A tender and moist smoked beef tri-tip, cooked on the stovetop using a stovetop smoker. Once smoked and slice, the tri-tip is top with a smoky bourbon sauce.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
Sprinkle all sides of the tri-tip generously with the rub. Let set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to an hour.
Divide 1 Tbsp. Mesquite shavings into 2 piles on the bottom of the smoker (as shown).
Slide the cover on the smoker, leaving a very small opening. Turn the burner on to medium heat. Keep an eye on the opening and when you see a puff of smoke escape, close the cover and set the timer. (I also wrap the ends of the smoker with aluminum foil to keep smoke from escaping out of the corners (As seen in the picture below the recipe).
Remove the tri-tip from the smoker. Wrap in aluminum foil and let rest while you make the sauce.
Dry Rub – This rub was adapted from Big Bad Beef Rub @ Amazing Ribs. If you don’t want to make this rub or don’t have the ingredients, then use another rub or your favorite seasoning mix. A creole seasoning works great.
Mesquite Wood Chips – Mesquite is what I prefer for beef tri-tip; however, oak, hickory or pecan would also work quite well. You could also do a mix, like half mesquite and half pecan. I’ve done that before and it was delicious!
Cut of Meat – 90% of the time I use tri-tip, but one time I couldn’t find tri-tip so I purchased a couple of flap steaks. They were just as tasty, but cooked very quickly, so 20 minutes was actually too long.
Rare, Medium or Well-done – To be honest, it’s quite hard to get this to rare or even medium rare which is how I normally I like my beef cooked. The nice thing is that tri-tip is actually quite forgiving up to a point. Even at medium (20 minutes) and well-done (25 – 30 minutes), it’s still tender and quite delicious and with the sauce…it’s hard to beat. However, past well-done, tri-tip becomes tough and dry even with the sauce.
Smoking Time Adjustments – The amount of time you smoke the meat is based on a few factors, the first being a whole roast or strips as shown above. The roast requires about 5 minutes longer than the strips. Also, the thicker the cuts, the longer the smoking time. Time is also affected by the cooking temperature. I use a setting of “medium” for the times given above. Medium on your stovetop may be higher or lower than mine so the first time you make this, I would suggest going for less time rather than more time. If the meat is undercooked to how you like it, then place it, wrapped in aluminum foil in the oven @ 400° F for 3 to 5 minutes or zap it in the microwave for a very few seconds.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen