My local Sam’s Club had an excellent selection on Tri-tip recently, which provided a perfect opportunity to try cooking one. Tri-tip is usually grilled over an open flame, but I decided to cook it sous vide like brisket, and the results did not disappoint.
Gather the ingredients.
- 3 lb. Tri-tip
- 4 tbsp. Hickory Smoked Salt
- 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 4 tbsp. Hickory Liquid Smoke
- 1 tsp. Pink Curing Salt
- 4 tbsp. Texas Honey
- 1 tbsp. Liquid Aminos, or Soy Sauce
- Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Rub
- Pistol Grip Injector
- The Briner Jr.
- Joule Sous Vide Cooker
- Sous Vide Container
- Oven
Let’s go to work.
- Trim the tri-tip as necessary.
- Pour enough water in the briner bucket to cover the tri-tip and whisk in the smoked salt, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp of the liquid smoke.
- Transfer some of the brine to a syringe and inject it directly into the meat.
- Place tri-tip into the brine and leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Spoon a little of the brine into a bowl and mix in the pink salt. Combine well, then pour the mixture back into the briner bucket. Stir things around and then let it sit for about an hour to develop a nice “smoke ring”.
- In a medium bowl, mix the honey, liquid aminos, and remaining liquid smoke together.
- Brush half of the glaze evenly onto the surface of the meat, and then place the meat in a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag.
- Cook for 16 hours at 130 °F.
- Once the meat has finished cooking, remove it from the bag, pat dry, and then brush on the other half of the glaze.
- Preheat oven to 245 °F
- Apply a liberal coating of the rub of your choice, and transfer to a baking rack. I used Cattleman’s Grill California Tri-Tip Rub.
- Allow meat to cook until a nice crusty bark develops, about 3–4 hours.
- ‘Nuff said! Pull the tri-tip out of the oven, let it rest for 30–45 minutes, then slice it up and enjoy!