Where Did I Go Wrong?

[smokinsteve]

Recently had dinner with a neighbor who was serving tri-tip purchased at Costco. It came marinated in it's packaging. Talk about tender...you could cut it with a table knife. She SV'd it for 5 hours and then a short trip to the grill for surface treatment. The tenderness was unbelievable. So i bought a nicely marbled cut at the local butcher and gave it a dry brine and then 5 hours at 131 in the SV. A plunge into an ice bath afterwards and then to the refrigerator until next morning. On to the smoker at 225 until about 115 IT with a sear on screaming hot cast iron. Lie it cool down and then into the fridge to serve later in the day. It was a disappointment that the tenderness experienced at my neighbor's house just wasn't there. The flavor was good. I've had better experience just smoking and then searing. So where did I do wrong?

[Panhead John]

Could it be the difference in where you purchased it? Costco blade tenderizes most of their beef, plus you mentioned hers was already marinated. This could be a possibility. I’ve never SV’d before, so I’m no help with that aspect.

[FireMan]

Not an authority by any means, but my first guess would be quality of the meat might be the difference. Then I wonder about all the different temp shocks the meat experienced, SV, ice bath, grillin, refrigerate then heat & serve. Maybe one two many temp changes. Again I’m just guessin. Yup

[bbqLuv]

It is the meat, U B Rite.

[bbqLuv]

"Where Did I Go Wrong?" In the beginning, Costco's tri-tips are mechanically tenderized, as stated on the label.

[realdocBBQ]

Also you did:

Dry brine
5hr SV
Then chill
Then heat on the grill
Then sear
Then rest
Then chill again
And presumably reheat for service.

Sounds like a lot of steps and a lot of heat and cool and heat again to me. Maybe that had something to do with it?

[jfmorris]

I have to agree that there were way way too many heat/cool cycles for this meat to have much hope of turning out well...

[Attjack]

Yeah, I just cook them hot and fast which only takes about 30 minutes.

[glitchy]

Have you done tri tip before? If not, the grain runs two different directions and it’s a little tricky to slice right.

My experience with tri tip has been that it’s one of the most inconsistent cuts off beef there is. I’ve had some that are fabulous and others that are like shoe leather at medium rare. That’s part of the reason I’ve grown fond of trisket with them.

[smokinsteve]

I've done tri-tip many times. The product my neighbor purchased was in a sealed bag, my purchase was black angus at a local market.

[glitchy]

smokinsteve Just a question you have to ask about tri tip since it is has the weird grain, if you’ve cooked it before, then you know. It’s not commonly found here, so I had to look up info when I started cooking them.

[Bogy]

Not really addressing the issue, but, according to the guys who raise them, Black Angus is a term that really is meaningless. When McDonalds and Burger King are advertising their burgers are BA, you know it really doesn't mean anything. Grade, and basically what they eat, is much more important.

[Rod]

I would think all the back and forth of heating and cooling had something to do with it. That's what I would eliminate the next time.

[RichieB]

I'm suspecting the way it was cut. How I know, been there done that.

[smokinsteve]

It was cut across the grain.

[tstalafuse]

I suspect where you went wrong was not inviting her over to supervise you.

[shify]

why did you cook it three different times?

[smokinsteve]

I was using a SVQ method to get smoke smoke flavor. It was actually only cooked once, the SV process with a temp of 131. It was only smoked to an IT of 115 followed by an exterior sear.

[shify]

smokinsteve - SVQ is best used for long cooking cuts like pork butt or brisket. You get the tenderness of SV and the smoke of Q
I don't see the benefit here. 5 hrs in SV is just cooking the steak - it is not long enough to impact the texture, so i don't see the benefit here. You cooked a steak, then chilled and reheated on a grill/smoker (and i guess chilled a 2nd time?). Then did you serve it cold or reheat it again?
I'd skip the SV and just reverse sear to med rare. that's how I cook Tri tip

[MBMorgan]

From your post, it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong. The problem was almost certainly due to differences between the two tri-tips ... whether the one you bought was just from a tough old critter ... Costco's habit of blade-tenderizing everything ... or some magical tenderizing property of the marinade they used. Other than that, correct slicing is (as others have said) crucial for tri-tip ... but it sounds like you had that aspect covered.

[Uncle Bob]

My bet too is that the marinade probably contained bromelain or similar tenderizer......need to have the label to see if listed. There are reports that Costco doesn't actually blade tenderize everything, just some cuts, again, what does the label say.

[Hulagn1971]

This has not been mentioned. Did she sous vide the meat in its original packaging containing the marinade? If so, I can just about guarantee that is where the difference in tenderness came from. Lately, I have been buying strip steaks from Aldi that are cryovac sealed in their juices (not marinade). I plop them in the water bath in their original packaging then remove, blot dry and sear. The tenderness is noticeably better compared to steaks I buy, dry brine then seal myself before sous vide cooking.
As others have also said, your process had more heating and cooling steps that likely attributed to moisture loss as well.

[Polarbear777]

Was it too dry or just too tough ?

[Jerod Broussard]

Surprised Steve Wariner hasn't responded to this thread.

[GolfGeezer]

I cannot guess what the real problem may have been. I use tri-tips purchased from my local big chain market (Albertsons, a Vons brand now). Choice grade. Santa Maria seasoning into vac bag, SV for 6.5 hours at 131-132*, then out of the bag, sit for 15 minutes after drying, a bit more seasoning then seared on my Napoleon’s IR burner. Totally tender, medium-rare, so I tend not to credit Costco’s tenderizing. Just sayin… but guessing the number of steps and/or that particular piece of meat as the culprit.