Trying tri tip cooked like a brisket...

[DaveD]

I'm going to try out cooking a tri tip like a brisket on Saturday. I've done several TTs done in "steak" mode, so I figured I'd give this a shot. I've got a Creekstone Prime tri tip, one of three from one of their recent specials, weighing in at 2lb9oz/1.2kg, nicely marbled, which I will dry brine tomorrow and hit with Cowboy Crust before it goes on the SnS kettle with B&B charcoal and probably a couple of hickory chunks.

It's the one on the left in this pic:


From what I've read, game plan is low and slow at 225F/107C until IT gets to 160-170F/70-76C and the bark is set (probably won't take more than 3-4 hours), then wrap in butcher paper and take it up to 200F/93C, rest it (but probably won't need as long as a brisket would), serve it (appropriately sliced given TT's grain). Wrap stage should take no longer than another 4-5 hours, depending.

I've read to resist any temptation to pull it early and go all the way to temp so that the connective tissue can properly render, else it comes out too chewy. Also seen it written that using butcher paper is preferred rather than foil to prevent the meat braising in collected juices. That suggests that using a foil boat may not be the best approach for similar reasons. So I was planning to use the paper.

Comments and advice? Am I missing anything? Thanks!

[au4stree]

I much prefer paper on my tri-tips. And yes, the rest is key but not a long one. I screwed that up on my first one. Was tasty, but not a good serving temp. 🤦♂️

Good luck.

[Jerod Broussard]

On my next one I separating the horizontal section from the vertical section.

[kenrobin]

I much prefer paper on my tri-tips. And yes, the rest is key but not a long one. I screwed that up on my first one. Was tasty, but not a good serving temp. 🤦♂️

Good luck.

What's the ideal rest time?

[DaveD]

kenrobin The things I've read suggest 30-60 minutes should be enough...

[au4stree]

What DaveD said. I treated it like a brisket in my yeti and it didn’t turn out well. Just a dumb thing on my part, but lesson learned.

[kenrobin]

DaveD OK, so the rest time is similar to beef ribs. Tri-tip doesn't need a ton of rest time like a brisket does.

[TripleB]

Sometimes I think you gotta do what you think you gotta do. I've done recipes that I would never do again. But I'm glad I did them. Cooking and trying new things are fun.

[Finster]

I’ve done this a couple of times.
Summary of my notes from the last one, cooked on my OJB.
avg pit temp 260*
Wrapped in butcher paper at IT of 164 (2.5 hours)
pulled at 202 IT, and rested in foil covered pan for an hour.
total cook time 4.25 hours, total rest 1 hour.
Turned out tender and moist.
Served with mashed taters and gravy, and a veggie.
Definitely will be doing it again some day

[DaveD]

Thanks for the rundown!

[Troutman]

I certainly applaud your culinary experimentation but the question I would ask is why? If you spend the money for a prime piece of beef from a muscle group that isn't particularly full of connective tissue or fat that needs rendering, then why cook it like you would a brisket that benefits from that style of cooking? Again I think if it were a select cut and needed more tenderization then I could see your point. But to me it's like taking a prime piece of ribeye and cooking it like a chuck roast.

Anyway, I am interested in the results and if that's something you would prefer over say a medium rare finish. I love a good well marbled tri-tip and would not want to see it turned into gray meat. That said maybe with a great bark and further tenderization it may be preferred by you. Again, I'm interested in your results.

[fzxdoc]

Those are three gorgeous hunks of tri-tip. Have fun with your cook.

K.

[wrgilb]

I'm agreeing with Troutman in asking why. I'll be following to see what you think about your results. I'm adding what I said in the SV post about tri-tips.

I buy USDA Prime Tri-tips at our local Costco, they are usually only a $1 a pound higher than their choice ones. Since they come in a two pack, I'll go through all the packages looking for two that are similar in size and the ones that are best marbled. I do get some funny looks from other shoppers for touching all the packages, but after I tell them why I'm doing it, some of them will ask me to pick a package for them.

