It’s probably not a surprise, but as a bigger guy who’s worked in a butcher shop for nearly 15 years, I love steak. Almost as much as steak, I also love a good steakhouse! There’s something about the old, wood-dominant rooms, even older waitstaff, oversized appetizers and classic sides that can bring out the best qualities in a steak. With young kids at home, I don’t get out to eat as much as I would like, but that doesn’t mean I can’t produce a reasonable facsimile of a steakhouse meal at home.
Tri-tip typically gives way to fattier loin cuts on a steakhouse menu, but in this recipe, we’re going to double up on the cooking methods (low and slow with a smoker, hot and fast with a grill) to maximize the flavour.
Serves 3
Ingredients:
1 tri-tip, 2-2.5 lbs
2 tbsp your favourite mustard (yellow, Dijon, etc.)
2-3 tbsp Sanagan’s southwest steak rub
Method:
- Roughly 1.5 hours before you’d like to eat, take your tri-tip out of the fridge.
- Rub the mustard of your choice in a thin, even layer over the surface of the tri-tip (all sides). The mustard is used both for flavour, and to help the rub to adhere to the steak.
- Generously season the tri-tip with steak rub, coating both sides. It’s hard to add too much rub, so (within reason) err on the side of generosity here.
- Pre-heat your smoker to 240-250 F, allowing the steak to rest outside of the fridge while you wait.
- Smoke the tri-tip for approx. 40 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Pre-heat your gas/propane grill to its highest heat (note: you could also use a cast-iron pan for this step if preferred).
- Sear the tri-tip evenly on both sides until desired internal temperature is reached, approximately 4-6 minutes per side depending on the temperature of your grill.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain, and serve with your best ‘loaded’ baked potato.