Smoking 14 tri-tips in my Pit Boss Vertical Pellet BBQ Smoker?

[bilgsmf]

Can anyone tell me if they've smoked 10 or more Tri-tips in their Pit Boss Vertical Pellet BBQ Smoker? I have an event in July and I will be smoking 14 Tri-tips. I just want any info on the amount of time it would take me to smoke that many at once? Im guessing that the more meat I put in the smoker, the longer it will take to smoke them all? My event will start at 1200 in afternoon, so I would want them to be completely smoked and prepped and carve up and be ready by noon.

 

[forktender]

Smoke them in advance, then reheat in a steamer.

 

[mike243]

I would do a practice run with a couple, my sons PB done really well a few years ago when I smoked 3 briskets, I would only use the top 2 racks and hopefully you have a couple probes to monitor, get them where you need them then into a cooler to hold. that's not really a lot of meat for the smoker to handle. good thing about a pellet smoker is temps are pretty stable and you don't have to chase temps. Makes it easier to determine times.

 

[mike243]

Your probably looking at 3-4 hours depending on weight, the average weight will be around 3lb ? remember lower temps = more smoke with a pellet smoker. it's ok to have them done and resting, I like fresh cooked over reheated due to moisture lose on the reheat.

 

[sandyut]

Im thinking it depends on what your doneness goal is. I like them reverse seared medium rare. but others have done them like a brisket, which might be easier.

 

[forktender]

Im thinking it depends on what your doneness goal is. I like them reverse seared medium rare. but others have done them like a brisket, which might be easier.

The only way I cook T.T. is over WHITE HOT, Oak, Hickory or Mesquite wood coals, 9 out of 10 times it's Oak wood, because I have cords of Oak wood from our 120'+ Oak tree that we cut back last yr.
You can't leave them, you have to flip them ever minute or two until they are done. They turn out so good, I love the crispy outside and Rare to Med rare inside, not to rare though, I don't care for meet that is still able to Mooing.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Do you have a Weber kettle or some grill you can take with you? If I was cooking that many to be finished at a certain time I would start smoking them at 250 a few hours before 12 and as time got closer start adjusting the temp of the smoker from there so you finish them around 1130 at about 130*. Then I’d use the second grill about as hot as you can get it to sear for the last 5-10 degrees of cooking to give it a nice outside. Id you have someone able to slice them for you as your searing, pulling them off and loading the next ones on the grill they can start slicing (after they rest for about 10 minutes or so. But honestly this cook might me a pain for that many tri tips. The Pitboss will definitely fit them all but it will be a pain to monitor the IT of all the different TriTips

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I had a Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and it was equivalent to the Pit Boss Series 7 which is their largest one they make (Made by the same company).

I smoked plenty of tri-tips on it but the most I ever attempted on it at one time was 8. You didn't list your model but 14 at once would be asking an awful lot of it. I am not saying it can't be done but with that amount of meat you will not leave much room for the smoke/airflow.

I would do as suggest above and do them in two or more stages. Then reheat them for your event.

 

[bilgsmf]

Your probably looking at 3-4 hours depending on weight, the average weight will be around 3lb ? remember lower temps = more smoke with a pellet smoker. it's ok to have them done and resting, I like fresh cooked over reheated due to moisture lose on the reheat.

Someone mentioned reheating them by steaming or possibly heating them back up in an oven? I will most likely have to reheat the TTs. Any idea how much higher the temp will go up by reheating or which method of reheating would work the best?

 

[bilgsmf]

I had a Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and it was equivalent to the Pit Boss Series 7 which is their largest one they make (Made by the same company).

I smoked plenty of tri-tips on it but the most I ever attempted on it at one time was 8. You didn't list your model but 14 at once would be asking an awful lot of it. I am not saying it can't be done but with that amount of meat you will not leave much room for the smoke/airflow.

I would do as suggest above and do them in two or more stages. Then reheat them for your event

Do you have a Weber kettle or some grill you can take with you? If I was cooking that many to be finished at a certain time I would start smoking them at 250 a few hours before 12 and as time got closer start adjusting the temp of the smoker from there so you finish them around 1130 at about 130*. Then I’d use the second grill about as hot as you can get it to sear for the last 5-10 degrees of cooking to give it a nice outside. Id you have someone able to slice them for you as your searing, pulling them off and loading the next ones on the grill they can start slicing (after they rest for about 10 minutes or so. But honestly this cook might me a pain for that many tri tips. The Pitboss will definitely fit them all but it will be a pain to monitor the IT of all the different TriTips

Turns out my Pitboss is not working properly and I will be using my Landmann barrel smoker. I think I can get 9 in this smoker and I intend on grilling the other 3 on my propane gas grill. My Landmann has two metal shelves above the grates and I was planning on using those shelves to hold 3 TTs each plus the 3 on the bottom grates. It heats up really quick and I have done 2 TTs in it at a time and they came out great. And yes I will have a helper to do the slicing. Bc I am not sure how long this will take, I will be cooking them about 4 hours before the event, and reheating them when there ready to serve. I plan on putting them in the same aluminum trays that they will be using at the event to serve which will be heated using those small sterno fuel cans. My next question is how to reheat them and will the meat go up in temperature? Some have suggested steaming them or possibly grilling them. And I do have 6 bluetooth meat thermometers. Any suggestions??

 

[bilgsmf]

Smoke them in advance, then reheat in a steamer.

So you have tried this method of steaming? How do you do it and would this be better then an oven or on a grill?

 

[forktender]

So you have tried this method of steaming? How do you do it and would this be better then an oven or on a grill?

I do it all the time, with T.T. when I'm cooking for a large crowd.
A full size hotel pan fits perfectly into my oven, I take the oven rack out and the hotel pan sides into where the oven rack goes. I toss a cookie cooling rack into the hotel pan, heat up some beef broth, and pour it into the hotel pan up to just below the cooling rack. Put the meal on the rack cover the hotel pan tightly with heavy foil and put into the oven on warm, in my oven warm is about 120*.
I've held meat like this for hours, it actually makes the meat nice and tender.

Any try of BBQ'd meat holds or reheats perfectly this way, it's how we did it in the restaurant for yrs. If you want bark, uncover and turn on the broiler for a few minutes, or toss it on the grill for a few minutes.
(make sure you watch it closely).

Good luck, ask if you have any questions.
Dan.