Our Traeger Smoked Tri-Tip is tender, juicy, and a great “quick” barbecue meal. This one is done in under two hours, which is lightning-fast in barbecue land.

Traeger Tri-Tip Recipe

Lately, I’ve been into barbecue. Like, really into it.

I’m using my Traeger for everything, from ribs and pork roast to beef brisket and short ribs. My favorite bacon is Traeger bacon. Chicken wings? You’ll always skip the frier now. We’ve even made easy chicken fajitas on the Traeger.

I love BBQ sauce too.

The only trouble with barbecuing every day is that the time it takes to properly barbecue most things is not available to me, and I’m sure most people can relate to the age-old adage; I wish I had more time.

Well, I think I’ve found the cut of meat that satisfies the BBQ craving and solves the crunch for time simultaneously. With a prep time of five minutes and a total cook time of one and a half hours, I present to you the Traeger Tri-Tip.

More Traeger Beef Recipes here!

Is this bbq or just grilling?

Please don’t think I am presenting this as barbecue, although it might qualify as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Most people agree that barbecue means slow and low. With this recipe, you get the wood-fired aspect and the great smoke flavor, which is cooked relatively fast and at a higher temperature.

I’ll settle for barbecue-ish, but in my eyes, it’s barbecue plus.

Why the plus, you might ask?

Well, you get all the smokey goodness of barbecue, along with the tenderness of the meat, but then to top it off, that tender, smokey meat is served medium-rare.

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What temperature is tri-tip “done”?

Let’s talk about that medium-rare meat for a minute. Not overcooking this cut is crucial to turn out tender and juicy, as opposed to tough and dry if you let it go too long on the Traeger.

The tri-tip is fickle, and if you’re averse to medium-rare meat, this might not be the cut for you. If you can handle some pink, you’ll be in heaven when you try this recipe.

Try our Blackstone Grill Steak too!

Where can you find tri-tip?

Now, depending on what part of the country you’re from, you may or may not have had much exposure to the Tri-Tip.

Living in Washington state, I assumed everyone liked them, and they were popular in most states. However, after having recently visited Amarillo, Texas, I learned that not all cuts of meat are as popular in other states as they are here.

I learned in Texas that the ribeye is king and the Tri-Tip is generally overlooked. Now, the state of Texas is great and the people who live there are truly some of the most gracious, humble, and hardworking Americans you will find anywhere, but they need to realize that they’re missing out on this cut of meat.

What’s really strange about it is that Texans are hooked on brisket. I know if they tried this recipe on a Traeger grill I could convert at least a couple million of them.

If you already love tri-tip, I know you’ll love this on a Traeger grill. If you’re from Texas and you’re a little skeptical of the tri-tip, then this is the recipe to win you over.

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What should you serve with grilled tri-tip?

I highly recommend our Traeger Corn on the Cob and Traeger Baked Potatoes to serve alongside this awesome and easy steak!

Our crisp Greek Salad would also be wonderful. As would something like our Smoked Parmesan Potato Stacks or Mushroom Risotto too.

More Easy Traeger Recipes here!

Featured Reader Reviews

“Amazing flavor! Easy and delicious!!”

Nicole Machart-Reuwsaat via Pinterest – posted with permission

“OMG I love smoking tri-tip on the Traeger smoker, it comes out perfect every time!”

– Bell