Some of the smoking sites that I follow are always posting about cooking Tri-Tip, which is something that I have never seen the stores in TN. This is popular on the West Coast and also goes by the name of Santa Maria cut of beef. Much to my surprise, I found Sams was now selling them so I picked one up. It is similar to London Broil, but a different cut of beef. I picked one out and at $14 I figured I would give it a try.
The cut is known from the triangle shape
I did a simple marinade of olive oil, squeeze garlic, rosemary and thyme. I did this about 3 hours before it went on the smoker.
It smoked for about two hours, and I used mesquite, but if I did it again, I would try Hickory instead. I removed it 130 degree internal temp and let it rest
I then did a sear on both sides by getting the Weber propane to 600 degrees. It was on the grill for about 4 minutes total time.
I then let is rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. It was cooked perfectly, the marinade gave it great flavor, just not sold on the mesquite.
Oak
Mesquite can be very harsh and sometimes bitter. I use Pecan , Oak or a fruitwood instead. I have cooked over 20 of these Trips-Tips on my WSM. I often apply Montreal Steak Seasoning prior to setting the Tri-Tip on the smoker grill. After reaching 130F internal, I remove the middle section of my bullet smoker and lower my grill with the Tri-Tip directly over the coals. 2-3 minutes on each side and it’s done!