Quick Tri-tip

[Tom]

I banged out a quick tri-tip today using the red oak chips that were mistakenly sent by smokelicious. I kept it traditional and only used fresh ground black pepper, salt and dried  garlic.  The flavor was close to the best I've ever had,  but I think the next batch will be finished slightly different. Not having a hot live fire grill makes a bit of a challenge that needs to be overcome with different methods. 

Without a good grill to depend on, I like doing flash sautéed crusts using ghee or clarified butter which has a higher smoke point. I will do this on the second tri-tip that I didn't finish in the sous vide cooker, since I didn't do this with the first one.  I am not happy with the texture and I think it's clearly overcooked but I'll work on that with the next.  I have an inkling that the second tri-tip doesn't need the 2 hour sous vide bath. Fingers crossed that the second tri-tip isn't overcooked.

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[Tom]

Off mobile and I can more easily type.

So, this cook was planned as a 2 hour smoke at low(ish) temperatures, I set it at 205ºF and loaded up about 5oz of red oak chips from smokelicious, with plans of finishing the tail end of the cook in the sous vide at 132ºF for 2 hours. I think this last part was unnecessary. But, seeing how I was starting the cook on the 3D at 3PM, then left for my tax filing appointment, I knew I would be back by 5 with almost done meat.

I cooked two essentially identical tri-tips, and I think I'll follow up on this by serving the second only re-warmed, without the secondary cook. I'm not a fan of medium cooked meat or anything beyond that and this pushed that envelope too far. But damn, the flavor of the simple spices was fantastic with the red oak smoke. I see why the traditionalists in California sneer at anything besides salt,pepper and garlic. I used freshly ground black malabar gold pepper and dried garlic (not powder) ground right before rubbing.

After a 10 minute rest out of the bag from the sous vide, I blasted the crust with the Searz-All, to firm up the bark.

I'm really happy with the flavor, but will modify the second and subsequent cooks for tri-tips this size. They're rather petite.

My intentions on the next cook it to firm up the crust a bit better and develop the texture a bit more using some ghee and a very hot pan.

The meal was finished with a simple sauté of zucchini that was flash sauteed in bacon fat (homemade bacon from a cook described previously) and a good dose of parmesan. The bourbon maple bacon got tossed back in at the end. Quite a nice touch.

[DivotMaker]

Tom,

Here's my version of Santa Maria BBQ.  I'm a native prune picker (SOCAL), and this is as close as I can get to the tastes I remember.  The tri-tips, when smoked with this technique, come out incredibly tender and a nice medium-rare.  It also has my version of SM pinquito beans. 

Santa Maria Tri-Tips and Pinquito Beans

[Tom]

That's probably what I'll follow the next time around. I had hoped I could cheat it a bit without needing to use the meat temp probe and just run it at 200 for 2 hours. For these small tri-tips I usually aim right in the same ballpark, around 125 and then finish sear.

I'm trying to hold off the urge to order more pinquinto beans, trying to cut down on carbs in general still.

[DivotMaker]

Hehe... Yeah, hard to get away without using the temp probe on something like this.  I know what you mean about the pinquitos!  I just love 'em, and need to order more, but have also held-off for the same reason!

[SconnieQ]

How did your second tri-tip turn out without the sous vide bath? Even though your tri-tip was cooked more than you wanted, it looks moist in the pictures.

[Tom]

How did your second tri-tip turn out without the sous vide bath? Even though your tri-tip was cooked more than you wanted, it looks moist in the pictures.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

I sliced it cold, and slightly thinner than what I would normally. It was nothing to be too proud of, I also noted that I'd gone too liberal on the wood smoke. The smoke flavor had further penetrated the meat and overwhelmed the beef flavor. The great thing about this cooker though, is each time I learn something to do better the next time.

[SconnieQ]

I just did my first tri-tip (3.5 pounds). Had guests coming at 6:00 on a weekday, and it was kind of a weird busy day, and I wasn't going to be able to get it on the smoker at just the right time. So I needed to smoke it early, and use sous vide to "hold" the meat at medium rare. Seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and a bit of rosemary. I put it on at noon, and smoked for 2 hours (at 200 degrees), to an internal temperature of 115, using 2 ounces of red oak. Vacuum sealed and into the sous vide at 131 to hold until 6:00. Seared on the grill. It ended up being a nice way to have more control over the exact timing of the meal. Turned out great for my first tri-tip. Perfect medium-rare, and tender as filet, but more flavorful. A nice amount of smoke too, not over-smoked at all with just the 2 ounces. Sorry no pictures. Guests were hungry.

[DivotMaker]

Sounds great, Kari!  A good tri-tip is hard to beat - one of my favorites!!

[BenA]

That is a new looking meal!.. but that knife is a beauty as well.