One of the easiest ways to smoke a tri-tip roast is by using a pellet grill. This pellet smoked beef tri-tip is simple, delicious, and requires just 2 hours of your time.
How do you flavor a tri tip roast?
If you are unfamiliar with this cut of meat, it is also known as a triangle roast. Used in Santa Maria Barbecue, this cut of beef lends itself well to simple and complex flavor profiles. For this Smoked Beef Tri-Tip recipe, we are using a more complex spice blend. However, you can use a simple salt and black pepper rub and serve with a Board Dressing for Beef or chimichurri sauce. This tri-tip roast is slow-smoked and then pulled right as it reaches the optimal internal temperature of 130 degrees F. The result will be a deeply rich, perfectly smoked beef roast.
Time, Temperature, and Reverse Searing
- I recommend cooking this roast between 200-225 degrees F., for 90 minutes to 2 hours. The internal temperature should be around 130 degrees F.
- If you’d like to sear the smoked tri-tip, remove it after it reaches between 125 degrees F., increase your pellet grill temperature to 500 degrees F., and when ready, place the roast back into the cooker. Let the surface sear for 3 minutes per side. Remove it from the grill and let it rest for 8-10 minutes before carving.
Ingredients
- Tri-tip roast about 4 pounds
- 1/4 cup Ultimate Steak Rub or your favorite bottled Rub
- Yellow mustard, hot sauce, or Worcestershire sauce (binder)
- A reliable instant-read thermometer.
- Wood pellets: cherry, maple, hickory, or mesquite.
How to Make Pellet Smoked Beef Tri-Tip
- Place the tri-tip roast onto a cutting board. Trim off any excess fat on the surface.
- Rub a light coating of mustard, hot sauce, or Worcestershire sauce onto the roast. This will act as a binder for the rub.
- Combine rub ingredients and apply evenly to the meat.
- Let the tri-tip roast stand at room temperature until your smoker is ready.
Tri-Tip on the Pellet Smoker
- It’s time to fire up your pellet grill. Aim for a steady temperature between 225-250 degrees F.
- Place the tri-tip roast into the smoker and insert a temperature probe in the thickest part of the meat. Close the lid and let it go for about 2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F., or medium-rare doneness.
- Remove the tri-tip from the pellet smoker and transfer it onto a clean cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let meat rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Carve roast as instructed below, serve with board sauce and enjoy!
- Store leftover smoked tri-tip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Reheat in a skillet on your stovetop. They also make a great addition to tacos and nachos!
Use your pellet grill for the whole meal! Serve your Pellet Smoked Beef Tri-Tip with these items:
- Appetizer: Smoked Cream Cheese
- Side dish: Pellet Grill Funeral Potatoes
- Dessert: Pellet Grill S’mores Cake
Pellet Smoked Beef Tri-Tip
Ingredients
- 1 tri-tip roast about 4 pounds
- 1-2 tablespoons yellow mustard or hot sauce, or Worcestershire sauce to use as a binder
- 1/4 cup Ultimate Steak Rub or your favorite bottled rub for beef
Instructions
- Place the tri-tip roast onto a cutting board. Trim off any excess fat on the surface.
- Coat with mustard or your favorite binder.Combine rub ingredients and apply evenly onto the roast.Let roast stand at room temperature until the smoker is ready.
- Preheat your pellet smoker. Aim for a cooking temperature between 225-250 degrees F.
- Place roast into the smoker, close the lid and let it go for about 2 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F.
- Remove tri-tip from pellet smoker and transfer onto a clean cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- If you'd like to reverse sear the roast. Remove it from your pellet grill once it reaches 125 degrees F at the thickest part of the roast.Crank the heat up to 500 degrees. Once up to temp, place the roast back on the grill and sear each side for 3 minutes, or until a nice crust forms.
- Carve roast after it has rested and serve with board dressing.
- Store leftover tri-tip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Reheat in a skillet on your stove top. They also make a great addition to tacos and nachos!
Nutrition
Try some of our other pellet grill recipes:
- Pellet Cooked New York Strip Steaks
- Pellet Grilled Old Bay Chicken Wings
- The Best Pellet Grill Burger
- Pellet Roasted Leg of Lamb
- Smoked Chuck Roast
- Pellet Cowboy Steak
- Holiday Rib Roast on a Pellet Grill
- Pellet Grill Pork Ribs
Need a Pellet Grill?
If you want to make the best pellet grill burger, you are going to need a pellet grill. Chances are if you are looking at this recipe, you already have one, but in case you don’t, you might want to check out my list of the best pellet grills on the market. I have broken them down by price, so you can find something that fits your wallet. There are more than a hundred models out there these days, so I thought you might appreciate a little help in your search.
Check out my lists of the Best Pellet Grills
2 responses to “Pellet Smoked Beef Tri-Tip”
Can I put the rub on it a day before, wrap in clear wrap, and refrigerate over night?
Jason, You can and it works great. If the rub is on too long, however, it has a tendency to start curing the meat. Overnight is fine, though.