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Just got back from CostCo as I was in the mood for some steak and they have cryovac whole Tri-Tips for $3.75/lb.
Finally bucked up and grabbed one as they had some in the $60 price range (seemed in past they were always >$100 a pack).
Just a heads up as I know many people mentioned paying quite a bit more.
Can't wait to fire up that grill
Jamie

Jamie,

So, give us the low down. How's you cook em, chunks, whole, med-rare, grill, smoke then grill, just smoke? Serve Santa Maria style with guac, salsa and crusty rolls, Mexican style with tortillas or something completely different?

Pictures?

Perspiring minds want to know.

Enjoy,
Gary (who loves tri-tip and was eyeing a pack of Costco tri-tip just a day or two ago.)

Well, I don't know if my camera shutter speed would have been fast enough to capture the tri-tips before they were inhaled by my friends

My pack that was about 17lbs had 8 tri-tips in it. Trimmed them all up at once (removed silver skin and extraneous fat) and put two out to cook and wrapped the rest up 2 per pack in saran and foil for the freezer.
Kept the two cuts whole and liberally seasoned with kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and garlic powder. Decided to use my Silver B instead of the WSM as it was a Friday and time was tight. Put them on a very hot grill for about 6 minutes a side to start to get a nice sear and then moved them back for some indirect time. Can't quite remember but thing started with 10 minutes indirect then flipped them and put a probe in one of them. Was shooting for 140 but think it ended up at 143 by the time I caught it (it happens quickly once it gets near 130). Luckily that probe was in a smaller cut so the bigger one was probably right at target temp.

Brought them in and foil tented them for 6 or so minutes then started slicing them across the grain. Basically my friends just sat and ate off the cutting board. Everyone was blown away by how delicious they were. After the first bite I reached into the freezer and pulled a still thawed pack of tri-tips out to out in fridge as I knew I was making more the next day (which I did).

The smaller one was good, very tasty but much closer to medium than mid-rare. The larger cut was far superior in both doneness as well as flavor. I believe the best way to have these is with a strip of red in middle and pink surrounding. It simply is the "beefiest" cut of beef I could imagine and at $3.75/lb I'd take it over $12/lb porterhouse any day (well, not everyday maybe) I have bought the strips sold at Costco in smaller packs but they do not compare to the whole roast.

I am making tri-tip again this eve so I will try to take a few pictures. In 4 days 6 of the 8 tri-tips will have been consumed. I believe I will be getting another cryovac pack this weekend What I can't grill through I will use to make chili this fall. Mmmmm....
Jamie

Jamie,

What time is dinner?

Enjoy,
Gary

Sorry, ya just missed dinner
Not the best pics but a few none the less...

http://tinyurl.com/5f6bv

Jamie,

Excellent tri-tip pictures, especially #5. Now you got me wondering what time Costco opens.

We really need to add a drool emoticon.

Enjoy,
Gary

Jamie,

Those pictures look great!

Does tri-tip take well to smoking as you would a brisket?

Also, I noticed you mentioned that you mentioned you have a WSM. Have you ever used/know someone who used the Char-Broil smoker? It's much less expensive so I was wondering if it was also much less quality.

Well, couldn't resist so I have 20+ lbs of whole tri-tip in the fridge ready for a Sunday cookout
If you want a smoker, the WSM is well worth the money. Cry once, it is well worth it and you'll forget about the price as soon as you start eating the first load of swine you cook. And for something that will last you 10+ years I don't think the price tag is that hefty. Mail me if you have any questions.
Based on screen name, you get Wilco tiks?
Jamie

Hi,

I have had a WSM for 23 years (mine is the 2nd one known to exist from 1981 inception). Since my WSM was lightly and inexpertly used, I have gotten more years than probably I ought to have had. The only thing I have replaced is the bottom bowl due to corrosion, which cost about $30.

In the last two months, I have cooked more food than in the last 5 years combined. I am particularly proud of the smoke ring I achieved on this pork shoulder which I cooked from 9 PM until 6 AM last Saturday. I needed to cook the meat but I wasn't very excited about spending all day Sunday doing it.



