Best Transport Methods Smoked Tri-tip

[CC!]

Hey all!
We are going to some friends' house for dinner who don't have a BBQ or smoker and we are hoping to bring a smoked tri tip. I'm wondering what the best method would be though... Ideally, for obvious reasons, I don't want to bring the tri tip + smoker + cook at their house for 2-3 hours lol...
I've read that cooked meat can be transported in a cooler and that keeps it at a good temp for up to 30-45 minutes.
My question would be will ruin it by fully cooking it and transporting it via a cooler?
Alternately, would I be able to smoke it to ~120F, then wrap it, cooler it to the friends' house and finish it in their oven or sear it in a cast iron there?? This would be my preference, because then we could sear it/stick it in the oven for a bit and get settled/have bevis/chitchat for a bit before eating. I just worry that the rest between cooking methods would result in tough or dry meat...
Suggestions?? Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[radioguy]

Cook it to 125-135 f. Double wrap in foil, then wrap with beach towel and into cooler. It will be hot for hours

RG

 

[CC!]

Thanks!! Is there any concern that it will keep cooking or ruin the texture by leaving it like that for an hour or so?

 

[johnmeyer]

If you absolutely want to cook it the same day/hour and then consume somewhere else, then simply wrapping it and putting it in a cooler should work fine. Since it has just been cooked, it isn't going to go bad or become unsafe very quickly, even if it dips a little below 120-125.

An alternative is to cook it a few days ahead of time, freeze it, and then reheat it at their place. I usually cook several tri-tips and once. I then slice them; weigh out portions (enough for two of us); put each portion in a vacuum bag; freeze the bag; vacuum the frozen bag; and then when it comes time to eat, reheat the bag in a 130-150 degree water bath.

I realize that reheating a plastic vacuum bag doesn't have quite the cachet or appeal of taking the just-finished tri-tip off the rotissiere or out of the smoker and putting it on their plates, but I find that it tastes exactly the same a few days later.

 

[CC!]

OH that's a great idea for the future/just for the two of use actually eating all the leftovers! This is for tomorrow though, so we wouldn't be able to do that for this time.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I have done this a few times even doing an overnight cook to have it ready in time for an event. I cook it to the done temperature then let it rest in a decent cooler while traveling. Some times I cut it and put it in a container that just fits in the cooler then pull it out finish it when everyone is ready to eat.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I agree with the others cook wrapping it in foil and into a cooler should be just fine. A word of advice I would pull it several degrees below your target temp because it will rise up wrapped in foil and you don't want it overdone by the time you got there. IMO I would pull at 120-125 so even if it carries over and raises 10 degrees you still have good meat. Good luck!

 

[johnmeyer]

I think the rise in temperature while the meat rests only happens when cooking in a hot oven (350 or above) because the outer layer, depending on fat content (fat can get hotter than water), gets well over 200 degrees. It is that surface heat which migrates to the center and causes the internal temperature to keep rising. However, when cooked in a much cooler BBQ/smoker enclosure, which is often at 225 or lower, I don't think you get as much of this additional temperature rise.

I am not totally disagreeing and do think you'll get some temperature rise, but I'd figure something more like 3-5 degrees instead of ten. I like rare meat, but for tri-tip, I prefer medium and therefore wouldn't want it to come out too under-done.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I think the rise in temperature while the meat rests only happens when cooking in a hot oven (350 or above) because the outer layer, depending on fat content (fat can get hotter than water), gets well over 200 degrees. It is that surface heat which migrates to the center and causes the internal temperature to keep rising. However, when cooked in a much cooler BBQ/smoker enclosure, which is often at 225 or lower, I don't think you get as much of this additional temperature rise.

I am not totally disagreeing and do think you'll get some temperature rise, but I'd figure something more like 3-5 degrees instead of ten. I like rare meat, but for tri-tip, I prefer medium and therefore wouldn't want it to come out too under-done.

You are correct. I meant to put more of 5 degree carryover and not 10! Maybe pull at 120ish if you plan to reverse sear it in a cast iron when you get there. We cant even get tri-tips around here I have never cooked one was just thinking for medium rare beef in general. Seeing all these good cooks on them has me wishing I could get my hands on one!

 

[Bearcarver]

Looks like we all agree.

Bear

 

[BigW.]

You have a buddy with no smoker? Not even a grill? I hope he has whiskey

 

[CC!]

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys! I'm thinking I'm going to cook it to ~120, wrap it, cooler it head over and maybe 15-20 minutes before we eat I'll check it. If it's not near medium I'll reverse sear it on my cast iron, if it's good I won't bother.
I don't think the "crust" of the reverse sear would hold up to the wrapping and traveling and I usually overcook things I reverse sear, that's why I'll only do it if it needs more heat!

 

[CC!]

PS we get our tri-tips at Costco, so they're not some crazy fancy waygu beef quality, but oh man they are so tasty!!

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Cook it to 125-135 f. Double wrap in foil, then wrap with beach towel and into cooler. It will be hot for hours

RG

I completely agree with this. I don’t double wrap or use a towel at home but when I take mine to 133 on the smoker and single wrap it heavy duty foil it is hot for well over an hour. That’s my preferred resting time. It is always hot and juicy when I unwrap it for slicing. Double wrap and a towel that puppy will stay hot for a long time. Just my opinion.

G

 

[Rakish_smoker]

You are correct. I meant to put more of 5 degree carryover and not 10! Maybe pull at 120ish if you plan to reverse sear it in a cast iron when you get there. We cant even get tri-tips around here I have never cooked one was just thinking for medium rare beef in general. Seeing all these good cooks on them has me wishing I could get my hands on one!

Check sams club, I livin in Florida and it is difficult to find them here. Most locals never heard of it

 

[kohlrabibobby]

Awesome! Thanks for the help guys! I'm thinking I'm going to cook it to ~120, wrap it, cooler it head over and maybe 15-20 minutes before we eat I'll check it. If it's not near medium I'll reverse sear it on my cast iron, if it's good I won't bother.
I don't think the "crust" of the reverse sear would hold up to the wrapping and traveling and I usually overcook things I reverse sear, that's why I'll only do it if it needs more heat!

How did it turn out? I'm doing something similar today. I'm smoking a tri-tip at my home in Los Angeles, and then I'm driving it (in a cooler) up to Santa Barbara for dinner later tonight. It will finish smoking around noon and we will be eating it later at 5 or 6pm. I'm going to smoke it to an internal temp of 115 or maybe a few degrees under, and then sear it on a super hot propane grill right before serving. I am hoping it will remain juicy, but am still worried about any bacteria that might occur during those 5-6 hours of resting before searing. Can anyone weigh in on this? How did your tri-tip turn out? How long did you leave it in the cooler before you seared it at your friends house?