Ember Pit
All cuts

Beef · Bottom sirloin

Tri-tip

Santa Maria energy on a pellet grill. Two grain directions — slice both correctly.

Internal target

133°

Medium-rare

90°Probe220°
Pit
225–350°

Smoke then high

Time
1.5–2.5 hr

Clock, not a scale

Rest
15 min
USDA
145°

Safety floor

USDA medium. West Coast medium-rare is the house default.

Watch it cooked

Meat Church BBQ · Tri Tip with Chimichurri

Tri Tip with Chimichurri

Meat Church BBQ

Watch on YouTube

Recipes

Doneness

Pull a few degrees early. Carryover finishes the cook while it rests.

How to cook it

  1. 1

    Garlic, salt, pepper, maybe a Santa Maria rub. Smoke 225–250°F to 115°F.

  2. 2

    Crank to 400°F+ and crust all sides.

  3. 3

    Rest 15 minutes. Split at the grain change, then slice thin.

Probe & cues

Center of the thickest end.

  • Pull at 125–128°F for medium-rare after a hard sear
  • Find the grain fork and slice each wing against it

Start a cook

Logs the target and runs a pit timer. Saved on this device.