I was a guinea pig for Gary's WSM 5-step class. One of the great fundamental issues I learned was fire building via Weber's fabulous chimney*. I learned quite a bit about controlling the fire and the capabilities of the cooker. Of course, I cannot open a BBQ Shack any time soon because as Gary loves to say: "C2, I know what you know about the WSM but you don't know everything I know!"

Even in my lower level of expertness, my new knowledge (and I am sure my classmates agree) has spoiled me on getting BBQ from the outside world. Or at least I am more critical because more often than not I can make better.

Just cause the class is over, the learning is just beginning: today I am smoking a salmon which will be marinated with a brown sugar rub. Labor day I am cooking pork spare ribs by request of my nieces.

Recently there was a WSM on e-Bay for $135 available for pick-up in the Chicago area. So if you are careful, you can buy your new toy at less than list price of $189.

Best regards,
Cathy2

* I had a dream about the Weber Chimney the other night. I came to a picnic boasting I could start the fire. I couldn't find my chimney in the car. I drove home, got distracted and returned to the picnic with no Chimney. Just before I woke up, I was asking people for the location of the nearest Ace Hardware store so I could buy a Weber Chimney with the thought I would gift it to whomever was taking the WSM class next. Jeez talking about events which cause the blood pressure to elevate.

I am going to a picnic today. I am the official fire starter and the chimney is already in the car!!! Fear will do it every time!

I smoke tri-tip often, usually the bigger ones. But there is no way you can smoke it like brisket without getting something inedible since tri-tip has far less collagen and fat than brisket. I bring the offset up to about 225F and then place room-temp, seasoned tri-tips in the pit. I take them out when the internal temp hits 135F. Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes. Slice across grain. I often make sandwiches with chimichurri sauce.

Bill/SFNM

This inspired me to make a tri-tip (which my grandmother used to marinate and roast, and it was always a treat, especially, as my father used to say, "with au jus"). It didn't quite inspire me to go buy $60 worth, so I went to Paulina to buy one. The guy said-- I was a little dubious but I hate to imagine a Paulina butcher steering me wrong-- that what Costco called a Tri-tip and Granny called a Triangle Roast is also a London Broil. It was impossible for me to judge if the fatty thing all smooshed together in cryovac at Costco was the same as the neat, perfectly trimmed triangle he offered me, but I took his word for it, paid about double Costco's price (but as noted, it was significantly trimmed and besides, I could pick the thickest one) and did it up the Jamieson22 way.

My observation: 140 F as a target temp is too high. I think if I had taken it off when the thermometer hit 130 or 135, it would have been perfect, still red in the center instead of pink. Maybe that's just variation in thermometers, I don't have confidence in their accuracy below about 10 degrees of difference anyway, but I throw this out for future reference-- try it a little lighter than 140 and see how you like it. Otherwise, a really great meal, my wife worked late and came home I think expecting a wan turkey sandwich and visibly brightened at the site of still-warm, red, juicy BEEF waiting for her. And if that isn't a straight line for GWiv's benefit, I don't know what is.

Cathy-- very pretty pork shoulder. One thing I will say about the instructions in the 5-Step, once you've gone through it I would consider experimenting with your preferred level of smokiness. It's funny because I came out of the first two chicken cooks thinking that there was too much smoke. In fact I really am not crazy about smoked chicken versus grilling it as I've done for years; I like the slightly burnt, slightly dried out grilled chicken versus the almost artificially juicy smoked chicken.

But once I moved on to non-chicken dishes, I keep dialing up the smoke and can take almost any amount. The pulled pork I would definitely heavy up on the smoke a lot, since it's a big thick cut of meat where most does not receive smoke flavor at all. But I also like more smoke flavor in the ribs, I brought some spareribs I had cooked over to an impromptu get-together with GWiv, Ellen, MAG and Thor + Personal Assistant, and more than once somebody commented on how, three hours after cooking, just sitting there they still gave off palpable wafts of smoke flavor. Yet once you bit into the meat, it was strong but never overpowering. And even the salmon, obviously it's not getting anywhere near as much smoke as a 10-hour pulled pork cook, but I don't mind a heavy smoke on that, the salmon is strong enough on its own to take it.

