Some of the smoking sites I follow are always posting about cooking tri-tip, but it’s a cut I’d never actually seen in stores here in Tennessee. It’s popular on the West Coast, sometimes called the Santa Maria cut, and it’s similar to London broil, though a different cut entirely. Much to my surprise, I found Sam’s had started carrying them — I picked one up for $14 to give it a try.

 

The Cut

Tri-tip gets its name from its shape — a distinctive triangle.

Marinade

I put together a simple marinade of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and let it sit for about 3 hours before it went on the smoker.

Smoking

It smoked for about 2 hours using mesquite — though if I did it again, I’d try hickory instead, since the mesquite came through a little too strong for my taste. I pulled it at 130°F internal and let it rest.

Searing

I finished it with a hard sear on both sides on the propane grill, heated to 600°F — about 4 minutes total.

Result

I let it rest another 10 minutes before slicing. It came out cooked perfectly, and the marinade gave it great flavor — I just wasn’t sold on the mesquite. A couple of readers later chimed in with the same thought, suggesting pecan, oak, or a fruitwood instead — worth trying next time.