Not your standard 135F IT finish for Tri Tip

[vaalpens]

This weekend I mad a Tri Tip for the first time. I did not document everything, since I just wanted to get a feel of what it will take.

The Tri Tip was purchased at Costco, and was smoked on my GMG. High level steps were:
Dry brine for about 3 hours with a little bit of Kosher salt
Moderate use of Jeff's Texas style rub
GMG set to 250F
My wife won't eat rare meat, so the plan was to shoot for around 140F IT instead of the normal 135F IT everybody shoots for
At around 120F IT I reverse seared the Tri Tip on my Weber over some charcoal
After a decent sear, I placed it back on the GMG and inserted a probe
At this time the IT read 142F, which meant I should have removed it, but I wasn't sure if the IT was just a spike because of the sear. The plan was to wait until the IT changes, then remove it. Plus it was still early, only about 1 hour 15 minutes into the cook.
After I placed it back on the GMG at 250F, the IT actually went down to 140F
I decided to wait a bit for the first upward movement, which never happened. I wonder if the Tri Tipe actually stalled at the time.
After about 10-15 minutes, it was still at 140F IT, so I decided to remove it and let it rest

Following are the results. I would say it obviously wasn't rare, but I think a good medium, and my wife liked it. It was pink, but not bloody, so she enjoyed it. It was still very juicy and with a great taste.

Maybe next time I will be better prepared, and probably sear it around 110F IT. That should then leave the around 130F, at which time I will put it back on the GMG, and then remove it as soon as it reaches 140F IT.

 

[smokerjim]

looks good from here, nice job. yeah i'm in the same boat my wife won't eat meat rare either, so I usually have to cook it to done or I end up eating by myself.

 

[tx smoker]

Good looking cook and well documented. If I may suggest though...I've run across the problem of the ladies preferring their meat cooked more to the medium side versus medium rare. If your preference is medium rare, pull at 128 to 130, rest, and slice. You already have the grill fired up so just take what your wife wants and put it back on the grill for a few minutes to get the medium cook she wants. This way everybody gets what they want and everybody is happy. Don't overcook an entire roast just for a couple of slices

BTDT,
Robert

 

[vaalpens]

looks good from here, nice job. yeah i'm in the same boat my wife won't eat meat rare either, so I usually have to cook it to done or I end up eating by myself.

Thanks for the kind words. What works out the best for us is if I make something that I can smoke until tender, around 200F. That normally means there is some rendered fat that I like, and she can stay away from the fat and just enjoy the well done tender piece of meat..

 

[vaalpens]

Good looking cook and well documented. If I may suggest though...I've run across the problem of the ladies preferring their meat cooked more to the medium side versus medium rare. If your preference is medium rare, pull at 128 to 130, rest, and slice. You already have the grill fired up so just take what your wife wants and put it back on the grill for a few minutes to get the medium cook she wants. This way everybody gets what they want and everybody is happy. Don't overcook an entire roast just for a couple of slices

BTDT,
Robert

Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure how tender the brisket will stay if I put it back on grill, but I can always try. maybe another option is to divide it in two based on the grain before I start. I can start the one piece earlier or remove the one piece earlier. I'll try next time and see how things work out. This is a learning experience for me.

 

[pc farmer]

So you went smoke, sear and smoke again. Hey, it looks great and the color and doneness is what we like here. It looks great.

 

[vaalpens]

So you went smoke, sear and smoke again. Hey, it looks great and the color and doneness is what we like here. It looks great.

Thanks for the feedback. Since it sounds like you are shooting for the same doneness, what process do you follow to get to the "compromise" doneness?

 

[CoffeeMug]

Thanks for the feedback. Since it sounds like you are shooting for the same doneness, what process do you follow to get to the "compromise" doneness?

I take a different approach. I heat our dinner plates in the oven, typically around 350 F. The meat will continue cooking to a perfect medium in her case, by the time she is half way through eating it.

 

[chef jimmyj]

The meat looks good and I'm a Med/Rare fan. It took me Years to get my Wife to go from well done to Med/Rare. I just gradually cooked and served increasingly more rare meat. Bev took the end cuts but always got some less cooked. Eventually she realized med/rare is more tender and juicy.
Restaurants I worked in, cooked Roasts Rare. Sliced meat for the more well done folks got to swim a few laps in hot Jus...JJ

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm a rare to med/rare guy, but your TT sure looks good!
Al

 

[vaalpens]

I take a different approach. I heat our dinner plates in the oven, typically around 350 F. The meat will continue cooking to a perfect medium in her case, by the time she is half way through eating it.

Good idea. Maybe I should try and put the sizzle back in dinner by putting a hot cast iron skillet on the table. The wife can then put the meat in it to medium or over.

 

[vaalpens]

The meat looks good and I'm a Med/Rare fan. It took me Years to get my Wife to go from well done to Med/Rare. I just gradually cooked and served increasingly more rare meat. Bev took the end cuts but always got some less cooked. Eventually she realized med/rare is more tender and juicy.
Restaurants I worked in, cooked Roasts Rare. Sliced meat for the more well done folks got to swim a few laps in hot Jus...JJ

Thanks for the comments. I think we are in the same boat. The wife used to only eat well done meat. Now she will accept and enjoy some pink. The red juices is a bit much for her.

 

[vaalpens]

I'm a rare to med/rare guy, but your TT sure looks good!
Al

Thanks. A good piece of meat also helps. Costco has some quality meat. I was happy with my first attempt at doing a TT. I just need to refine my process so that TT could become a meat option with predictable results. Once I can duplicate the results easily, then it will be added to the stable.

 

[xray]

Great looking TT! One of the nice things about making tri tip is the irregular shape.

My wife likes hers a tad more done than I do, so I serve her slices from the ends because they’re closer to medium and I eat the more med/rare slices in the center of the roast.