Smoked USDA PRIME Tri-Tip (2 of 12)

Smoked USDA PRIME Tri-Tip (2 of 12) - 11 days ago I posted the first of 12 Blog entries concerning the Costco USDA Prime peeled Tri-Tip roasts. It's going to be a challenge coming up with various methods and techniques to smoke/cook these beautifully marbled cuts of meat. But it's a challenge I'm more than willing to take on. I originally planned on cooking a tri-tip roast every week but there's no need to rush into this. There's so much to cook and fix that I'm just going to go with the flow! It's been said that properly cooked Tri-Tip is the poor man's prime rib - I truly believe that a properly smoked Tri-Tip is actually better than a prime rib. Try out this recipe and you be the judge!

There are a multitude of people that prefer their beef to be cooked medium to medium-well. To each his own I always say ... but I for one consider it sacrilegious to take a tri-tip past medium rare as shown in the photo above. Trust me when I say that you can cut it with a fork and it will melt in your mouth.

Since the Tri-Tip roasts were peeled there was no need for me to trim off any fat cap and/or silver skin. That may not always be the case but peeled roasts greatly minimize the prep time. The prep is simple - rub the roast with a glue in order for the seasoning/rub to cling to the meat and work it's magic overnight in the fridge. Rub the tri-tip roast with extra virgin olive oil on all sides and season with Fagundes Seasoning. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning also works wonderfully. Wrap the seasoned roast in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the MAK 2 Star wood pellet smoker-grill with Hickory flavored wood pellets to 235ºF. Smoke the seasoned Tri-Tip roast at 235ºF until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 145ºF. This 2½ roast took about 2 hours to reach temperature. Times listed here are for planning purposes only. Rested the smoked roast loosely under a foil tent for 15 minutes before carving on the bias against the grain. Just remember that each half of the tri-tip has grains running different directions.