With the last few tri-tips I made, I cooked them sous-vide, then placed them in the oven to build a bark. This time, I wanted to treat this one like a small brisket and smoke it low and slow Texas style.
Gather the ingredients.
- 3 lb. Tri-tip
- 4 tbsp. Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp. Hickory Smoked Salt
- 1 tbsp. Celery Seed
- 2 tbsp. Molasses
- 1 tbsp. Hickory Liquid Smoke
- ¼ tsp. Pink Curing Salt
- Ninja Woodfire Grill
Let’s go to work.
- Trim the tri-tip as necessary.
- In a medium bowl, mix the molasses, liquid smoke, and curing salt together.
- Brush the glaze evenly onto the surface of the meat to act as a binder, and then apply a liberal coating of the rub of your choice. I used a 2:1 pepper/salt rub with a bit of celery seed.
- Let the tri-tip dry brine overnight to let the smoked salt penetrate the meat.
- The next morning, I set my Ninja Woodfire Grill to cook for 5 hours at 235 °F.
- Once the internal temperature reached 180 °F, I double wrapped the tri-tip in aluminum foil and returned it to the smoker.
- I used the thermometer and MANUAL mode to cook until the tri-tip reached an internal temperature of 205 °F.
- ‘Nuff said! Pull the tri-tip and let it rest for 1–2 hours, then slice it up and enjoy!