Tri-Tip is a fantastic cut of meat that may come in handy at your next barbecue. Here’s how to flip it upside down to sear it properly to ensure it’s moist, tender, and delicious.
Reverse searing gives you the best of both worlds when grilling. You can cook something slowly and slowly to the perfect temperature. This locks in their juices and brings out the natural flavors of the meat.
After that, give it a blazing burst of heat to give you that dreamy roasted finish we love in all grilled foods.
In today’s inverted recipe, I’m going to show you how to make the perfect sealed tri-tip for YOU and give you some essential tips to help YOU get the most out of your dish.
What is reverse abrasion?
Reverse searing differs from regular searing in that the meat goes through a period of slow, slow cooking before being brought to a high temperature for browning.
There are a few key benefits of this cooking method:
- It gives you a lot more control over temperatures and makes you a lot less prone to overcooking your tri-tip.
- Prolonged exposure to warmer temperatures will help dry out the surface of the tri-tip, making it much more effective.
- Bringing it up to the target temperature slowly will give you a more even interior colour.
- It is ideal for larger cuts of beef as it better ensures proper doneness of the entire meat.
- They can have a nice crust on the surface of the meat.
Helpful tips
Here are some quick tips to help you get the most out of your tri-tip grill:
Find a good barbecue seasoning
Everyone has their favorite grill for different types of meat. I have one below in my post, but don’t be afraid to experiment or buy a well-reviewed store-bought version.
Don’t forget to dry the brine
Curing helps us lock in moisture and flavors in the meat, which is especially important when using a long cooking method like grill smoking. Dry salting involves lightly coating the meat with coarse, kosher salt. The salt then pulls the moisture out of the meat before it absorbs it again. This effectively blocks flavored juices.
Learn to use indirect heat
This is key when using a grill as a smoker. Indirect grilling establishes two heat zones on your grill: a “direct” zone with the hot coals or burners directly below; and an “indirect zone” remote from the heat zone. In this indirect area we will place our food.
Judging by internal temperature
The best way to judge how finished meat is is its internal temperature. Forget comparing texture to your fist; Inside temperature is crucial. At Tri-Tip, we want to smoke it at 110°F(43°C) and then sear it up to 125°F(52°C). Anything lower and it won’t be safe to eat; anything higher will be hard and dry. To ensure the most accurate temperature reading possible, invest in a good meat probe thermometer. You won’t have any regrets.
Rest in foil
After removing the meat from the grill, you need to wrap it in aluminum foil and let it rest. The proteins in the meat are able to relax and reabsorb the water released during cooking.
Cut against the grain
When you’re ready to cut your tri-tip, it’s best to cut it against the grain without distorting the flesh. This may be because the tripoint grain tends to emanate from its corner and then go in two directions. The best way to combat this is to halve and slice the meat from corner to curve.
What to look for in a good tri tip
Your grill is only as good as your meat, give yourself the best chance by choosing the right cut of meat.
I recommend going for a premium triple tip that weighs between 2 and 3 pounds. Always get to choose grass-fed beef and “choice” or “prime” portions.
Also prepare the triple tip
Trim excess fat from the meat and any layer of silver skin(the layer of membrane or connective tissue sometimes found on the meat).
Do you have a sous vide kitchen? Why not try my sous vide tri tip recipe ?
You should make a dry brine, which we can easily make with a generous amount of coarse Kosher salt.
Dry brining helps retain moisture, allowing the salt to draw the juices out of the meat and then absorb it back into the meat.
Wet brining takes several ordinary hours, but dry brining can often be done in several minutes and is effective for red meat, as it often helps form crusts better and seal the outside of the meat in particular( source ).
Apply the salt to the entire surface of the meat and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. There is no need to put the meat back in the fridge while the dry brine is set.
When the time is up, rinse off the salt under cold water. Place on a cutting board and tenderize with a meat mallet.
Once softened, apply your choice of barbecue rub. Here you have a lot of freedom. Ready-made BBQ seasoning is widely available online, but I always recommend making your own. You can modify them to suit your tastes, and homemade versions are often lower in sodium and additives.
Three prong BBQ seasoning recipe
Here’s a quick massage YOU can do in seconds. Simply combine all of the ingredients listed below in a medium-sized bowl before generously pouring onto the surface of the meat.
- 2 tablespoons of peppers
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 2 tea spoons of black pepper, ground
How to reverse the tri-tip for tanning
Now it’s time to light the smoker! While 225°F is what YOU see as the ideal cooking temperature for smoking, I recommend choosing 275°F in this case. This just helps us dry the surface a little more, which will help us get a better browning effect when we put it on the grill.
Once the internal temperature of your Tri-Tip reaches 115°F(remember to use a meat probe thermometer), remove from the smoker and transfer to a preheated grill to set the browning.
Brown hot and fast, and on both sides. Cook until done to your liking. Take an accurate temperature reading with your thermometer to ensure it is approximately 135°F. DO NOT exceed this as any temperature above 150°F can cause the meat to lose its tenderness.
Remove the tri-tip from the grill and place on a side table or surface. Apply a thin layer of scouring residue, then wrap in aluminum foil. Let stand 10 minutes, wrapping in foil to preserve moisture and flavors.
After resting, remove from the aluminum foil and cut against the grain. Surcharge!
The combination of a prime cut of beef in brine and the use of a tenderizer should give you a wonderfully tender cut of beef. Tri-Tip can be hard by nature, so following these steps will help you get a much nicer feeling in your mouth.
Why do we let the meat rest before we cut it?
There’s a lot more to resting meat after cooking than letting it cool. In fact, it’s about much more than preserving moisture, texture and flavor.
You see, raw meat is about three-fourths water, and a portion of that gets stored in the muscle fibers of the meat.
As meat cooks, its proteins begin to compress and contract( source ). This can cause some proteins to stick together and others to dissolve. These changes in condition can force water out of the fibers and cause the meat to shrink. Sometimes this change is so significant that you can even see it shrinking.
If YOU cut the meat at this point, an unexpected amount of this water would ooze out of the meat, leaving you with a dry, gummy mass.
Allowing the meat to rest, often wrapped in foil, allows the meat and water to reabsorb and replace dissolved protein to relax. Then you’ll have a juicer and much more delicate tri-tip cut to enjoy.
If you cooked too much meat, don’t worry. It keeps in the fridge for two to three days and can be used in a variety of tri-tip leftover recipes .
What goes well with Tri Tip?
Pairing rich meats like beef with other foods is often not as easy as it seems. I recommend keeping things simple and simply serving it on a bed of pretty much all greens.
Because of Tri-Tip’s California origins, it pairs beautifully with traditional Hispanic salads and side dishes like pinquito.
Want more headfirst tanning recipes? Check out our recipe for Upside Down Tomahawk Steak