Checking in from CA

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jase858

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 23, 2010
3
10
Greetings all!

This here Jase858, checking in from Northern California. I stumbled onto SMF after doing a search on the net for wood smoking. I just recently came back from Santa Barbara, CA where I tasted a delicious Tri Tip Sandwich that was smoked over a pit for a few hours. It tasted pretty damn good, and my clothes were soaked in the smoke, so the 4 hour drive back home was even more awesome.

I couldnt shake how good the tri tip meat tasted, so I did a bit of research and found that it's a Santa Maria style BBQ where they use red oak wood to smoke the meat (note: I realize there are different BBQ opinions on what particular wood to use and what type of meat, but the consensus from Santa Marians was red oak for the wood, and traditionally beef loin, but tri tip is acceptable). My buddies and I are gonna get together and recreate the tri-tip at my place (townhouse condo with restrictions on using charcoal/wood grillers....oh well!!!)

Anyways, I'm supposed to meet a wood guy today to get some red oak, peach, and apple (1/8 cord into my WRX...
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) and then I gotta figure out how to smoke a tri tip. Alls I have is a Char Broil Gas grill with three burners that I will use foil packets of wood pieces in. Gas grill, is sacrilege I'm guessing. Anyone have suggestions as to a DIY smoker? I have access to park with one of those community grillers too, but i'm guessing all the smoke will be blown away by the wind. Could I overturn a pot onto the meat with a few holes poked out the top?

Any advice from SMFers is appreciated!
 
If all you have is a grill to smoke with then just use one of your burners and leave the other two off (indirect heat method) put some chips in foil like you said and place them over your one lit burner and put your meat to the other side in the unlit spot. You may have to rotate your meat during the cook to make sure it gets done on all sides. Watch your temps if you can't get them up around 230 then you may need to light another burner but you should be able to get up to temp with the one burner hopefully. Thats what I would do anyway.
 
Welcome to smf, check out Jeffs 5 day course, and you can use your grill, but if you really enjoy smoking foods, you can find some smokers on craigslist pretty cheap, get to smoking, and bring on the qview
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Before I found SMF that is how i smoked all the time. If you can take out the grill on the side with the heat and put the chip pouches on top of the burner. make sure you do not stop the fire. My old grill i could to it but my new one i can't.
make sure you have 2-3 pouches made up they last about 1 hr or so, and you may want to soak the chips first. Use temp probes if you have them.
Good luck and good smoking.
 
Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to your first qview.
 
Welcome Jase, I'm in northern CA as well, Concord Area.

I love to smoke (doin bbr's tomorrow), but when it comes to tri-tip.. one of my all time favorites, I usually cook it over the grill.

I run it about 15-20 minutes indirect heat, then throw directly over the coals to get a good sear and bring the internal temp up to about 140-145.

(if you don't own a thermapen, i very highly recommend it. It's become my favorite cooking tool).

I usually do Santa Maria style, which is basically just Salt Pepper and Garlic Powder. I like beef, pretty plain, the flavor is great all by itself.

However, that being said, I found a bbq sauce awhile back that I love. Google - Ugly Brothers Raspberry BBQ sauce and you will find a great one.
It's basically bottle bbq sauce, add some seedless raspberry jam, finely chopped chipotle to bring up the heat, and some vinegar. Makes an awesome sweet-hot sauce,
 
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