Smoked Tri Tip (Mexican Marinade, No Sear)

A simple, delicious, no-sear smoked tri tip recipe! This Mexican marinade infuses the meat with so much flavor, and the low and slow smoking approach achieves a great bark with no searing required! I've spent years refining this simple approach, and after testing dozens of tri tips, I'm happy to finally publish this recipe.

Most smoked tri tip recipes suggest a higher smoker temperature, which causes the steak to finish in just around an hour. My low and slow approach stretches the smoke time out to around 2 hours. This helps the meat take on more smoke flavor. The combination of the longer smoke and the Mexican-inspired marinade forms a nice bark on the outside of the tri tip, so you don't need to worry about the extra step of searing the meat.

This smoked tri tip is always a hit at barbeques, and I've even had friends claim that it's "the best steak they've ever had"! Click the link to chech out my go-to tri tip sandwich recipe (pictured below) . The recipe below includes instructions for thinly slicing as well as cubing the meat. You can try using this cubed smoked 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.

How long to smoke a Tri Tip?

Tri tips are typically smoked until they are medium rare on the inside, so they are faster-smoking than something like a brisket. The time it takes to smoke will depend on the temperature you set your smoker to- a higher temperautre will finish faster than a lower one.

How long to smoke a tri tip at 225?

The most common advice you see is to smoke a tri tip at 225 °F, which takes about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the size of your tri tip roast. It's always best to remove the meat based on the internal temperature of the meat, not based on time. See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for a guide to meat internal temperature and doneness.

In my experience, smoking a tri tip at 225 °F causes it to reach temperature too quickly. You don't have enough time for the meat to take on a lot of smoke flavor or form much of a bark. These recipes are often combined with a searing step because otherwise the meat looks unfinished.

Why smoke a tri tip at 200?

I prefer to smoke my tri tip at 200 °F, which takes around 2 hours to finish. This allows the meat to take on more smoke flavor. It will also form a nice bark, so searing is not required.

Remember, it's always best to remove the meat based on the internal temperature of the meat, not based on time. See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for a guide to meat internal temperature and doneness.

How Smoke a Tri Tip

See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe details.

• Combine all ingredients of the marinade (olive oil, lime juice, worchestshire sauce, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper).
• 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.
• 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!

Key Tips - Smoked Tri Tip

Marinate overnight for the most flavor.

• If you're short on time, a 2-hour marinade is totally fine. But if you have the time, prep the meat in the marinade the day before you plan to smoke it! More marinade time means more flavor infused into the meat.

Save leftovers in the freezer for future easy meals!

• This steak freezes really well after cooking, especially when it's cubed. After cubing, I allow the meat to cool, then transfer it in single-meal portions to freezer-safe vacuum or zip bags.
• On a busy night, I can defrost a pack of this smoked tri tip, warm it up in the microwave or in a skillet, then use it in tacos, burritos, or whatever sounds good!

If your tri tip came with a large fat cap, trim it and make smoked beef tallow!

• Sometimes tri tips are sold "untrimmed" and may have a massive fat cap. We don't need that on the meat for the smoke, but I like to save the fat cap after trimming.
• Place the fat pieces in a baking dish and smoke alongside your tri tip until the fat has rendered. If it doesn't render in the smoker at 200 F, move it to the oven at ~275 for another hour so after you're done smoking.
• Once the fat is rendered, pass it through a fine mesh strainer and save the clean liquid tallow. It will keep in the fridge for months and add a boost of flavor to your cooking! Use it just like you would use butter.

Try prepping tri tips in marinade in the freezer!

• When I find tri tips on sale, I will prep them in bulk.
• Trim the roasts, then combine each one with a batch of the marinade in a freezer-safe zip bag or vacuum bag. Remove as much of the air as possible and seal. Place in the freezer.
• When ready to use, defrost the meat the day before you plan on using it (I do this by submerging it in cool water for ~30 mins). Then let it marinate in the fridge as normal and follow the rest of the recipe.

Note, the meat may change color after slicing.

• I've noticed that when I slice tri tip, it starts out looking really white and turns more red over time. This often leads me to think the meat is overcooked while slicing, but then the red color comes in after a few minutes. Just something to keep in mind as you slice! 

Here's a guide to slicing tri tip!

• 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.

Dietary Restrictions - Smoked Tri Tip

This dish is naturally Dairy-Free!

This dish is naturally Gluten-Free:

• Always double-check product packages if preparing food for someone who is highly sensitive to gluten.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. This recipe makes about 8 3-oz portions of cooked tri tip. I recommend baselining ½ lb of raw meat per person when planning portions. I always shoot to have more than needed and freeze the extras to ensure no one leaves hungry. This recipe is very easy to double! 

If you like this recipe, you may also like...

If you like this recipe, you might like my Tri Tip Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, California Burritos, and Chicken Taco Marinade.

Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!