Smoked Tri-Tip Roast on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Learn step by step how to make a Smoked Tri-Tip roast on a Pit Boss pellet grill and why this is such a great way to prepare this flavorful cut of beef.

Tri-Tip roasts, and the Tri-Tip steaks that are cut from the roast, were first popularized in California Wine country where they were often marinated with or braised in the local wines.

The Tri-Tip roast comes from the bottom sirloin (not to be confused with the bottom round) of the steer and is triangular in shape, hence the descriptive name.

A full, untrimmed Tri-Tip roast will weigh about 5 lbs and can be smoked and seared on a Pit Boss, or any other pellet grill, similar to a sirloin tip roast, beef tenderloin, or rump roast.  This is the method we will be discussing today.

Alternatively, you can get the Tri-Tip roast cut down into Tri-Tip steaks as either individual or larger 1-2 lb portions similar to a large London broil.

Jump to:

• Prepare the Tri-Tip
• Seasoning the Tri-Tip
• Choosing Wood Pellets
• More Smoke Flavor
• Start the Pit Boss
• Smoking Temperature
• Target Internal Temperature
• Cooking Time
• Reverse Searing with Direct Heat
• Reverse Searing with Indirect Heat
• Resting and Carving
• Serving Suggestions
• 📖 Recipe

Prepare the Tri-Tip

Tri-Tip steaks usually benefit from an overnight marinade similar to a flank steak before smoking.

However, with our Pit Boss Smoked Tri-Tip Roast, we are going to opt instead for a good overnight dry brine of salt, pepper and garlic uncovered in the refrigerator before we smoke it.

First, we need to trim it up a little bit.

Trim the Fat

There isn't usually too much exterior fat to trim off a Tri-Tip roast, but if there is, you can certainly cut off the excess so that the seasoning penetrates the meat a little better.

Also make sure to remove any silverskin on the tri-tip roast as well.

Make sure to always use a good boning knife like this one from imarku so you don't tear up your beautiful beef roast while trying to trim the fat.

Dry Brine Overnight

If you have the time we highly recommend dry brining your Pit Boss Smoked Tri-Tip roast overnight.

As we've discussed with our rib roasts, turkeys, and even chickens, salting your meat overnight allows it to penetrate DEEP into the meat for fuller flavor and moisture retention.

The best way to do it is to set up a wire rack on a baking tray. 

It works great for dry brining all sorts of things including your Thanksgiving turkey.

Use good KOSHER salt and sprinkle on all sides. No need to go overboard, just enough for a light sprinkling on all sides.

If you want to use a quality beef rub for dry brining your smoked tri-tip, we are big fans of Bad Byron's Butt Rub Seasoning on smoked beef because it is heavy on flavor, and has no sugar.

It also works great anytime you are reverse searing, like we plan to do later, and you don't want a sugary rub to burn at those higher smoking temperatures.

We also like Meat Church's Holy Cow Rub for beef. It has no sugar so works well for searing later.

Once you've applied your seasoning, place the tri-tip on the wire rack so you have airflow all around the meat and then place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Seasoning the Tri-Tip

The day of the cook, you can season the exterior of your meat, again staying away from sugar due to our searing step later.

For our recipe below, we are going to use fresh minced garlic and coarse fresh cracked pepper.

Ideally use a HIGH smoke point oil to help the garlic and pepper adhere to the meat such as avocado or grapeseed oil, especially if you plan to reverse sear at the end of the cook as we go into detail on below.

When it comes to a nice cut of meat like a tri-tip roast, you want to keep the seasonings fairly simple and let the meat shine through.

Choosing Wood Pellets

You have a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing the right wood pellets to smoke your Pit Boss Tri-Tip.

Mesquite and hickory will give a very aggressive smoke flavor and can be used but make sure you like those flavors before you go 100% with them.

Better to mix in with some other types of Pit Boss pellets the first time until you see how much you actually like the flavor they impart.

Alternatively, you can also go for a milder smoke flavor by choosing oak or fruitwood pellets.

Pecan, apple, beech, alder, and cherry all give great results on smoked tri-tip.

For a straightforward smoke at a mid-price point, we are big fans of Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend Pellets.

For a higher-end pellet, we love using Knotty Wood 100% Plum Wood Pellets and Almond Cabernet Wine Blend Pellets.

For the best results, store your unused pellets in a sealed room temperature container like this 20 lb pellet container rather than in the Pit Boss hopper outside.

Pellets do not last forever, but will definitely last a LOT longer if stored indoors in a quality airtight container.

More Smoke Flavor

To get an added boost of smoke flavor, consider adding a pellet smoker tube to your grill. We go in depth on How to Light a Pellet Tube Smoker here.

To save money, you can use a premium pellet in your smoker tube and a less expensive brand in the hopper for heat.

Our favorite way to add more smoke flavor on a pellet grill is to add charcoal briquettes and real wood chunks to a smoker box. We show exactly how to do this in our video on How to Light a Pellet Grill Firebox.

Start the Pit Boss

We have previously covered how to season a Pit Boss, how to start a Pit Boss, as well as how to troubleshoot the smoke level of your pellet grill.

If you need a more in-depth review on how to use your Pit Boss for the first time, check those articles out first!

Add the pellets to the hopper, plug in the Pit Boss and allow it to go through the start up cycle.

Meanwhile, clean the Pit Boss grates if you did not do this after your last cook. We use the BBQ Daddy as a great bristle free option.

Smoking Temperature

After preheating, we recommend initially setting up the Pit Boss to cook at 250°F.

This seems to be the sweet spot where its low enough that the outside doesn't overcook but also high enough that the smoked tri-tip roast doesn't cook for so long that it dries out.

