In partnership with Meater
Slightly smoky, super tender and cooked perfectly, a reverse-seared tri tip is one of BBQ’s best dishes. In this occasion, it’s served with a simple bourbon pan sauce that elevates it just enough to make it a special weeknight meal. Invite your friends for this dinner– a tri tip is perfect for a crowd because every diner will find the perfect bite.
TRI TIP ON THE TRAEGER
While making a tri tip on the Traeger is one of our favorite cooks, we have found that using the Meater wireless thermometer system while cooking a roast like this makes for perfectly consistent cooks every time. I love using the wireless Meater probe and the paired app on my iPhone because it’s so easy, predictable and consistent. Since using the Meater, there hasn’t been a cook that has come out overcooked or undercooked. It’s seriously made backyard grilling so easy and fun.
FINDING A TRI TIP
For a long time, tri tip was a cut of beef you could really only find in California. It was famous for Santa-Maria Style BBQ, and not a cut you could often find anywhere else. Thank goodness, in recent years, it has become far more available and mainstream. It’s a good thing, because it’s so delicious and a great and versatile roast for a gathering or event.
We find our tri tips through Snake River Farms, but have also often bought them at Costco. Regardless, it may need some minor trimming to take off the silver skin and any chunks of fat. Once it’s pretty uniform and smooth on the surface, season the tri tip all over with a seasoning heavy on salt and pepper and allow it to sweat for 5-10 minutes until the grill is hot.
HOW TO CUT A TRI TIP
Cutting a tri tip can be notoriously challenging because of the way that the grain changes directions in the middle of the roast. Early in my BBQ career, I cut a tri tip the “wrong” way and posted it on Instagram (not realizing I had done it wrong). That might have been my first viral video!
But if you slow down before slicing, you’ll be able to carve the tri tip with little issue. Begin by slicing it in half through the thickest part of the roast. Then take each half and look for the grain direction. You want to be sure to cut against the grain– and that will likely be different for each tri tip and each half of the roast. I like to slice from the tip back to the thickest part of the half.
Give yourself a little time and figure out the grain pattern and you’ll have no problem carving the perfect reverse-seared tri tip to serve along with the bourbon sauce.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Tri Tip Roast (about 3 pounds)
- Spiceology Salt Pepper & Garlic seasoning
- Bourbon
- Soy sauce
- Worchestershire sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- White onion
- Garlic
- Butter
- Beef broth
WHY COOKING TRI TIP ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
A tri tip roast grilled on the Traeger is one of our favorite things to cook. There’s something just special about tri-tip and it is a meat that can often suit all your guests. Because of the unique triangle shape and the tapered ends of the roast, one whole tri tip roast can produce perfectly-cooked meat for all your diners. The pointed ends are more well done (yet still tender) and the center is cooked to medium and juicy. For occasions when you have a diverse audience for your dinner and you know that there will be some of the ‘well done’ crowd at the table, a tri tip is an ideal cook.
In addition, grilling a tri tip with the reverse sear method ensures terrific results. When you cook the thickest part of the tri tip to 120* during the slow cook period, you will end up with meat that is tender, juicy and full of flavor. The wood-fired smoke flavor of reverse searing compliments a tri tip really well and imparts deliciousness throughout.
We always sear the tri tips we cook on our Traeger to a finish temp of about 130* or so, which will then do some carry-over cooking to 135* or so. Again, you end up with really flavorful and tender meat with a variety of cook finishes. Give it a try and I suspect it’ll be a repeat request for dinners with family and friends. When served with this amazing bourbon sauce, your reverse-seared tri tip cannot be beaten!
STEP-BY-STEP
- Preheat your Traeger to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Pat the tri tip dry with a paper towel and season all over with a blend of salt, pepper and garlic.
- Insert the Meater wireless thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, pair to the app and set a desired temp of 120*.
- Place the seasoned roast on the grates of the preheated grill and close the lid.
- Allow the tri tip to cook on the Traeger until the Meater alerts you to a temperature of 120*.
- Adjust the Meater app to a new target temperature of 130*.
- Just before it hits 120*, begin preheating a big cast iron skillet on the induction burner until it’s really hot.
- Transfer the Traeger roasted tri tip to the hot cast iron pan and sear it for about 90 seconds per side.
- You want the internal temperature to hit 130*.
- Remove the meat from the pan and tent with foil.
- Using the same pan from searing, turn down the heat to medium and melt the butter.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire beef broth and balsamic vinegar.
- Mix well and continue cooking until just reduced.
- Add the bourbon and stir to combine. If desired, flambe the bourbon by touching a flame to the surface of the sauce. Allow it to cook off the alcohol.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the tri tip against the grain in each direction.
- Serve your sliced reversed seared tri tip with bourbon sauce and enjoy!
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some other Traegered tri tip recipes on my blog that you might like to try too!
Products used in this cook:
- For this recipe for reverse seared tri tip on the Traeger, we used the Meater thermometer system to ensure that we had a perfectly cooked roast as the base of our dish. Some of the features I love about the Meater:
- Longer Range: Bluetooth to WiFi range extension built-in up to 165ft. Stand-Alone Mode: Cook without the use of your smartphone.
- Multiple Probes: Dual temperature sensors in each probe can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient / external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously.
- Guided Cook System: Walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results. You can also set up custom alerts/notifications based on temperature and/or time.
- Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.
Spiceology Salt Pepper & Garlic Seasoning
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Reverse-seared tri tip with bourbon sauce
Equipment
- Meater wireless thermometer
- Traeger grill
- Cast iron skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 Tri Tip Roast about 3 pounds
- 1/2 cup Spiceology Salt Pepper & Garlic seasoning
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 a white onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Pat the tri tip dry with a paper towel and season all over with a blend of salt, pepper and garlic.
- Insert the Meater wireless thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, pair to the app and set a desired temp of 120*.
- Place the seasoned roast on the grates of the preheated grill and close the lid.
- Allow the tri tip to cook on the Traeger until the Meater alerts you to a temperature of 120*.
- Adjust the Meater app to a new target temperature of 130*.
- Just before it hits 120*, begin preheating a big cast iron skillet on the induction burner until it’s really hot.
- Transfer the Traeger roasted tri tip to the hot cast iron pan and sear it for about 90 seconds per side.
- You want the internal temperature to hit 130*.
- Remove the meat from the pan and tent with foil.
- Using the same pan from searing, turn down the heat to medium and melt the butter.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire beef broth and balsamic vinegar.
- Mix well and continue cooking until just reduced.
- Add the bourbon and stir to combine. If desired, flambe the bourbon by touching a flame to the surface of the sauce. Allow it to cook off the alcohol.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the tri tip against the grain in each direction.
- Serve your sliced reversed seared tri tip with bourbon sauce and enjoy!
Adam, looks amazing, need to check out Meater!