Reverse Sear Tri-Tip

Instructions

1. With a boning knife, start by removing any silver skin, membrane, or excess hard fat from the tri-tip. None of this will render during the cook, so it’s best to send it all on its way now.
2. We want those roasts nicely seasoned, which means we need a great binder. Spread extra virgin olive oil across those meats on all sides, then follow it everywhere with a generous coating of your BBQ rub. Spoiler alert: we’re gonna recommend our BBQGuys Beef Rub for this one because it’s finger-licking phenomenal.
3. Let it sweat! We recommend leaving the roasts sitting tight for 30 to 45 minutes to sponge up all those delicious, savory spices. While your tri-tips become one with the seasonings, set up your grill for indirect heat at 250°F. Why? With any reverse sear, we want our early temperatures to stay nice and low for the smoke; we’ll break out the high heat later to finish with that satisfying crust.
4. Now’s an easy opportunity to flex your grill skills. Once your grill’s ready to go, add 2–3 wood chunks of preference to the warm coals — this really pushes the flavor profile in the right direction with a little subtlety. We’re using post oak, which boasts a mild, smoky flavor that lends itself to beef.



5. Depending on the size of your meats, cook times will differ before you hit it with that hot, direct flame. Your rule of thumb here will be that internal temperature. For rare to medium rare tri-tip, you’re looking for 120°F (or a little north of that) within the thickest width.
6. Pop off the roasts and convert your grill back to direct heat. Set them back in place and prepare to sear them nicely for about 2 minutes on either side. Already imagining the taste of those amazingly tender slivers? Feel free to take a moment to catch your breath and savor that seasoning sensation. We won’t tell anyone.
7. Pull them off and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Be mindful of the heavy grain that comes with the territory for tri-tip steaks. When the time’s up, you’ll want to slice them nice and thin against that grain for the juiciest, most tender cuts of meat available.