So experiment with more smoke as you repeat things you've already made, and find your level. That's the fun I'm having with it now. By the way, I made baby backs again for the first time after the 5-step and I will say that I am a confirmed sparerib man. Baby backs were plenty good, there was a pile of bones to attest to that, but I find the meat less appealing, less intrinsic flavor and definitely greasier. Spareribs seem the perfect rib to me.

Hey Jamie,

Thanks for the advice (and everyone else too...great pics Cathy!). I guess I already knew that the WSM is the way to go but was hoping someone could tell me otherwise. I probably will end up with the WSM.

And yes, I'm a fan of Jeff & the boys!

Well, the addiction continues. I have made 14 tri-tips since I first started this thread. My friends certainly aren't complaining.
Last night after I sliced it I chopped a bunch up to serve on tortillas with the pico de gallo I made Sunday (standard fare with a heavy dose of lime zest added as well). No pictures of the completed tacos but here is some more meat porn:

http://tinyurl.com/5bnfu

Jamie

Jamie,

Oh Yea! Makes me happy Mike G and I split a Costco pack of tri-tip yesterday, which I vac-sealed. (7 tri-tip, almost 17-lbs total weight)

I was planning on doing a few racks of spare ribs direct Sunday, but after seeing your pictures..........

Enjoy,
Gary

Ha, after Sunday you'll be cursing yourself for actually splitting that pack with Mike G
I expect pictures!
On Sunday I'll be at a friend's place who had somone import him some Burgundy wine and pepper vacuum tumbled tri-tips from San Diego. Apparently these are the bee's knees. Will try to remember my camera...
Jamie

Jamie,

I've done tri-tip any number of times, they are one of my favorite vegetables. Splitting seemed reasonable at the time, though, now that I think of it, I can't remember the last time being reasonable got in my way, especially when it comes to BBQ.

I'll be sure to take pictures.

Enjoy,
Gary

All I can say is CostCo had better not cut off the tri-tip supply for winter...

Jamie

Once again I am indebted to the folks on this board for turning me on to something. I made a tri tip today and my family , as well as i, loved it. I was pressed for time so I just did all my shopping at my local jewel and got a nice 2-1/2 lb tri tip from the butcheress.
I marinated it in some mojo along with cilantro and a bit of oil (we all love cilantro here) around 8am. I also made a mango salsa that i started making a couple weeks ago in large batches as the stuff disappears fast and a mexican style shrimp cocktail.
While the rice and the beans where cooking I seared and cooked the tri tip using the Jamieson22 methodon my natural gas grill. His timing reference was near perfect. I pulled it at 135 and after setting 8 minutes it sliced up looking fabulous with just a trickle of some blood which is how i like it. I could not get over how juicy this roast was and how easily (compared to my other roasts) this sliced. I have to admit it looked great on the plate with some mango salsa to accompany and an ice cream sundae glass with shrimp cocktail. I got a lot of fanfare from my gang and thought it should be deservedly shared here.

How about your mango salsa recipe? I picked up a couple of mangoes tonight at the store thinking "mango salsa, mango salsa" but suspecting that they'd in fact rot away before I found a recipe and got myself together to make it. So if you could provide the recipe, that would at least get me past the first hurdle. Thanks.

I sometimes vary it a little and sometimes you have to add more tomato for it to "look" right but i basically use the same recipe. I like to make this in the morning to serve around dinner and I use a circa 1957 popeil chop a matic on the tomatos. Today I used:
2 or 3 nice size mangos
1 real lg mexican sweet onion chopped
1-1/2 bunch cilantro leaves chopped (we really like cilantro)
2 jalepeno peppers seeded and chopped
juice of 2, 3 little limes and i usually toss some lime into the chop a matic with a tomato
2, 3 or 4 nice juicy tomatos, big ones
a healthy dose of salt and pepper

I have tried adding some chopped garlic to this and nobody really liked it. I used 1 clove perhaps too much? Sometimes I add a little of the goya sazon but not a lot and that gives it a little different taste. Let me know how yours turns out

Thanks. The only ingredients I don't have on hand are the tomatoes and the chop-o-matic and I suspect I can easily obtain the former and use modern technology for the latter. Thanks for the suggestion of making it earlier in the day, too, something that might not have occured to me. On the menu with the roast chicken tomorrow.

