Tri-Tip is a versatile cut, and can be cooked many ways. We’ll describe 3 great methods below. Tri-tip cooks more like a steak than a slow-cooked roast or barbecued slab of meat. You’ll want to cook to an internal temp of 130-135 degrees for medium rare, and around 145 for medium, and be sure to sear the outside for nice char, color, and texture.
The lean, beefy flavor of tri-tip pairs so well with smoke. You absolutely can’t beat this method. Get your BBQ or smoker humming at about 225 degrees, burning your favorite flavor of wood or charcoal. Slow smoke the tri-tip to your desired level of doneness (highly recommend medium rare, definitely no more cooked than medium) as measured by internal temp. Then sear the tri-tip and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Check out the recipe below for a more detailed walk-through.
How do you Grill a Tri-Tip?
Don’t have a smoker? No problem. Tri-tip does just fine on your standard Weber or even a gas grill. Same basic concept as above – roast the tri-tip over indirect heat to your preferred internal temp. Be sure to position the tri-tip over warm side of your grill grate, away from the pile of coals or the lit burner. Once the tri-tip is cooked through, sear on both sides over direct heat, let rest, slice and serve.
How do you cook a Tri-Tip in the Oven?
Don’t have access to a grill? That’s no problem either, tri-tip can be cooked perfectly with a combination of a standard oven and stove-top. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Get a skillet (preferably cast iron) nice and hot over medium to high heat. After seasoning, sear the tri-tip on both sides in the skillet to develop a nice charred color and texture. Then place the cast iron skillet (or transfer to a roasting pan if you didn’t use a cast iron) and place it in the preheated oven. Roast until you your desired internal temp, about 20 minutes for medium rare. Let rest 10 minutes, slice and serve.