Place the beef in the cooking chamber with the thickest part facing towards the hotter right side.

Target Internal Temperature

You HAVE to use a good instant read meat thermometer to know where the internal temperature is of your smoked tri-tip while it's cooking on the Pit Boss.

Ideally you want a good leave in probe thermometer like the Thermopro as well as a second instant read to spot check different points of thickness along the roast.

Place the leave in temperature probe into the deepest center part of the roast.

While we have used and recommended ThermoPro for years, lately we have also become big fans of the MEATER leave in thermometer.

It is extremely accurate and has an incredible 165 foot Bluetooth range and works right with your smartphone so you don't need to carry a separate controller around with you like many other remote thermometers require.

In fact, the thermometer itself is COMPLETELY WIRELESS, so no more awkward wires running out of the side of your smoker!

It's got a great free app that is constantly being updated and even has an algorithm to predict how much longer your type of meat will take to cook based on cooking temperature, target temperature, and current internal temperature.

It's like a GPS for your meat!

We are going to slowly bring the internal temperature up to about 105-110°F, then crank the heat as hot as we can to reverse sear the smoked tri-tip until the internal temperature hits about 120°F and then remove it from the Pit Boss.

Perfect medium rare in the center means a FINAL internal temperature of about 130-135°F, and a good rule of thumb is to pull off big roasts like this when they are 10°F shy of your target temperature.

Once you switch over to the reverse searing phase, (more on that below), and are searing the smoked tri-tip over a hot grill it's much easier to use an instant read thermometer rather than the leave in probe kind.

We are particular fans of this one from ThermoPro because of its durability and affordable price.

Everyone from beginner smokers to competition cooks need to use instant thermometers to consistently make great food.

Cooking Time

A general guide is that it will take about 20-30 minutes per pound to smoke a tri-tip roast at 250°F up to 110°F.

So plan on a 4 lb tri-tip roast to take about 80-120 minutes to initially smoke during the "Low" portion of the cook.

What matters most is how thick the tri-tip roast is to the very center, not just how much it weighs.

So keep that in mind when choosing between thicker and rounder vs thinner but flatter shaped tri-tip roasts in the butcher's case.

After the smoked tri-tip hits 110*F, we will crank the heat on the Pit Boss for another 3-5 minutes or however long it takes to raise the internal temperature the rest of the way up to 120-125°F.

Then you will need to let the meat rest for about 15-20 minutes after cooking it before carving.

Unless you want those delicious juices running all over your cutting board instead of staying in the meat where you want them, you need to set aside time for the meat to rest.

Reverse Searing with Direct Heat

"Reverse Searing" is just a fancy term for searing your meat at the very end, once it is pretty much all the way cooked through, in order to get a nice crispy exterior crust that you sometimes just can't get from low and slow smoking alone.

To reverse sear, smoke the meat at 250°F only until it reaches an internal temperature of about 110°F. At this point it will still be very, very rare in the center.

Next, you will turn up the temperature setting on your Pit Boss to "High", or the highest temperature setting it has available, depending on your model.

If your Pit Boss has a DIRECT HEAT option, then you can open the flame broiler plate and move your tri-tip roast over the firepot like you might do on a roaring gas propane burner.

Make sure you have plenty of pellets in your hopper for this part as it will burn through them quickly at these high temps.

You will need to watch your tri-tip VERY closely at this point as it may only need 3-5 minutes total once the Pit Boss comes fully up to the new high temperature.

Watch for the color to turn from grayish to medium-dark brown, and whatever you do, do not leave it unattended to burn or over cook!

Make sure to turn frequently and continuously spot check with your instant read thermometer.

Once the internal temperature has reached 120-125°F, remove the tri-tip roast from the Pit Boss and place it on a cutting board.

Remember, it will continue to rise another 10°F as it rests after you remove it.

DO NOT cover or wrap in aluminum foil or it will overcook beyond this level from its own residual heat.

Reverse Searing with Indirect Heat

If you are using an older model Pit Boss pellet grill that doesn't have a direct grilling option, and finding it hard to get that high heat needed for searing, try laying a couple of Grill Grates over a section of the RIGHT side of grill.

These work great for creating a hot searing station on a pellet grill using the ambient heat the pellet grill is already creating.

You can then move your smoked tri-tip over to the Grill Grates, with the flat side of the Grill Grates up, and sear it like you would on a hot flat top griddle!

Resting and Carving

You will then remove the smoked tri-tip from the hot Pit Boss and let it rest.

Let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Although we mostly slow smoked the tri-tip for ideal even cooking, the portions closer to the ends will still be more done than the very center, as will the thinner end if there is one.

This is nice because as you slice you can give the more done pieces on that end to those that prefer them.

Then give the more medium rare slices from the center to those that prefer their meat less done.

Use a good meat slicing knife and cut the smoked tri-tip into nice thick slices so they do not dry out on the plate.

We particularly like this meat slicing knife from Mairico.

Serving Suggestions

A smoked tri-tip roast can be sliced thick and served like a prime rib or beef tenderloin with a horseradish cream sauce.

Or, you can slice it more thinly and serve with a red wine au jus to keep the meat moist and hot.

Either way, make sure to only slice what you plan to serve that night and keep the rest of the tri-tip roast intact so that it does not lose its juiciness.

Serve alongside some sticky smoky sweet potatoes or our Pit Boss Smoked Mac and Cheese if you are keeping it casual.

For a more elegant affair, try serving with some delicately smoked honey balsamic carrots or asparagus.  You can even do a surf and turf on the Pit Boss with one of our recipes for smoked lobster tails, crab legs, or scallops!

Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or two, but we know your smoked tri-tip probably won't last that long in reality.

Enjoy!

📖 Recipe