Reverse Seared Tri Tip

Continuing our week on with the beef theme, let's talk about reverse seared tri tip! John and I really did not eat a lot of tri tip until the past couple of years. I am not sure why, but I think it was because I was under the impression that it is super hard to make and is a tough cut of meat. Boy, was I wrong on both accounts. It is super easy to make, is really quite forgiving, and is definitely tender. It isn't ribeye or filet mignon tender - it definitely has more bite to it than that - but it is tender none the less.

One of my favorite ways to cook trip tip is to reverse sear it. What is reverse searing you ask? Exactly what it sounds like! You cook your meat low and slow until it is almost to the internal temperature that you like then you take it off, let it rest to the point that the temperature stops rising (about 20 minutes), then finally crank the heat up on your grill to inferno level hot (okay, okay 500 degrees ish) and sear on all sides for a few minutes until you get a nice crust on the meat. The result is a super tender inside with an awesome crust on the outside!

Reverse Sear Tri Tip
Plan on .5 pounds per person - I had a 2 pound trip tip so it served 4

Ingredients:
1 tri tip seasoned to your liking

How to Make Reverse Sear Tri Tip (rare):

1. Set your smoker for indirect cooking at 250 degrees. For the BGE, that is with the convEGGtor in.
2. Season your tri tip and let it rest for about 30 minutes while your smoker/grill comes up to temperature.
3. Place the tri tip on your smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees. Remove and cover with foil to let it rest for about 15-20 minutes. If you leave a thermometer in your meat, you will know it is ready to go on when the temperature stops rising.
4. Switch to a direct heat. For the BGE this means removing the convEGGtor. Open up all your vents and let the smoker heat up to 500 degrees. 
5. Sear the tri tip on high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Remove and let rest for another 10 minutes. Slice against the grain. 

Letting the tri tip rest before searing.

After searing just waiting to be cut. 

If you don't like your meat rare, here is a handy little guide to help you with your cooking temp. You will remove from the grill (before searing) about 10 degrees below your desired doneness level.

• 120-125 rare
• 130-135 medium rare
• 140-145 medium
• Tri tip is not great well done, so don't cook it beyond this point :)

Hope you enjoy this method of cooking!

-H & J