We’re having a bunch of people over on Saturday night and my wife suggested we do Tri Tips. We bought four good sized tri tips and they have been marinating in the fridge for a few days. I would like to pre-cook them on Friday so that I can just finish them off on the BBQ before the guests arrive on Saturday, but I have never done that before. I want them to be rare to medium rare on the inside and have a nice crust on the outside when they are served.
I assume I can bake them in the oven for a while and then take them out and put them back in the fridge on Friday, and then take them out and finish them on the BBQ on Saturday, but how long do I cook them in the oven and at what temp? When I take them out of the oven won’t they continue to cook while they cool down?
This whole idea seems fraught with danger, but cooking 4 tri tips on my BBQ at once isn’t going to work. Any advice from the teeming masses?
Hello Bigfork ! (visited there, and will be passing through this summer as well).
I learned of a great way to BBQ tri-tip, and it has worked really well.
Unfortunately, it is kind of the opposite of what you’re intending to do. You’re thinking to do a slow cook (for the inside), and then BBQ to add the “crust”.
This technique I’ve been using is high temp first (for the crust), then switch to low temp for the interior.
But I’ve never stretched this overnight.
I think the “high temp first” is the right way to go - the crust seals the outside so that the interior stays juicy. So if you want to try an overnight, I would suggest:
BBQ at high (like 425 to 450) for 5 minutes a side (one flip)
Then refrigerate
On the day of the party, cook (bake or BBQ) on low (200, no higher) for 8 minutes a side, 3 flips (24 minutes).
What’s unclear is how much “residual cooking” will occur once you take it off the (high) BBQ and refigerate. So you may not need as much time on the low temp.
A thermometer is your friend here. Cook in a 250F oven until the center reads your desired doneness, then chill and store. You can gradually warm up the meat in the same low oven an hour before serving and then flash it on the grill to add color.
That is actually a cooking myth. There is no sealing in of juices. The purpose of the hot step is to develop crust and flavor.
(You can just google “sealing in the juices” for the cite. There’s many out there. Here’s a good one, with an explanation and links additionally to Serious Eats and Cooks Illustrated.)
In fact, I prefer the reverse method: bring up to temp slowly first, sear as the final step. (Also known as the “reverse sear” method.)
Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to OP’s question, having never done it that way, and having no experience with tri-tip. Here’s what I’d do for any other steak cut: Roast them in the oven at 250 about 45 minutes to an hour before dinner time. Bring the steak up to about 115F (use probe thermometer. This is usually around 25-30 minutes). Let rest. While the steaks were in the oven, crank up that grill as hot as it goes. After a ten-minute rest, throw the steaks on there for about two minutes a side, and you’re good to go.
I’m sure you know this already but those tri tips cook pretty fast. I like the previous post’s idea of getting them to 115 or so at 250 in the oven then a quick sear. I’d probably sear them on a skillet than the bbq to get better coverage. Just be careful of the temp.
Just wanted to say I [very much dislike] you; thanks, continue with the recipe’ing…
(Cows appear not to have tri-tips up here; at most, I can special-order very expensive small cuts that don’t cook properly. Not like yer basic slow-cooked 4-pound roast. I really miss tri-tip, both plated and in sandwiches.)
Last month I had my family over, and I decided to cook rare sirloin 1" steaks on the bbq, with some other stuff.
So I set up a backyard “sous vide” 2.5 hours prior to food-time
I vacuum bagged the room temperature seasoned steaks in ziplock bags
I filled the chilly-bin with water at 55[SUP]o[/SUP]C
in go the steaks
check temperature every 15-20 minutes, removing and adding water as needed to maintain 55[SUP]o[/SUP]C or thereabouts
just before lunch, sear on the bbq for about a minute per side including long edges
serve and enjoy
Your tri tips may need just a bit longer for full heat penetration, I’d say 3.5 hours, and depending on your beef cooking preference, maybe a bit hotter.
I’m with the others that vote sous vide. It isn’t the miracle that some make it out to be but it is superb for certain things. Things like precooking, holding, then searing to reheat and finish tri tips. If the party is tomorrow, it’s probably too late to get started, though.
I personally think it would be a crime to finish these with anything other than hardwood charcoal and a chunk of your favorite wood but not everyone is set up for that.
Here’s what some folks are doing on the very active Reddit sous vide community: reddit link
I hate when you beat me to a cooking thread. :mad:
That said, I wouldn’t slow cook in the oven, but on the grill with low, indirect heat, and I would add just a little smoke (hickory or pecan - no mesquite), until about 10 degrees from your desired doneness. Take the meat off the grill, kick up the fire to Mt. Doom proportions, then cook over direct heat, flipping every 45-60 seconds. And I would do the chicken the exact same way.
