
In this sense, I have never had a smoked tri-tip, with any type of smoke ring to it, when cooked in this style. This is not to say it can't be done, there's pics in this thread of the meat like that, just that you won't find that at my house, nor would you from the ranchers that this style came from. All of our mileage varies, and I'm sure that smoking a tri-tip can be an enjoyable, yet different experience, if that makes sense.
A.Vale, I marinade and baste with Bernstein's Original Italian, stab with a fork on both side, especially on fat side so the marinade penetrates inside. I do that in a 1-gallon zip-lock, overnight preferably. I continually baste it with the same marinade while I sear it in the beginning, leveraging the fat side to control the fire, when it flares up on the fat side, flip it and sear in the other non-fat side. Do that until you get a nice char, then cook it indirectly until done. If you sear too long it will create a thicker, tougher bark/char on the outside which is less desirable. You want to get it char'd but not burnt. That's how I do it, it's not the only way, nor is it necessarily the best. It is what works for me after many years of doing tri-tip.
