• Combine all ingredients of the marinade. Trim excess fat from the steaks if desired and place in a zip bag with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking (preferably overnight).

  (Note, sometimes tri tips are sold with a very thick fat cap that should be trimmed off. I like to put this fat in a baking pan and smoke it next to the meat, then pass it through a fine mesh strainer for smoked beef tallow.)
  
• Preheat the smoker to 200 °F.
• Remove from the marinade and place directly on the grill grates. Brush extra marinade on top if desired.
  
• Smoke at 200 °F until a probe inserted into the thickest portion of the meat reads 125 °F internal temperature for medium-rare (the internal temperature will continue to climb while resting). This will take around 2 hours. Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest and tent with foil.

  For a rare finish, remove the tri tip at 115 °F. For a medium finish, remove at 135 °F, for a medium-well finish, remove at 145 °F.
  
• Let the tri tip rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
  

Slicing - Thin Slices (for sandwiches, etc)

• Slicing tri tip against the grain is a little tricky because the grain changes directions. Take a look at the guide image and slice along the solid line as your first cut to separate the two sections. Then slice in the direction of the dotted lines. I like to target about ¼ inch thick slices.
  
• Check out my full recipe for Smoked Tri Tip Sandwiches by clicking the link!
  

Slicing - Cubed (for burritos, tacos, etc)

• For tacos and burritos, I like to cube the steak into pieces about ½ inch in size. Cubed steak is great for freezing and reheating for future easy meals!
  
• Try using this cubed tri tip in my California Burritos, Tri TIp Street Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, or sub it for the chicken in these Chicken Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice.