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My husband has made it his mission to perfect smoking different types of meat in his new smoker since the pandemic started. He’s made everything from brisket to an entire turkey to smoked tri-tip. Working from home has made it more convenient to monitor what he’s smoking during the day so he doesn’t have to limit using the smoker to only on the weekends.
The Tri-tip roast is one of his favorite things to make. The first time he made it was a few years ago when we hosted Christmas Eve dinner at our house. Everyone loved it and we’ve been hooked ever since.
High Quality Meat
The key to creating a fabulous smoked tri-tip is to start with a high quality cut of meat. High quality meat means you don’t need to do as much to achieve a great tasting meal. There is usually better marbling which means the meat will be more tender when cooked.
We were recently gifted a box of Wagyu beef cuts from Snake River Farms which has a reputation for superior quality meats. We were excited to compare their high quality Tri-Tip to others we’ve made before. It did not disappoint!
Snake River Farms is a ranch-to-table supplier of American Wagyu beef and Kurobuta pork. Snake River Farms has been a pioneer in the breeding of American Wagyu that has produced a superior quality beef which has exponentially grown in popularity over the past few decades. They own the entire supply chain, from the ranches where they oversee the breeding to processing and packaging the cuts of meat for customers.
The history of Snake River Farms is quite compelling and the breeding methods they’ve perfected over the years yields consistently superior marbling grades.
The Rub for your Smoked Tri-Tip
We decided to go with a Santa Maria style rub. The Santa Maria rub gives the meat a perfect combination of sweet and spicy that is really special. The recipe we used for the rub was found in the caption of this YouTube video. However you can also use a simple combination of salt, pepper, and garlic powder and still get an amazing tasting tri-tip.
You’ll want to coat both sides of the tri-tip with the rub and pat it in. Check out the youtube video we used as our guide to create this rub and smoke our tri-tip.
The Proper Time and Temperature for your Smoked Tri-Tip
You’ll want to smoke your tri-tip at a consistent 225 until the internal temperature reaches about 130-140 degrees, depending on how you like you meat. This temperature is ideal for cooking a tri-tip without drying it out. You absolutely need a meat thermometer (we use one similar to this one) to know when your smoked tri-tip is done. Tri-tips do not need to cook as long as other meats like bisket so you need to watch it carefully so it doesn’t overcook. The time it takes can vary (in our experience it’s about 2-3 hours), so tracking the internal temperature is super important.
The Results
Our smoked tri-tip turned out incredible! Both my husband and I noticed that this tri-tip from Snake River Farms had great marbling and was sooooo tender, and was the best tri-tip we’ve made so far.
The tri-tip came right off the grill with a nice crust but you can always sear it on a cast iron skillet for a few mintues afterwards if you want a little more of that crust with a pop of extra flavor. That’s always my favorite part!
We served the smoked tri-tip with roasted asparagus which is very easy to do. All you need to do is preheat your oven to 400-415 degrees, toss your asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, spread it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The time will vary a little with how thick the asparagus stalks are and how you like your asparagus. I like it a little crispy so I leave it in a few extra minutes.
This really was a delicous meal and after making many different versions of this dish, I can say that the quality of the product from Snake River Farms really made a difference. I had never had Wagyu beef before and now I don’t know if I can ever go back!
You can try it for yourself by ordering your favorite cut of beef from Snake River Farms and have it shipped right to your door. It’s shipped with dry ice and arrives frozen so you can rest assured knowing that your meat has stayed at the proper temperature during shipping. You can put it in your freezer once it arrives until you decide what you want to make with it. They also have subscription boxes and bundles that make great gifts. Get creative!
Use my code “CRAZY” for 10% off sitewide!
