American Kobe Tri-tip on the Slow 'N Sear

[Huskee]

From SRF (Snake River Farms) advertised as 2 to 2.5 lbs, came as 2.67 lbs.

Dry brined Thurs night, cooked Saturday pm.

For this cook I didn't use a rub, just the dry brine then pepper after the sear.






Cooked on the 22" Kettle with the Slow 'N Sear. 12 lit briquets, with a pile of leftover briquets from the previous day's pastrami cook. No water in reservoir.

Cook started out low, about 200 degrees for the reverse sear. Approx cook time 60 min.

Here it is at the sear



Having Maverick probe issues, so I cooked with a swapped-out Mav probe and frequent ThermoPop readings. Final temp avg 128 in thickest part and 132 in thin part.








And plated with sauteed onions, roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon, garlic mashed potatoes, and cottage cheese. And a glass of a good spicy bold Zinfandel (not pictured it may have been in my hand during the photo shoot, lol)




All in all, what did I think? I had never had a tri-tip before, and being that it was American Kobe it wasn't quite as tender as I thought it might be. It was like a NY strip steak turned into a big thick roast...that's how I would describe it. It was still very good. I'm sure regular tri-tip eaters would have a much better comparison rating.

What would I do different next time? I would add a rub to it. The dry brine and pepper just wasn't enough of a crust seasoning for me. Next time I will do either Meathead's tri-tip rub or BBBR.

Would I buy one again? Yes. Would I pay the extra for the American Kobe again? Not sure.

[W.A.]

Yup. Costs too much here to justify me buying it now. Used to be under $6/lb and I would have to ask for it. Now the butcher is selling it for $8.99/lb and calling it Brazilian roast. I'll buy ribeye over that any day. Tri-tip makes a nice sandwich cut thinly, its just not a steak more like roast beef.

Never had wagyu though other than supposedly in a hamburger. Tri-tips I could get always had great marbling. Not sure that particular cut benefits from that breed like a sirloin, filet, or NY strip might.

[ecowper]

I always buy the 2 pack of Choice Tri-Tip at costco and my results are always excellent. I cook Tri-Tip probably 4x a month. I wouldn't bother with the extra cost of Kobe, Wagyu, or even Prime, to be honest.

As far as rub, I range from Montreal Steak seasoning to BBBR to Dalmation (salt, pepper, garlic powder) to dry brine and nothing else. I usually don't dry brine more than a couple hours. I generally do the low and slow at more like 275-300 ... it doesn't have that much fat in it, not like pork butt or ribs, or what not. It takes me about 40 minutes to get a 2.5 to 3 lb trip-tip to 125 degrees and then I sear for about 4 minutes per side, give or take. Total time 40-50 minutes, depending.

I use a Thermapen only for the meat temp. I don't get overly worried about my grill temp. On the other hand, I know that a chimney full of Kingsford competition, with correct firebox location, will get my HastyBake to 275 ... which is where I like it for Tri-Tip.

What else can I tell you about it?

[Marauderer]

I couldn't remember where I got my last Tri-Tip. Thanks for writing it down Eric. I am headed to Costco today to pick up a couple.

[ecowper]

Marauderer, no problem at all. I love Costco for beef. General rule of thumb, I only buy meat at Costco or my local butcher. I know quite a bit (via a friend who works in their meat buying program) about how Costco sources their meat. They definitely have the best beef for the price of any grocery chain.

[Huskee]

I opted for the lower temp as part of a test. I am glad to hear that a couple tri-tip regulars don't think the prestigious grades are worth the extra cost. I wouldn't pay what I paid again, but it was really good. I'm thinking more along the lines of a good steak or brisket being worth Prime+ price, but not sirloin. Thanks guys.

[ecowper]

I tend to buy steak at my local butcher shop, which makes it Prime+ .... they source grass fed, free range, from a ranch in Painted Hills. For almost all other beef, but especially ground, tri-tip, flank steak and brisket, I go to Costco and buy their Choice grade meat.