# Smoked a 3.5lb Tri-Tip -- too rare! What did I do wrong



## kohlrabibobby (Jul 11, 2020)

Hello everybody! Yesterday I reverse seared a 3.5lb Tri-Tip. I started off smoking it on my offset at roughly 250-275 degrees until internal temperature of 115 degrees. I had two Thermo-Pro thermometers probed in the meat and I was also routinely checking it with my Thermo-Pen. I was getting a range of different temps based on where I probed the meat, but overall I thought it was an average of 115 on the larger part of the meat, so I pulled it off. The outside texture was nice and smoky and I had achieved the bark I was looking for. I wouldn't normally do this, but I let the meat rest for about 30 minutes to stop cooking, uncovered. I then wrapped the meat in alumunum foil and kept it in an ice cooler (to avoid temp danger zone) and transported it to a friends house where I put it in the fridge and seared it hours later. I made sure to let it come up to room temp before searing. However, when I went to fire up the grill hours later to get my sear and grill marks, after doing so when I cut into it, it was still too rare, especially in the center. 

My question is, what did I do wrong? If my internal smoking temp was 115 when I pulled it off, and my desired post sear temp was 125, how do I prevent this from happening again? Is 115 too low of a stop temp for initial smoking/slow cook? The last tri-tip I cooked I pulled off at 115 and this didn't happen. I understand that I could have solved this in the moment by just cooking it low on indirect heat until center cooked more, but it was too late and everyone was hungry so we ate it just a bit more rare then desired. Tasted great, but I would love to hear peoples input!

Thank you all, have a great day!


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## flatbroke (Jul 11, 2020)

125 finished is still pretty red


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## BB-que (Jul 11, 2020)

I think if you have to let it rest before the sear, you need to take it  Closer to your desired finish temp.  If you sear right after the cook you’ll get the carryover from the cook.  But the way you did it you basically started from scratch again when you seared since you now had cold and rare beef.  At that point the sear just added a crust but isn’t gonna cook the inside anymore.


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## chilerelleno (Jul 11, 2020)

Simple as increasing your finished sear IT to 130°-135°.
I smoke to an IT of no more than 115°, gives me plenty of room to get the heavy sear/char that I prefer and a finished IT of 130°.
And with the average carry over of 5° everything is usually perfect.

Your finished IT is the  kicker no matter how or when you got the meat to it.


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## smokin peachey (Jul 11, 2020)

Welcome to the forum. Wonderful how quick the helpful response were. Great group of people here at Smf


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## kohlrabibobby (Jul 11, 2020)

BB-que said:


> I think if you have to let it rest before the sear, you need to take it  Closer to your desired finish temp.  If you sear right after the cook you’ll get the carryover from the cook.  But the way you did it you basically started from scratch again when you seared since you now had cold and rare beef.  At that point the sear just added a crust but isn’t gonna cook the inside anymore.


Wow that's very helpful, thanks. a lot!


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## kohlrabibobby (Jul 11, 2020)

smokin peachey said:


> Welcome to the forum. Wonderful how quick the helpful response were. Great group of people here at Smf


Thanks! Yeah it's pretty cool haha. Learned a lot already


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## hoity toit (Jul 11, 2020)

I go to 130-135 and it usually is about right after setting. 

HT


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## chilerelleno (Jul 11, 2020)

BB-que said:


> I think if you have to let it rest before the sear, you need to take it  Closer to your desired finish temp.  If you sear right after the cook you’ll get the carryover from the cook.  But the way you did it you basically started from scratch again when you seared since you now had cold and rare beef.  At that point the sear just added a crust but isn’t gonna cook the inside anymore.





kohlrabibobby said:


> H I then wrapped the meat in alumunum foil and kept it in an ice cooler (to avoid temp danger zone) and transported it to a friends house where I put it in the fridge and seared it hours later. I made sure to let it come up to room temp before searing. However, when I went to fire up the grill hours later to get my sear and grill marks, after doing so when I cut into it, it was still too rare, especially in the center.




 BB-que
 OP states he brought it to room temp before searing, so that shouldn't be the case.

But regardless if he seared it Cold or at Room Temp, if as he says he brought the IT to 125° during the sear then neither would matter.

So the real question is, "
K
 kohlrabibobby
 did you use a reliable thermometer to check the IT during the sear or just rely on past experiences of searing immediately after smoking?"


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## sawhorseray (Jul 11, 2020)

Had you seared your tri immediately after pulling at 115º it most likely would have been just about perfect, I like rare, 125º-127º works for me.


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## noboundaries (Jul 11, 2020)

I didn't know there was such a thing as too rare...for me anyway. 135F is about as rare-ish as my wife will go.


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## CFLJOHN512 (Jul 11, 2020)

I take my tri tips to 130 IT then straight on the grill to sear.  I end up at about 135 after sear.  It’s perfect.   I’ve never let it cool completely before the sear.   I’d calibrate my temp proves to make sure they are accurate just to be safe.


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## Brokenhandle (Jul 11, 2020)

These guys pretty much have you covered! Another option for you if it would happen again...heat some beef broth up in a pot then immerse the meat in it for a bit...will cook it so not as rare and doesn't take long.

Ryan


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## chef jimmyj (Jul 11, 2020)

It's better to warm undercooked meat than Choke Down overcooked meat.
I suspect the REST before cooler storage changed your usual result...JJ


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## b-one (Jul 13, 2020)

Thicker meat in my experience always looks less done then it is as a smoker cooks more evenly. I have over cooked a few eye of rounds fearing they would be dry but looked medium and tasted wonderfully. I have also served TT to guests that would not eat it saying it was to rare even after explaining this to them. I personally don’t eat rare meat as I doesn’t seem to digest properly.


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