Tri-Tip Help on the new Rec-Tec

[luckydog125]

First post here as I am a new proud owner of a Rec-Tec Stampede. I have made some beef jerkey and a couple of fish dishes which both came out fantastic. Having a party next weekend so I want to smoke a nice Tri-Tip and did a trial run tonight. Found a great marinade that I let soak overnight and then did a nice cook at 225 tonight and then a reverse sear on some grill grates that I took up to 450 (500 was taking too long). Well she was a beauty but VERY salty. I did a salt rub before marinating and the marinade recipe also called for 2 tablespoons of salt. Final application was a Santa Maria Rub that I got from Oakridge BBQ. The center didnt taste too salty, but it was definitely there - it was the "crust" and outer layer that was over the top. Any recommendations? Should I have left salt out of the equation in it's entirety since I am sure the rub has some? Do you think I went to heavy on the rub itself? Any suggestions would be much appreciated for this newbie.

 

[SmokinAl]

For us personally, we don't put any extra salt in our rub.
Although for a Tri-tip, I would recommend just salt & pepper.
Then you get to taste the wonderful beef flavor of a Tri-tip, not the rub.
Al

 

[wrobs]

Does that particular Santa Maria rub have a lot of salt? (The Santa Maria rubs I've used are typically more garlic than salt) How much salt in the marinade and maybe overnight was too long?
I don't marinade my TT's so not sure what direction to go and I typically grill them at 350 until 125-130 internal, let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Probably the combination of both was too much salt would be my guess... besides, marinades don't penetrate very deep into the meat

 

[SlickRockStones]

I’m with Wrobs. ORSM rub is top notch rub for TT all by its self. TTs are really juicy and beefy in flavor and SM rub only enhances it without covering it up.

 

[joedube70]

If you dry brine then you want to make sure anything else you put on the meat is salt free. Dry brining is the way to go.
For this reason I make a lot of my own rubs. It can be hard to find salt free rubs. Salt is cheaper than other spices and used as a filler.
Spices Inc has a bunch of salt free spice blends. I purchase most of my spices here.
Beef only needs a dry brine for a bit. Then pepper and maybe garlic.
Good luck on your next cook.

 

[schlotz]

Yup, too many add-ons containing salt. Suggest skipping the salt rub & marinade. Go with only the Santa Maria. We use only salt, pepper & garlic for our TT's.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I've never found it necessary to marinate any of my tri tips. I prefer to just take it straight from the cooler and rub with Jeff's rub or Webber's smokey brown sugar and then go out and setup my smoker. The time it takes for the smoker to get lit and come to temp seems good for the tri tip to raise in temp from being in the fridge. When I take it to 133 then pull it from the smoker it seems to have consistently great results. You could give that a try. Jeff's rub in particular has very low salt content but packs a great flavor combo. It's definitely my go to rub for pork ribs.

George

 

[luckydog125]

Thanks for everyone's help - sounds like I really over complicated things. Going to try again tonight with a little olive oil applied before the rub and just take it from there. I will let you know how it goes and thanks again.