Smoked Beef Tri-Tip

I know, I know...I can hear you all now:  "Not another smoker recipe... I don't have a smoker, why does she keep posting recipes when she KNOWS most of us don't have smokers?"  I'm sorry, my loyal readers, but this one is a MUST post.  Chris and I both agreed, this is by far the best meal that has come out my smoker.

And speaking of my smoker...have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE it???  No, well, there you go, I just told you then... I LOVE it!!  I have never had a charcoal or wood smoker, and I'm sure that there is something about those methods that could be even more satisfying then mine, but this Electric Smoker by Masterbuilt is one of the easiest things I've used.  And clean up is a piece of cake (mmmmmm...cake!!!).  I love that I can start up the smoker and in about 30 minutes (or less sometimes), it's preheated and ready to go!  No having to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to start the fire!  If you are looking to purchase a smoker, I highly suggest looking into this one.  (This is the opinion of Jenn's Food Journey only.  In no way have I been compensated for my review of this product.)

I got the idea in my head that I was going to make a smoked brisket.  So, I ventured to the grocery store and was once again shocked at not only how big.... wait... how HUGE the cuts of brisket were, but how expensive they were too.  OUCH!  I asked my butcher if he'd be willing and/or able to cut the smallest one I found in half.  I mean come on, 8lbs of brisket for just Chris and I...geez, oh, we'd be eating until next year!!  Anyway, he informed me that with the way they were packaged, he could not oblige.  FINE..whatever, I said Thanks anyway, you big jerk - Wait - Ok.. I said that in my head, but in reality I just thanked him politely and walked away.  Now the dilemma....I'm not spending $35 on a cut of meat but I really wanted to smoke something.  Do I go with something I've done before such as ribs or chicken??  UGH.....I don't know, I don't know!!  And then I saw the cuts of beef tri-tip sitting right next to the brisket.  Mmmmmm...Tri-Tip... I've had that at BBQ places before and liked it a lot...why not give it a shot?  A quick call to Chris verified that he was all for trying it, and I was sold.  I've never made tri-tip before.. not grilled, not in a crock pot, not baked, not anything... never never... so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  What I didn't expect was for it to turn out to be so wonderful!  A little sweet, a lot smokey, VERY tender...Perfect!  And as I said in the beginning of this post, this was the best thing to come out of my smoker yet!  Dare I say perfection????

Smoked Beef Tri-Tip
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 1/4 lbs beef tri-tip
For the rub -
1 1/2 Tablespoons Hungarian Sweet Paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the mop - 
2 Tablespoon your favorite barbecue sauce
3 Tablespoons apple juice

Additional items needed for smoking:
1-2 cups hickory chips (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)
1 cup apple juice
1 bottle beer (I used Samuel Adam's Oktoberfest)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the rub together.  Rub on both sides of the tri-tip.  Wrap in plastic and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees.  Add the beer and apple juice to the water pan of the smoker.  Add the wood chips.  In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the mop and set aside.

Place the tri-tip on the top shelf of your smoker and allow to smoke for 2-4 hours (depending on desired doneness), mopping with sauce very 20-30 minutes, or until the meat registers 140-145 degrees (medium).  Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting it.  Enjoy!