Tri tip is one of my very favorite cuts of beef. It’s perfectly sized for a family dinner, and not overwhelming to cook in both size and effort. it only needs minimal seasoning and a couple hours on the smoker- and there’s no complicated steps like spritzing with liquid or brushing with sauce. Simply leave it on for a couple hours and then give it a quick sear and it’s the most perfect no-fuss summer meal that’s sure to impress! Keep reading for instructions on how to make the perfect smoked tri tip roast.

Ingredients and Equipment Notes

Tri Tip Roast – this cut of beef is sometimes known by other names depending on where you live. I’ve heard it called Santa Maria or Newport Roast (mostly in California), Bottom Sirloin or even triangle roast. It’s easy to spot by its triangle shape. Where I live, I purchase tri tip in a 2-pack at my local Costco. They typically weight between 2-3 lbs, which is a great size to serve 5-8 people.
Seasoning – You don’t need anything complicated for a great tri tip roast. The beef and the smoke give you most of your flavor. Use simple kosher salt and pepper, or salt, pepper and garlic, or your favorite steak seasoning. However if you like, it’s a great canvas for a variety of bbq and seasoning rubs.
Smoker – This tutorial is specifically for a wood/pellet smoker. I’ve made this roast with all different varieties of wood pellets and haven’t had any I didn’t love. Just use your favorite, or whatever is in your smoker currently!

Instructions: How to Smoke a Tri Tip Roast

Keep reading for the incredibly simple process of smoking your tri tip. This method really is no-fuss, and produces great beef every time!

Step 1: Oil and Season

Although not required, I like to drizzle my roast with a little oil as a binder. It helps keep things moist and helps the seasoning to stick. Simply drizzle a couple teaspoons of oil over your roast and rub in on all sides before seasoning. To season, I like this Kinder’s brand seasoning that I purchase at Costco. It’s simply salt, pepper, and garlic, but I like the pre-mixed convenience and the fact that it’s got a lot of texture from different types of spices. You can mix your own, use a favorite steak seasoning, or simply coat your roast in kosher salt, black pepper, and some granulated garlic. Flip the roast all over so there is seasoning adhered to all sides.

Step 2: Smoke and Sear

Smoke: Place your roast on a 225° smoker and close the lid. I like it best when cooked to 130-135°, which will give you a nice cooked interior that’s still a little pink. If you cook tri tip past this point and into medium and medium-well, you’ll sacrifice tenderness.

Sear: This process is called a reverse sear. Instead of searing raw meat at the beginning and then finishing your cook, we’ll smoke first and sear at the end! Smoked meat, especially when you’re not glazing it at the end doesn’t have a super appealing appearance, and the outside can look a little dry from the smoke. Searing with the addition of a little butter, not only makes it look better, but it locks in flavor and moisture with a nice caramelized crust. If you don’t want to mess with this step of getting out a pan, you could also just sear your meat quickly directly on preheated grill grates.

When it’s getting close to temperature, heat a cast iron skillet to high heat. It’s important to have it really hot because you need a quick sear. Leaving in the pan for too long will overcook your meat. You simply want to get a nice caramelized crust.

When the pan is super hot, drop in a couple pats of butter, and then your roast. Sear for a minute or two until the crust is charred and deeper in color and flip. If you’ve already accidentally cooked your roast a higher temperature than you would have liked, you can consider just searing the top side to avoid overcooking. Remove immediately and wrap in foil for 10 minutes before slicing. Save the butter and juices in the pan to drizzle in after!

Slice and Serve

After letting the roast rest, remove from foil and slice against the grain at an angle. Drizzle any extra juices from the foil over the top, along with any butter left over in your (still very hot!) pan. Pay attention while slicing to notice that the grain of the meat will change slightly from one end to the other. Adjust your slicing to make sure you are always cutting against the grain.

Smoked Tri Tip Roast on a cutting board, sliced

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use other seasonings? Sure! Feel free to experiment with different bbq rubs or flavor profiles.
I don’t have a cast iron pan, is this step necessary? You can use any heavy-bottom skillet, and feel free to do this step on your stove top. Alternately, you could also just give it a quick sear on a preheated grill, directly on the grates.
What if I don’t have a smoker? You can use this same process, only cook on your grill. Sear at a higher heat first and then turn down your grill heat, or move to indirect heat. Cook to about 130-135° internal temp, which is usually about 20-30 minutes. Let rest before slicing.

Serving Suggestions

Smoked Tri Tip Roast is great served with just about anything! Try it with a green salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch, a side of Corn Salad, or along with these Smoky Oven Roasted Potatoes. It’s also great sliced super thin on a crusty baguette for a terrific steak sandwich or topped on a salad or grain bowl.