I'll cook at 275-300 in a two zone setup. 20-25 minutes on the cool side, then flip and another 20-25 minutes. I'll pull it at 130 plus and crank up the hot side and sear, flipping every 30 to 60 seconds, until I get a nice char. I always add Red Oak chunks to my fire. I like most of my meat medium rare, but Tri-tip I like medium. For me at this little higher temperature it has a better texture and mouth feel.
And like Chef Jean-Pierre says, "texture is a conductor of flavor."

The one pictured below was dry brined over night, then rubbed with Worcestershire and seasoned with Hardcore Carnivore Black. I don't think I can do one that'll be any better than this one was, the texture of this one melted in my mouth.
The dark stuff on the meat was the juice after slicing that I poured over it.

[ecowper]

Purty .... that's how I cook tri-tip as well

[DaveD]

I've done a bunch of TTs via Sous Vide Que, running them in the SV for hours at about 130F/55C and then searing. Fantastic, and foolproof. I'm looking to experiment

[Spinaker]

I would let that thing rest a good long while, if this were me. Tri Tip can be quite tough and if you are taking it up this high in temp, you should make sure to allocate enough time for a good hold.

[Oak Smoke]

Thank you for saying what I was wondering. I’ve cooked two tri tips. Both were much tougher than I had expected. The third one a neighbor cooked using his sous vide then grill. It was wonderful.

[Jerod Broussard]

Oak Smoke lotta people don't believe they can be tough, as if we are cooking widgets. For me it's either SV or cook like a brisket. But don't worry, you'll be accused of not knowing how to slice across the grain.

[DaveD]

I've done several of these via SVQ and they were amazing. Not the least bit tough. TTs do have connective tissue, and I've read that one must go all the way to 200F/93C to make sure it converts - slicing it at, say, 180-190F/82-88C, in these accounts, would indeed yield a chewy outcome.

[Attjack]

Would you cook brisket like a steak? No. My advice is not to do it unless you want a dryer less tasty tri-tip.

[IdahoJim]

I tried this a few months ago. It turned out great. Not dry at all. I don't remember all the details of the cook, but I pretty much cooked it like a brisket. I'm pretty sure it was on my Memphis pellet grill running at 250. Took it to somewhere around 200 until it was probe tender. If I wrapped, it was with foil. I think I cooked it unwrapped and wrapped it in foil to hold it an hour or two in a cooler. I need to write down the details of my cooks.

Anyway, it turned out great. I want to do it again. I just have a hard time talking my wife into it. We love em cooked like a steak medium rare too. Just did that a couple of weeks ago.

Here's a picture of the one cooked like a brisket:

[MsTwiggy]

I love me some cold fatty steak 😋 rather eat it like that than reheated. Me and the spouse give each other side eye - him chopping it for steak and eggs and me slicing it for salad 😅 You like what you like 🔥🔥🐿️

[Troutman]

Well I’m convinced that it’s a viable option. Still not sure I’d do it to an SRF prime example but that does look good. Different strokes. Waiting on DaveD to report in.

[Bluetail66213]

Nice smoke ring there. Making my mouth water!

[Skip]

I've got several Family Members who are 80+ who have always eaten all their meat well done. Tri Tip cooked like a brisket works great for them. It turns out moist and delicious. I always joke with my Wife that if I cooked for a nice bark or medium rare they'd talk about me all the way home. "Skip either burns the meat or doesn't cook it done enough". Lol.

[DaveD]

Loving this diversity of views! The reason I'm doing this is very simple: I've read about it a bunch of times in a bunch of places from people whose chops (ha!) I respect. I have three TTs in the chestie, it's going to be beeeeee-YOOO-tee-full this weekend, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool experimentalist, and I'm curious. Perfectly willing to roll the dice on a 2.5lb piece of meat to see what happens. From what I've seen and read, the worst-case scenario is still pretty good. YOLO, y'all!

[fzxdoc]

That's the spirit!

[wrgilb]

You're either going to save us all a lot of time not trying it, because of your results, or we'll all be on the band wagon to give it a go. Good luck and have fun.

[DaveD]

wrgilb I live to serve (see what I did there?)

[hoovarmin]

I did a Tri-tip brisket style and it came out amazing. It was an American Wagyu Gold from SRF. It's very different from steak-style, but I loved it. Go for it, big D. Also, I did not wrap and it was fine.