One Response for "Smoked Tri Tip"

1. Chef Kevin June 11th, 2008 at 9:36 am 1

   Tri-tip is a bad choice for smoking because it does not have a lot of connective tissue. During a slow and long cooking process like smoking, the fat melts and your connective tissue breaks down. Without a lot of connective tissue, the heat from the smoking process will just dry out the muscle tissue (the meat).

   Your tri tip, when smoked, will get tough instead of tender. The better method for tri tip is to sear over a hot fire for about six minutes per side, then continue to roast it using indirect heat (off the direct heat) until it reaches 130 internal temperature.

   For a great smoked beef dish, try short ribs or beef brisket. These two items have lots of connective tissue that when smoked (low and slow) tenderize as they cook because of the slow breakdown of all of the collagen.