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 beef 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 the fact 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 at the same time. 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 are getting the wood-fired aspect and the great smoke flavor, but this 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 should you cook tri-tip to?
Let’s talk about that medium-rare meat for a minute. Not overcooking this cut is crucial to it turning 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, then this might not be the cut for you. If you can handle some pink, then you’ll be in heaven when you try this recipe.
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Where can you find the tri-tip cut?
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 just 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 I serve with my Smoked 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


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Lee Womack
Sunday 8th of August 2021
Times are little long for a 3 lbs tritip, especially when only cooking to 125?
Nicole Johnson
Sunday 8th of August 2021
Times are always an estimate, especially when it comes to steak and roasts. Always cook to temp. Time is very ballparky.
Patricia
Thursday 5th of August 2021
Hello! I get to cook tri-tip for 20 high school football players. I was thinking about getting 4 tri tip roasts about 3 lbs each. Do you know how long I should cook them for? How long it will take? Any recommendations? Thank you.
Nicole Johnson
Thursday 5th of August 2021
12 pounds of meat for 20 high school football players might be a little optimistic. I have 3 teenage boys and if they are hungry they could easily power down most of a tri-tip between them. Will there be other meats available too and lots of sides? If so, that's probably enough. As far as time goes, it depends on the roast, the grill, the weather, how often you open the grill, etc. Also what final temp you want them to reach. If you've never done tri-tip before, I'd cook one ahead of time so you can ballpark timing, and then make sure you plan on trying to have them ready like 30-45 minutes before you want to eat. Just tent them with foil once they are pulled, and slice right before serving.
Michaela Leyendekker
Saturday 10th of July 2021
About what size, how many pounds, do you estimate your trip tip to be for this receipe?
Nicole Johnson
Saturday 10th of July 2021
The tri-tips we typically get are between 2-3 pounds.
Larry
Monday 14th of June 2021
Okay recipe was fixed because of comments, but you left out one important ingredient in the recipe what flavor pellets?
Nicole Johnson
Monday 14th of June 2021
IMO, the pellets are the least important part of cooking with a pellet grill. You really are not going to notice a huge flavor difference regardless of what you use. Especially in this case where the meat isn't actually over the fire for that long.
My suggestion is always to just use whatever is in your hopper. ;) We typically run Cherry, Apple, Maple, or the Traeger "Gourmet" blend.
Erica Tollefson
Tuesday 1st of June 2021
Just bought a Traeger & this was my first time cooking on it! The tri tip turned out great (I brushed it with some bbq sauce & then added some seasonings.) The cooking times suggested were awesome & the meat turned out perfect (at least for me! I prefer medium, husband & teenager prefer it a little more rare... maybe next time! The meat was much more tender than regular grilling!
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 1st of June 2021
So glad you liked it! Tri-tip is a great one to break in your Traeger with. Happy smoking!