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Tender, juicy, flavorful.... let's smoke a Tri-tip steak to perfection.
This smoked tri tip on a pellet grill was perfection. A nice char on the outside paired with the tender meat makes the perfect protein for a mouthwatering dinner.
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Video - How to smoke a Tri-tip steak
Why Smoke Tri Tip?
Smoking tri tip steak before turning the heat up and grilling gives it a great smoked flavor.
A nice dry bbq rub of common spices and a hint of smoke really makes this smoked tri-tip recipe stand out.
Tri-tip steak
Tri tip is a great flavored cut of beef. It's also known as bottom sirloin butt or Santa Maria steak, where it was first made popular.
You can smoke an already seasoned steak or if you can find one not seasoned, let's season it and smoke it up!
The smoker
This tri tip recipe was smoked on my Rectec 590. The Traeger Pro Series 780 will smoke this steak perfectly as well.
Looking to use a traditional smoker? No worries, using an offset smoker like this Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn is a great option as well.
Prepping and seasoning tri-tip steak
Trim any fat cap that is on the surface of the steak. If not already trimmed, trim fat and silver skin off before smoking.
A dry rub is what we are seasoning this steak with. Season while pre-heating the smoker to 180°F.
Ingredients
- Sea salt / kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
How to Smoke a Tri-Tip Steak
The best way to smoke a steak is at low temperature for a short time and then finish it off at a high temp, 400°F or higher.
Temperature - Low then HOT
Place the tri tip roast on your favorite smoker:
- 20 minutes at 180°F
- After 20 minutes, remove the steak to a plate and tent with aluminum foil.
- Turn the temperature up to 425°F. When cooking a tri-tip on a pellet grill, I like placing my grill grates inside the smoker to get those nice sear marks on the steak.
Let the grill grates warm up with the smoker, either side of the grates will work. I used the ridged side, place tri-tip onto the grates when the smoker reaches 425 degrees F to reverse sear.
Grill to temperature
Grill the steak to 10°F below your desired doneness (steak will keep cooking after removed from grill), cooking time should take about 7-9 minutes a side when cooking to medium.
Make sure to check the temp with an instant read thermometer, I use a Thermopro thermometer which is very accurate.
Tip: So if you are wanting a medium steak, pull the steak off when the tri-tip reaches 135°F. That way when resting it will rise to the desired 145°F internal temperature.
Rest & slice
Let the cooked tri tip steak rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute within the meat. This will help the steak stay nice and juicy. Now let's slice the meat.
Slicing
Slicing a tri tip steak is a little bit more involved than slicing any other steak, such as a tomahawk steak, because it's grain runs in two different directions. Look at which way the lines (grain) within the meat run, we are going to slice perpendicular to those.
Below the black lines show which direction the grain of the meat runs.
Slicing perpendicular to the grain will ensure the meat is tender.
Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy this smoky, juicy, flavorful, and tender steak!
Steaks to Smoke/Grill Next!
Here are a couple other tender and flavorful steak recipes to grill or smoke after cooking this tri tip recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 lb Tri-tip steak
Dry Rub Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Pre-heat smoker to 180°F.
- Combine dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.
- Trim off any fat on steak and apply dry rub liberally on all sides.
- Place steak directly on smoker and smoke for 20 minutes at 180°F. After 20 minutes, remove from the smoker and put on plate. Tent with aluminum foil.
- Place grill grates on smoker and increase temperature to 425°F. Once heated, place steak on grill grates and cook until 10°F below desired internal temperature (refer to internal temperature chart in article), test with thermometer. Always cook to temperature and not time. However, It should take about 7-9 minutes a side for medium.
- When steak reaches 10°F below desired final temperature, remove from smoker and allow to rest before slicing. Slice against the grain of the meat when serving.
Video
Pro Tips
- Buy an already seasoned tri-tip steak for an easy preparation
- Use hickory blend pellets or a competition blend for best taste
- Top with a tablespoon of butter after cooking for even more flavor
- Using freshly cracked black pepper elevates the pepper flavor as well
Nutrition
Best side dishes
Stick to the staples as a side dish when smoking up a steak. Nothing too fancy, but just great flavored side dishes.
FAQ
A tri tip is a cut of meat from the sirloin. It's also called a bottom sirloin or triangle steak.
Tri tip is less expensive than ribeye or strip steak. It's a great economical steak.
If grilling at high temps, it takes 7-10 minutes a side for medium. However, always cook to temperature, not time.
The key in keeping the steak moist is to not over smoke it. Cooking at a low temperature can dry out the steak, so smoke for 20 minutes and then finish the steak with High Heat.
causinga stir
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Regards
Brianna
This tri tips turned out great!
Audrey
This turned out great!
Jill
Amazing flavor!
Sondra Barker
My favorite night of the week is steak night and this recipe is pure perfection! I used the tip of using freshly cracked black pepper and it really elevated the flavors of the steak. Loved this recipe!