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    Home » Smoked Meats

    Smoked Tri-Tip Steak

    Published: Jun 21, 2021 · Modified: Jan 16, 2023 by Will · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.

    Tender, juicy, flavorful.... let's smoke a Tri-tip steak to perfection. Grab some pellets, ice cold beer, and fire up the smoker folks, it's steak night!

    Tri tip steak on plate with potatoes and asparagus
    Jump to:
    • Video - How to smoke a Tri-tip steak
    • Why smoke?
    • Tri-tip steak
    • The smoker
    • Prepping the tri-tip
    • Smoking the steak
    • Rest & slice
    • Best side dishes
    • FAQ
    • Try smoking these great recipes
    • Old pro tips
    • Smoked Tri-Tip Steak

    Video - How to smoke a Tri-tip steak

    Why smoke?

    Smoking a tri tip before turning the heat up and grilling it like you normally would gives it a great smoked flavor. That's the reason we all bought smokers, to smoke.

    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 isn't as common as some other steak cuts, such as sirloin or ribeye. With that said, it can be found at your local grocery store or butcher. Sometimes it will come already seasoned, just like a lot of pork tenderloin does.

    Uncooked tri tip steak on cutting board with salt, pepper, and olive oil around

    You can smoke up 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.

    Pellet Grill

    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 the tri-tip

    Trim any fat cap that is on the surface of the steak. Most of the time the steak will come already trimmed, but if there are layers of fat or silver skin on the meat you will want to make sure to trim that off before smoking.

    Tri tip steak seasoned

    A dry rub of sea / kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, onion, garlic, and paprika is my go to when making smoked tri tip. Season both sides and edges of the beef and allow to rest at room temperature while pre-heating the smoker to 180°F.

    Smoking the steak

    I am NOT a huge fan of smoking steaks at low temperatures until finished, they come out tough in my opinion. 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.

    Temp - Low then HOT

    Place the tri tip roast on your favorite smoker for 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.

    Grill grates on smoker and taking steak off smoker

    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, this 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.

    The reason you want to pull it off the grill 10 degrees below your desired internal temp is because the tri-tip will continue to keep cooking for a short time after the steak is removed.

    Steak sliced showing different temperature doneness with the corresponding temperatures

    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 this smoked tri tip 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.

    About ⅓ of the steaks grain is going to run one way and the other ⅔ of the meat will run in a slightly different direction. Below the black lines show which direction the grain of the meat runs.

    Tri tip steak with lines showing which way the lines run

    Slicing perpendicular to the grain will make sure the meat is tender. If sliced in the same direction of the grain will result in a tougher chew, and no one wants a tough steak. Leave the chewy beef to when you make beef jerky.

    Slicing  steak with knife

    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. For me, I love having a potato and a green to accompany my steak.

    • Smoked baked potato
    • Roasted asparagus
    • Smoked Corn on the cob
    • Baked beans

    FAQ

    What is a tri tip steak?

    A tri tip is a cut of meat from the sirloin. It's also called a bottom sirloin or triangle steak.

    Is it an expensive steak?

    Tri tip is less expensive than ribeye or strip steak. It's a great economical steak.

    How long does it take to cook tri tip?

    If grilling at high temps, it takes 7-10 minutes a side for medium. However, always cook to temperature, not time.

    Try smoking these great recipes

    • Smoked spiral ham on black platter with biscuits in background.
      Smoked Ham w/Sweet Apricot Glaze
    • Homemade Smoked Salmon Dip
    • Pork egg foo young on white plate with gravy being poured on top.
      Pork Egg Foo Young (Wagner style)
    • Toast with smoked salmon, cucumbers, dill, and shallots.
      Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast

    Old 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
    Tri tip steak on plate with potatoes and asparagus

    Smoked Tri-Tip Steak

    Tender, juicy, flavorful.... let's smoke a tri tip steak to perfection on the smoker. Grab some pellets, and ice cold beer, and fire up the smokers folks, it's steak night!
    5 from 37 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Temperature Increase: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Type: Smoked Meat
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 382kcal
    Author: Will
    Cost: $35

    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

    Equipment

    Pellet Grill
    Pellet Smoker
    Red Meat Thermometer with digital read out with temperature.
    Meat Thermometer
    Sear plates with grill spatula
    Sear Plates

    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.

    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

    Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 895mg | Potassium: 754mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 168IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Smoked Tri-Tip Steak
    « Smoked Mac and Cheese (plus video)
    Smoked Baby Back Ribs »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. causinga stir says

      May 16, 2022 at 4:29 am

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Regards

      Reply
    2. Brianna says

      June 21, 2021 at 9:07 pm

      5 stars
      This tri tips turned out great!

      Reply
    3. Audrey says

      June 21, 2021 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      This turned out great!

      Reply
    4. Jill says

      June 21, 2021 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing flavor!

      Reply
    5. Sondra Barker says

      June 21, 2021 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply

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