Smoked GMG Tri-Tip Roast

When on the road RVing my present tailgate wood pellet smoker grill unit of choice is the Green Mountain Grills (GMG) Davy Crocket. The grill area size is perfect for 2 people and/or small cooks. For dinner I decided to have a Smoked GMG Tri-Tip Roast and boy did it ever turn out scrumptious, moist, and tender!

Found a great looking Choice/Prime Tri-Tip roast with marbling to die for at a local butcher shop in Columbia Falls, MT. I asked the butcher what grade the roast was and he informed me that the free range grass fed Angus beef was officially graded as choice but with it's marbling could easily be prime. After trimming the roast I would grade it as prime. 

Many backyard pitmasters prefer to keep the fat cap on or trim it down to a ¼ inch before seasoning and smoking their Tri-Tip roasts. But I, for one, like my Tri-Tip roasts peeled. I remember the first time I saw "peeled" on the label. Didn't know what to make of it. A "peeled" Tri-Tip roast is one where the fat cap has been removed by the butcher.

Notice the beautiful marbling on the roast once the small fat cap has been trimmed away. I rubbed the roast with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil and seasoned it with Pete's Western Rub. The recipe for Pete's Western Rub can be found in my new cookbook The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook. Wrapped the seasoned Tri-Tip roast in plastic and refrigerated for 6 hours before cooking.

Preheated the GMG Davy Crockett tailgater to 200ºF with Hickory pellets and smoked the roast for an hour. As soon as I bumped the pit temperature to 350ºF a weather front moved in with thunder and lightning accompanied with sleet!! I was concerned but the Davy Crockett weathered the storm beautifully. I did cover the pellet hopper and controller with a towel. During the passing weather front the WiFi module really came in handy allowing me to monitor the internal temperature and keep an eye on the pit temp.

Pulled the hickory smoked tri-tip roast when the internal temperature reached 145ºF. Rested the roast under a foil tent for 15 minutes before slicing against the grain. Overall time (preheat, smoke, cook & rest) for planning purposes was 2 hours. Remember -> always cook to internal temperatures.