This smoked tri tip recipe uses a simple dry brine, Jeff's Texas Style Rub, and a low and slow smoke followed by a hot reverse sear for juicy, tender beef with outstanding flavor.
Recipe by Jeff Phillips on August 21, 2019
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT120M
Total time: PT155M
Rating
4.26 stars (55 reviews)
Ingredients
1 tri tip roast (2 to 3 pounds)
Coarse kosher salt
Jeff's Texas Style Rub
Categories
Entree
Cuisine
Hot Smoking
Steps
Trim excess fat from the tri tip, leaving only a thin layer if desired.
Coat all sides with coarse kosher salt and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Apply Jeff's Texas Style Rub lightly over all sides of the roast.
Preheat the smoker to 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat and oak or pecan wood.
Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 110°F (43°C).
Sear over very high heat until the internal temperature reaches 130°F (54°C).
Rest loosely tented with foil for 10 to 15 minutes.
Slice across the grain and serve.
Reviews
Dale on 2026-06-10 (5 stars): I prefer some fat for the extra flavor, reverse sear the fat side down longer than the other side. If just BBQing leave a lot of fat on.
Bill FDoyle on 2026-06-06 (5 stars): I've been smoking and grilling for about 15 years now. I really enjoyed your tri tip recipe...lots of detail but not too much. I learned a lot. Thanks
Popeye on 2026-04-14 (5 stars): Now I need to go looking for Tri-tip. Of course I'll need to cook it to a higher temp as my wife won't eat meat if "It's bloody". YES, I know it's not actually blood.
Julia on 2025-08-31 (5 stars): Really good and the directions were easy to follow. Just the right amount of smoke. The leftovers will be eaten in a variety of ways. Thanks.
Rich Flay on 2025-08-21 (4 stars): This is a great recipe. I have made this in the past when we lived on the west coast. But here in Alabama, they don’t even know what Tri tip is. I’d like to find a good substitute.
Vince on 2024-08-22 (5 stars): I've not tried this way of cooking a tri-tip but I do similar with my cowboy ribeyes. I wanted to say thanks for illustrating what direction to cut the meat. Makes a huge difference and your illustration makes that easy.
Bo Dizzle on 2024-08-22 (5 stars): David you’re 100% spot on
