Dry Brined Reverse Seared Tri-Tip
The short version. Trim the silverskin, season the tri-tip with salt, pepper and garlic, and dry brine it uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight. Smoke or grill it over indirect heat at 225 to 250°F until the thickest part reads 115 to 120°F, about 60 to 90 minutes. Sear it hot for about 2 minutes a side, rest 10 minutes, then cut it in two where the grain changes and slice each piece thin against the grain.
Tri-tip is a triangle of bottom sirloin, about two inches thick at the center and tapering to a thin tip. That shape is exactly why the reverse sear suits it. A slow first stage brings the thick middle up gently and evenly, so the center is a perfect medium rare while the thinner tip finishes a little more done. If you are feeding a table with different opinions, that is a feature.
It is also one of the best-value beef cuts you can buy. Done this way, with a dry brine and a hard sear at the end, it eats like a far more expensive steak.
At a glance
- Serves: 4 to 6
- Cut: 1 whole tri-tip, 2 to 3 lb
- Dry brine: 12 to 24 hours, uncovered, on a rack in the fridge
- Low stage: 225 to 250°F indirect, about 60 to 90 minutes
- Pull for medium rare: 115 to 120°F at the thickest point
- Sear: about 2 minutes per side over high heat
- Rest: 10 minutes, uncovered
Trim and dry brine
Most tri-tips come with a layer of silverskin on one side. Slide a thin knife under it and take it off, because it will not render and it turns chewy. Leave a thin layer of fat where there is one, and trim any loose, hanging pieces that would burn on the sear.
Season every side with Livia's Salt Pepper Garlic, about a teaspoon per pound, and set the tri-tip on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. The salt seasons deep into a cut this thick, and the dry surface is what lets the sear build a real crust.
Season for the crust
Right before it goes on, give it a light, even coat of The Rocks All Red Meat Rub by Whiskey Bent BBQ. Its pepper, garlic, onion and chili build a darker bark during the low stage. It carries salt of its own, so keep the coat light after a dry brine.
Pitmaster tip: Probe the thickest part of the triangle, not the tip. The tip will always read higher. When the thick center hits your number, the whole roast is ready.
The cook
Run a smoker at 225 to 250°F, or set up two zones on a grill and keep the cool side in that range. Oak or hickory both suit beef. Put the tri-tip on the cool side with a thermometer in the thickest part and close the lid.
When the center reads 115 to 120°F for medium rare, pull it and get the hot side as hot as it goes. Pat the surface dry, mist it with wagyu beef tallow spray, and sear about 2 minutes a side with the lid open, rolling it onto the edges for a few seconds each. A tri-tip is bigger than a steak, so it takes a little longer to crust.
Shake Heath Riles Garlic Butter Rub over it straight off the heat, then rest it 10 minutes, uncovered.
Slice it right: the grain changes direction
This is where most tri-tips go wrong. The muscle fibers run in two directions, fanning out from the bend in the triangle. Slice the whole thing one way and half of it will be chewy.
- Look at the cooked roast and find where the grain changes direction, usually near the bend.
- Cut the tri-tip in two at that point.
- Turn each piece so the fibers run left to right, and slice thin, about a quarter inch, straight across them.
Serve with Rufus Teague Steak Sauce on the side. Leftovers make some of the best steak sandwiches you will ever eat. The full recipe card is below, and pull temperatures for every doneness level are in our reverse sear guide.
Everything in this cook, in one box.
The Upper Crust Steak Box has the thermometer, the brining rack, the wagyu tallow spray, Livia's SPG, The Rocks, Heath Riles Garlic Butter Rub and Rufus Teague Steak Sauce, plus a card with this cook and every temperature written out. Free US shipping.
Get the Upper Crust Steak BoxWant new rubs and sauces to try every delivery? See the Grill Masters Club subscription.
Keep going
4-6
15 minutes
1 hours 45 minutes
A whole tri-tip, dry brined overnight, smoked low to an even medium rare, seared hard and sliced across both grains.
Directions
The night before, trim off the silverskin and any loose, hanging fat.
Season every side with Livia's SPG and set the tri-tip on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered for 12 to 24 hours.
Run your smoker at 225 to 250°F with oak or hickory, or set up a two-zone fire with the cool side in that range.
Give the tri-tip a light, even coat of The Rocks.
Place it over indirect heat with a thermometer in the thickest part of the triangle, not the tip.
Cook until the thickest part reads 115 to 120°F for medium rare, about 60 to 90 minutes.
Remove it and get the hot side as hot as it will go.
Pat the surface dry and mist with wagyu beef tallow spray.
Sear about 2 minutes per side with the lid open, rolling it onto the edges for a few seconds each.
Shake Heath Riles Garlic Butter Rub over it straight off the heat and rest 10 minutes, uncovered.
Find where the grain changes direction near the bend and cut the tri-tip in two there.
Slice each piece about 1/4 inch thick straight across the grain. Serve with Rufus Teague Steak Sauce.
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