tri-tip steak smoked over indirect heat then reverse seared

Tri-tip has been labelled ‘poor man’s tenderloin’, ‘poor man’s eye fillet’ and ‘poor man’s ribeye’. Whilst it is certainly cheaper in price (about half the price or less) it definitely deserves a lot more credit than it price tag warrants.

Tri-tip is triangular in shape (who would’ve guessed!) and is cut from the bottom sirloin. Despite being quite lean it is extremely juicy and is best cooked at a low temperature and finished with a reverse sear over high heat to a medium internal temperature (140f/60c). We usually like our steak served medium rare however tri-tip can be a little chewy and stringy at this level of doneness so push it through to medium.

ingedients

• tri-tip steak
• mayonnaise, mustard or olive oil
• your favourite beef rub or a simple mix of kosher salt and coarse black pepper

directions

1. Apply a thin layer of mayo, mustard or oil to the meat then season generously with the rub ideally 4 to 6 hours prior to cooking.
2. Set up your barbecue for indirect cooking and aim for a temperature between 250f/120c to 275f/135c.
3. When the temperature of your barbecue is stable place one wood chunk about half the size of your fist onto the coals.
4. Position the steak over indirect heat* and cook until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 130f/55c, approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The timing will depend on the thickness of the tri-tip. Allow the meat to rest whilst you crank up the heat in your barbecue (a 10 minute rest is ideal).
5. Reverse sear the steak, flipping every 30 seconds for a total of 2 minutes.
6. Slice the meat against the grain and retain the juices to pour a little over the meat once you have plated.

*Indirect heat simply means cooking the meat away from the coals or flame. If you have a 4 burner barbecue for example, turn on 2 of the burners and cook your meat over the other 2. If you are using charcoal then have the coals on one side of the barbecue, meat on the other. Many bullet smokers will have a water pan that acts as a barrier between the fuel and the meat which is another method of indirect cooking.

**For an in depth discussion on the science behind ‘the reverse sear’ you can read The Food Lab’s article here.

There are many options when it comes to serving Tri-Tip. We regularly serve ours with a mac n cheese loaf and pico de gallo. The next day I slice it up, chucked a few slices on some sourdough and topped with red cheddar, caramelised onions and espresso BBQ sauce.