Smoked Tri Tip is a quick and simple recipe that is made in the pellet smoker. Tender, juicy beef coated in a flavorful homemade rub will become your new go-to!
This Traeger smoked tri tip has an amazing and flavorful rub that is made with a mix of cacao powder and spices. It is super simple to prepare and smokes in about an hour. It is an absolute crowd-pleaser and makes amazing leftovers!
Ingredients
Tri tip Dry Rub
You will need a 2-4 pound tri tip and these tri tip dry rub ingredients.
How to Smoke Tri Tip
- Prepare the meat. Take the meat out of the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature. Slice any large chunks of fat off the meat using a sharp knife. Mix cacao powder, brown sugar, salt, garlic, chili powder, paprika, and black pepper. Sprinkle rub evenly on all sides of the roast.
- Prepare the smoker. Fill the hopper with pellets. Preheat the smoker to 225°F.
- Smoke the meat. Place meat directly on the smoker grates. Smoke until internal temperature reaches (130-135°F for medium rare).
- Let it rest. Take the tri tip off the smoker, wrap it in foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Slice and serve. Thin slice the meat against the grain (scroll down to see diagram) and serve.
What is Tri Tip?
Tri tip is a cut of meat from the bottom of the sirloin. This triangular cut of beef is a super flavorful cut of meat with a decent amount of marbling. It is super tender and juicy when cooked correctly.
What Size Tri Tip to Smoke?
I like to shoot for the range of 1.5-4 pounds. The tri tip pictured is approximately 3 pounds. However, you can smoke any size of tri tip.
Beef Cooking Temperatures
- Rare 125-130°F
- Medium-Rare 130-140°F
- Medium 140-150°F
- Medium-Well 150-155°F
- Well-Done 160-165°F
How to Slice Tri Tip
What to Serve with Smoked Tri-Tip?
Citrus Honey Dressing
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
How do you use Leftover Smoked Tri Tip?
- Tacos or quesadillas
- Sandwich
- Salad
- Breakfast burrito or steak and eggs
Products Used
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More Smoker Recipes
Smoked Tri Tip
Equipment
- pellet smoker
- wood pellets
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2-4 pounds tri tip
- 2 tbsp cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Take the meat out of the refrigerator. Slice any large chunks of fat off the meat using a sharp knife.Mix cacao powder, brown sugar, salt, garlic, chili powder, paprika, and black pepper. Sprinkle rub evenly on all sides of the roast. Allow the meat to reach room temperature before smoking.
- Fill the hopper with pellets. Preheat the smoker to 225°F.Once the smoker is preheated, place the meat directly on the smoker grates. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches (130-135°F for medium rare). My 3 pound tri tip took approximately 1 hour to smoke. Take the tri tip off of the smoker, wrap in foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes. Thin slice the meat against the grain and serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
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