Tri Tip

The story behind Tri Tip Beef (a.k.a. Triangle Roast):  This cut of meat is limited in availability because there is only one per side of beef.  Therefore it is typically ground into hamburger or cut into cubes and sold as soup meat.   This often over looked piece of meat is not only relatively inexpensive but also very flavorful and has become a favorite amongst the few in the know. The tri-tip roast or steak (also called a triangle roast) is the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of meat that sits at the bottom of the sirloin.   It has great flavor and tends to be much lower in fat than most cuts of beef i.e., it's a good lean cut of beef. 

The thing to remember is that lean also means it will dry out faster so it is recommended that you prepare with a good marinade &/or Rub.  Particularly good flavors for tri-tip are Southwestern or Asian. Because tri-tip is lean, be careful not to overcook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. Medium is as far as you should go with this cut. Use a meat thermometer to monitor often during cooking.  If you are used to grilling other cuts, this one can throw some grillers off by appearing underdone when it is ready to serve and by the amount it ‘swells’ when cooked.

Santa Maria/Grilled Soy Lime Style – This simple tri tip recipe utilizes a hybrid marinade that is loosely based on a combination of spices picked up from two different recipes.  

Ingredients

€        2-3 Lb. Tri-tip roast (we use Missouri Legacy Beef - Free Range Beef)

€        Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends – Meat Magic (optional)

Seasoning Marinade:

€        2 teaspoons freshly ground 4-color pepper

€        1 teaspoon onion powder

€        1 Tbls. Garlic powder

€        2 Tbls. Sea Salt (fresh ground)

€        1 ½ Cups Apple Juice (100% pure juice)

€        ¼ Cup Soy Sauce  (low sodium)

€        2 ½ Tsp. Lime Juice

€        1 Tbls. Red Pepper Flakes

€        2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce

€         2 Tsp. Cayenne  Pepper

€        ½ Tsp. Fresh Ground Ginger Root

€        Optional: Corn Syrup or Honey (3 Tbls.)

Basting Sauce:

€        ½ cup red wine vinegar

€        ½ cup vegetable oil (or EVOO) (add garlic powder if you can’t find garlic infused oil)     

Preparation and cooking

1.    Mix together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the tri tip in a 1 gallon freezer bag.  Place in refrigerator for 4-8 hours turning occasionally.

2.    Whisk basting sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for basting.

3.    Lightly oil your cooking grid and fire up BGE to T-Rex.  Remove from Marinade and pat dry. 

4.    Rub each side with Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic then sear the tri-tip at 600 to 700 degrees for 3-4 minutes per side. NOTE:  This recipe calls for Searing; it is NOT necessary and you can choose to start the cook indirect and get very similar results without searing (cooking time for indirect will increase slightly)

5.    Remove seared tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest while bringing the BGE temperature down to 350 to 400 degrees. Optional: During this cool down period consider adding a few oak chunks to your lump.

6.    Now set up BGE for Indirect cooking (plate setter) and return the tri-tip back in the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees (approximately 35 minutes) for medium rare, basting with the sauce every 5 to 10 minutes (optional).

7.    Return the tri-tip back into the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees, basting every 5 to 10 minutes.

8.    Remove tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest 15 minutes; to serve cut into ½” slices against the grain.²

1 Paraphrased from Beef Tri-Tip, One of the best cuts you are probably not buying, By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide 2 this recipe is adapted loosely from Foodnetwork.com’s website; titled “Santa Maria Style BBQ” with lots of input from the gang at EggHeadForum.com

Pork Ribs 2.5 - 25 method

Okay, those of you that follow me know that I DO NOT use the BGE for Low and Slow and in fact rarely do ANY BBQ.  I typically do one dish meaks, steaks, stir fry, pizza, etc.  This weekend my wife determined that this MUST change.  After this cook, I agree.  It's not that I don't like BBQ, I just like to cook hot and fast without maintaining temperatures, etc and I wasn't raised eating BBQ anyway.

Tonights Experience however has me rethinking the entire process, and unfortunately may force me to add more pages to my cookbook, which I had semi retired into final editing. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much  as we did licking off the bones! ;)  What I have discovered in my experience is that you do NOT have to cook pork ribs for 5 hours, that is a choice and you do NOT have to steep them, that too is a choice.  So I've landed on a 2.5 hour 25 minute method that appears to be working VERY well.

Ingredients

• 2 Large Slabs of "Restaurant Grade" pork ribs (Restaurant grade defined by the butcher as membranes removed, larger proportaions of meet at the rib ends, essentially a really nice cut of ribs.
• Mustard
• Bad Byrons's Butt Rub
• Bourbon BBQ Sauce
• Lime BBQ Sauce

Directions

1. Cut the ribs in half for the rack (just our preference)
2. Slather a light coat of mustard (for barking)
3. Rub on Bad Byrons's and set aside for a couple hours to reach room temp covered in plastic wrap or foil
4. Fire up the egg to 260 dome, with platesetter legs down, a drip pan and grid and normal height with vrack on grid for ribs.
5. Add the ribs and cook for 2 1/2 hours with no rotation, and NO PEEKING.
6. Remove rack and return ribs to grid for a bath in Rib Sauce and simmering at 300 for 25 minutes with one turn and one recoat after 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove and wrap in foil until dinner is served.

Garlic Sausage Gnocchi

This revision of my original Sausage Gnocchi uses Garlic Sausage and FRESH Organic Tomatoes to create the tomato sauce and adds a touch of Mozzarella cheese.  It’s quick and easy and tasty…serves 3-4. 

Ingredients
1 Lb. Pkg. Potato Gnocchi
3 Medium Diced Tomatoes
1 – 1 ¼ Lb. Garlic Seasoned Italian Sausage (4 links)
½ chopped large Sweet Onion
Italian seasoning (A strong Tsp each of basil, oregano, cumin)
Water
½ Tsp. Fresh Ground Sea Salt
1 Tsp. Granulated Sugar
1 ½ Tsp. Parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Romano/Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Preparation

1.    Fire up the Egg to FULL FLAME on extended ring with Grid.
2.    In a 4 Qt. Pot bring lightly salted water to boil for Gnocchi and boil until it all floats, remove and drain, set aside.
3.    Dribble a splash of water into the 4 Qt. pot and cook onions until they are transparent.
4.    Add the tomatoes and 8 oz. of Tomato Sauce, stir in the spices and bring to boil, stirring frequently.
5.    Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes then add Gnocchi to tomato sauce and recover pot.
6.    In a Cast Iron Skillet heat EVOO over high heat and the sausage (links rolled into approximately 1 tablespoon in size and cook until browned throughout.
7.    Dump the tomato sauce/gnocchi into the skillet and stir constantly.  Bring skillet contents to a boil.
8.    Add mozzarella cheese and stir until melted the remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes. 
9.    Dump into a service dish or Paella pan, sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.