# Smoking tri tip



## danny hernandez (Jan 3, 2014)

This was my first attempt at smoking anything. I searched various forums to get tips and ideas, so I can cut down on the trial and error stage. I already had a tri tip in my freezer so it was to be my maiden voyage. Some people claimed that it was a nightmare to smoke tri tip, so I was a little apprehensive. But I like a challenge. So,This was my process. I just got a Masterbuilt digital smoker for Christmas. I heated it to 160 degrees. Couldn't draw smoke at 160, so I kept raising the heat until I got a nice draw. I went all the way to 200. It seemed to work best. I also wanted to add that I got a tin can and opened both sides and placed it over the vent. It really seemed to help. I would like to credit the person that I borrowed this from, but I forgot who it was. Sorry.













tri tip.jpg



__ danny hernandez
__ Jan 3, 2014






I also should add that I used mesquite.

 I felt that this was hotter than I wanted it, so I placed my tri tip on the top rack. I trimmed it back to 190 for 4 hours. I don't want to brag, but it was pretty awesome. The prep for the meat was just olive oil and my special rub.I let it sit in the fridge for 2 days.Here is a photo of the finished product. Please lend any tips if you have any.


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## mossymo (Jan 4, 2014)

Nice looking tri-tip Danny, you done well... very nice!

A few tips for your next tri-tip...

- Keep your temp slow and low, you will achieve even more tender cut of satisfaction.

- Get an 5X8 A-MAZE-N smoker for your Masterbuilt for better quality, more consistent smoke.

- Don't time your smoke, take it slow. Instead of time, go by the internal meat temperature. The meat will be done when it hit your desire temperature.

My wife and I like medium-rare which is 130º. So we try pulling our tri-tip about at 125º and resting as it slowly still climbs reach our desired temp.


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## chuckles (Jan 4, 2014)

Yep, what MossyMo said.
    :congratulation_graphics_2:


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## jwbtulsa (Jan 5, 2014)

Nice. Might try some Tatonka Dust on the next one. Damn good stuff.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 5, 2014)

Tri tips are great to smoke. I run my smoker right around 265* when I do mine. I use a mix of cherry and pecan most if the time. I do a variety of rubs, sometimes marinade, but mostly just salt, pepper, and garlic. The leftovers make great French dip sandwees! Search here for the smokey Au jus recipe.


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## tbarker46 (Jan 5, 2014)

Danny Hernandez said:


> This was my first attempt at smoking anything. I searched various forums to get tips and ideas, so I can cut down on the trial and error stage. I already had a tri tip in my freezer so it was to be my maiden voyage. Some people claimed that it was a nightmare to smoke tri tip, so I was a little apprehensive. But I like a challenge. So,This was my process. I just got a Masterbuilt digital smoker for Christmas. I heated it to 160 degrees. Couldn't draw smoke at 160, so I kept raising the heat until I got a nice draw. I went all the way to 200. It seemed to work best. I also wanted to add that I got a tin can and opened both sides and placed it over the vent. It really seemed to help. I would like to credit the person that I borrowed this from, but I forgot who it was. Sorry.
> 
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## danny hernandez (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks buddy. I can't wait to try it. By the way, how long do you smoke a 2.5 lb tri tip at 265 degrees?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 9, 2014)

Danny Hernandez said:


> Thanks buddy. I can't wait to try it. By the way, how long do you smoke a 2.5 lb tri tip at 265 degrees?



Depends upon how you like your steak. We like ours rare-medium rare so we cook to an internal temp of 130, pull the meat off the grill. Wrap in foil and let rest for 30-45 minutes then slice and serve.


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## jarjarchef (Jan 10, 2014)

Looks good....... Great job for first time, or even 100th time.... Keep it up Thumbs Up

Personally I cook at a higher temp like 250, I like more color. As stated earlier, most of smoking is done to a temp, not to a time. Meats tend to have their own mind when it comes to being done. The MES smoker is a great tool to use with the edition of the AMNPS. It opens you up to be able to almost set it and forget it, but what I like the best about it, it allows you to smoke at much lower temps for cold smoking down the road. 

One down fall of the MES that has not been mentioned was the lack of a good quality thermometer. They are notoriously not calibrated correctly and they can not be recalibrated. So IMHO getting a good remote thermometer like a Maverick ET732 or the iGrill is a good starting place to look. Temperature knowledge is the best way to control your cooks.


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## donr (Jan 10, 2014)

jwbtulsa said:


> Nice. Might try some Tatonka Dust on the next one. Damn good stuff.


I used Tatonka Dust on a Tri-tip over the holidays.  2 Teaspoons per pound of meat.  Rubbed on, vacuum packed for 5 days (Longer than I had planned, but wasn't sure when I would get to cook it).  I just grilled it to an internal temp. of 135°.  Let rest for about 25 min.   Ridiculously awesome.  You can taste the spices, but you can really still taste the beef flavor.  My picky kid came back for thirds.

Don


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