Do these preparations the night before you plan to smoke: – Trim the tri tip of excess fat, but leave some on (about a ¼"/ 6mm).– Mix the salt and water together for the brine in a measuring cup. Inject the brine into the meat with about 6-7 injections.– Dry off the meat on the outside and brush with a little bit of Worchestershire sauce.– Sprinkle a heavy coating of the dry rub over all sides of the tri tip.– Then sprinkle a generous amount of salt around all sides.– Allow to dry in the fridge, uncovered overnight on a resting rack with a tray underneath.
Preheat the Traeger to 185°F/85°C. Optional - load the pellet tube smoker about halfway and light it right before you're ready to smoke.
Smoke the tri tip on the resting rack for 1.5-2 hours or until an internal temperature of 115°F/46°C is reached.
In the meantime ready your charcoal grill.
Once the tri tip has reached 115°F/46°C in the thickest part, remove it from the smoker and brush it in some butter.
Finish it over the hot coals for 5-7 minutes or until the fat cap goes golden brown. Be careful here as the steak will burn easily!Once the tri tip hits 120°F/49°C, it's ready to rest.
Let it rest in the butter tray for 20 minutes with the foil on. Keep it in a warm place. With the long rest, this will give you a perfect medium-rare.
Slice against the grain to finish. Serve with the juices and butter from the pan. Enjoy!
Notes
Be careful as the tri tip will burn easily on the hot charcoal grill. If you want to skip the charcoal grill, take the tri tip off the heat at 110°F/43°C and tent with aluminum foil. Crank the Traeger up to max temp. Once it's done preheating, add the tri tip back to the smoker and remove it once it hits 120-125°F/ 49-52°C.