I don't have room in my freezer for the Costco size pack (too many Costco ribs in there already!) So, if anyone is in my boat, be advised that I picked up a tri-tip at Produce World on Cumberland and Lawrence for $3.75 lb. Cooked it last night in the oven, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked with potatos, carrots, onions and fennel in the roasting pan. Fantastic--a great cut of beef at a great price. I pulled it from the oven when the temp hit 140, and let it rest for 10 minutes--still rare inside--without being bloody--and a nice crust on the outside.

Hi,

I was at Costco last night and kept remembering all the praises for the Tri-tip. I bought them fresh, not in the Cryovac for $4.79 per pound, which was 7 tips for almost 4 pounds. I have this feeling I made a mistake from reading earlier posts.

I think I have uncovered the reason for Gary always wearing black: you can grill or BBQ and still wear your clothes to the table. From my somewhat light activity today, I am already a bit sooty.

Regards,

The "fresh" cut, if I'm thinking correctly, is the same piece of meat cut into more of a steak shape, instead of the triangle or kidney shape you can see in my photo, for instance. (Note that the cryovac'd triangles are not frozen, they're fresh too, just packed differently.)

Considering that tri-tip aka London Broil was something like $9/lb. at Paulina, albeit trimmed a bit more carefully (indeed quite thoroughly), $4.79 is nothing to complain about. The only issue is that given the thinner shape, they will cook more like a steak, so be careful about that.

Cathy,

Were they strips about 12-inches long and (maybe) 1-inch in diameter? If so you bought tri-tip cut up, not exactly what we are talking about, but delicious nonetheless.


Geeesh, give away all my secrets why don't cha. Truth be told I usually take a shower anyway.

One thing I've learned over the years is after a long smoking session if I wish to actually taste the food, especially wood smoke in the meat, I need to change out of my smoke filled clothes, take a shower and blow my nose.

Even then smoke flavor in the meat is much clearer the next day. Or, best of all, when someone else is doing the BBQ cookery.

Enjoy,
Gary

Yes, that sounds about right. I guess from this size and shape, I sear them on the grill then put them on the side to finish cooking, right?

Do you want to have a Stupid-Cathy2-Trick for your collection? Last night, I marinaded salmon for a smoke cook today. I did everything right except put water into the pan. So just by proximity I had an indirect heat cook but not the low heat which the water pan filled helps regulate. So we had crunchy salmon with our salad today. As Gary has commented before, "In BBQ you eat your mistakes." Not surprisingly, my Dad who likes crunchy textures liked the salmon. Another plus by eating your mistakes, you are less likely to repeat.

Cathy2, those strips cook rather quick, I would say just cook them direct as any indirect time will probably just cook them to well-done. And well-done sucks.
Jamie

London Broil- In my Steven Raichlen book, he says London Broil is not a cut of meat, but a specific preparation that various cuts benefit from... fwiw.

Bought some tri-tips from costco last night, hope to give them some parallel marks tonight

ab

I think Paulina is selling "the piece of meat that you make a London Broil from" as "London broil." In any case, it was clearly the exact same cut.

Hi,

I found myself home alone for dinner this evening. I thought I would crack open the Tri-Tips to see what they were like. It was already after dark and grilling for one didn't seem very attractive. So I cooked the meat in my small 5-inch diameter cast iron pan.

I first heated up my pan, then put in some oil and a bit of butter for flavor. I seared it on both sides, then turned off the heat and walked away for a few minutes to allow the residual heat to finish cooking. When I returned, I had a medium rare steak swimming in more fat than I had started originally.

This was really quite a full flavored steak, which I now understand all the raves. Thanks again for all the enthusiastic comments as Tri Tip was never really on my steak radar before.

Regards,