Blog

Some of the nicest cuts of meat to smoke, are often the ones that you wouldn’t usually gravitate to. That is why so many are missing out on the juicy succulency of a smoked tri tip. But not for long, as this article will explain everything you need to know about this cut of meat and how to prepare it.

Perhaps you are wondering, what cut is a tri tip, and where can I get hold of the best smoked tri tip recipe? Then look no further, as this article will answer all of your tri tip questions! 

Are you looking for something different to prepare for the family to enjoy this barbecue season? Then you must give this smoked tri tip recipe a whirl! You will not regret it!

What Cut Is a Tri Tip? 

First of all, let’s find out a little more about the tri-tip itself. What cut of meat is it?

This tri-tip is cut from the tri-tip roast. It is a triangular-shaped cut of beef roast that comes from the lower part of the sirloin.

When purchasing, it is important to pick a cut that has had some of the fat removed, as it is a rather fatty cut of meat. Tri-tip is inexpensive, and much so when compared to rib eye or other cuts of beef. 

Tri Tip is also extremely flavorsome, and can bring a new taste sensation to any barbecue! If you haven’t tried your hand at preparing it yet, then there is no time like the present!

Is There Another Name For Tri Tip? 

So how else is the tri tip known? As stated above, tri tip comes is a triangular shaped cut of beef roast which is part of the bottom sirloin. So if you cannot find it in your local butchers or at the supermarket as tri tip, then try looking for bottom sirloin and I am sure you will be able to knab the cut of meat that we are after to complete this delicious recipe.

Tri Tip Recipe

Now that we know everything there is to know about the tri tip including where it got its name, it is time to knuckle down with the most awesome smoked tri tip recipe. 

The following is a detailed list of all of the ingredients that you will need, not only to make a tri-tip, but also to put together a fantastic rub to season your meat. Following the ingredients, you will find a step by step guide that will help you to put the recipe together in the nick of time.

Ingredients

• 2 pound tri-tip
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp of cumin
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp of onion powder
• 1 tbsp of kosher salt
• 1 tsp of ground ginger
• 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• Olive oil (as required)

Directions

1. Preheat the smoker to 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except the rosemary. Mix them together until well blended. 
3. Trim any excess fat away from the tri-tip (but keep a thin layer of fat on as this is great for adding flavor and keeping the tri-tip juicy).
4. Baste the cut of tri-tip with olive oil, ensuring to cover it in its entirety.
5. Pat the rub onto the cut of meat, applying it as thickly as possible.
6. Place the seasoned cut onto the smoker, close the lid, and smoke until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 127 – 133 degrees Fahrenheit – medium-rare. This should take about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cut of sirloin. (120 – 12 6 degrees Fahrenheit – rare, or 140 – 150 Fahrenheit degrees for a well-done roast).
7. Wrap the meat in aluminum foil once it has finished cooking so that you can catch the juices that may trickle away from the meat. 
8. Allow the meat to rest for up to 15 minutes, covered in tin foil before removing it and slicing against the grain to serve.
9. Sprinkle rosemary on top of the meat to serve and drizzle with the juices that were collected inside the tin foil.

Top Tips

• All meat tastes better once it has been marinated. So, if you are not in a hurry, allow your cut of tri-tip to sit in the rub for at least 3 hours or up to two days. The longer you leave it, the more intense the flavor!
• The meat will continue cooking once removed from the smoker, so remove it a few degrees before it reaches its ideal temperature to really nail a medium rare cut.

They say we should consume oily fish at least once every fortnight, making it a regular part of our diet. But fish night doesn’t have to be the night that everyone dreads, nor the night that people come to the dinner table dragging their heels, eating just for the sake of eating rather than really enjoying their meal.

If you are a fish fan, then I am sure you are aware of how tasty a well cooked smoked salmon can be. Even if your family is not too hot on fish dinners, here is one recipe that they certainly will not be able to resist. 

Are you ready to prepare a beautiful garlicky, buttery smoked salmon that your family will not be able to get enough of? Then get a load of the recipe included in this article, providing you with a recipe that will knock your socks off!

Not only will this article provide you with an awesome recipe, but it will also answer some of those burning smoked salmon preparation questions such as “How long do you smoke salmon?”

Are you ready to check it all out? Then make sure you stick with us!

How Long Do You Smoke Salmon?

Some people are a little cautious about cooking salmon because they are not entirely sure about how long it should be cooked for. Salmon, like other fish, is fantastic when it is cooked just to the right temperature and for the ideal amount of time, but when you pass that window, salmon can often become dry, chalky and stringy – not pleasant at all! 

How can you avoid this from happening? Follow the salmon cooking guide below that will explain just how long you should cook your salmon and what temperature it is happiest at.

Cooking salmon in the smoker

Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to cooking salmon in the smoker. Set the smoker to 220 degrees Fahrenheit and smoke the salmon for about two hours for the richest and most flavorsome results. 

You should cook your salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit when poked with a meat probe. Ensure you pierce the skin only when measuring temperatures so that you get the most accurate results. 

Cooking salmon on the grill

Naturally, a grill heats up considerably faster than a smoker, so you should keep a careful eye on your salmon as it grills. Set your grill to cook at 220 degrees Fahrenheit and remove it from the heat once the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit when poked with a meat probe. Ensure you pierce the skin only when measuring temperatures so that you get the most accurate results.

The Best Smoked Salmon Recipe

So, now that we know all of the cooking tips and tricks for creating the perfect smoked salmon, it is time to get started! The following is an awesome smoked salmon recipe that will help you to make a fish dish that your family will love. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it feeds four! Simply adjust the ingredients if you will be feeding a slightly larger party or half them if you are cooking for just one or two.

Ingredients

• 2 lb salmon filet with the pin bones removed
• 1 tbsp of packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of sea salt
• 1 tbsp of ground garlic
• 1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper
• Half of one lime (optional)
• 2 tbsp of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of alder, maple, apple or cherry wood chips (these are the best for enhancing the natural flavors in salmon)

Directions 

1. Start by making your brine. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, garlic, and salt.
2. Lay your salmon skin side down on a baking sheet or a greased baking tray and generously sprinkle the brine over the fish. Allow this to marinate in the fridge for 1 ½ to 2 hours before moving on to the next step.
3. Preheat the smoker to 220 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare it for indirect smoking.
4. Dry your salmon by lifting it from the baking sheet and wiping under the skin with disposable paper towels.
5. Place the salmon skin side down onto a sheet of tin foil and sprinkle it with pepper. Then transfer it to the smoker for indirect smoking. 
6. Check the salmon periodically, but it should take roughly two hours for the internal temperature to reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit (check this using a meat probe). Remove the fish from the smoker once it has reached this temperature.
7. Allow the fish to rest for up to 10 minutes before serving. 
8. Serve with a wedge of lime and drizzle the juice over the fish when desired. Top with half a spoon of butter.

Sides

Accompany your smoked salmon with the best sides! Why not try a garlicky and creamy mash, wild rice or even a bed of roasted veggies for a truly wholesome dinner!

There is nothing better than biting into a rack of perfectly seasoned, flavorsome, and sticky ribs and there is no greater recipe for the most awesome rack of ribs than the one listed in this article. 

Is there ever a bad time to cook on the smoker? Unless it is absolutely pelting it down with rain, or below freezing outside, it is always a good time of year to whip out your chef’s hat, strap on your apron, pop on an oven glove and smoke some good old fashioned barbecue food. That is why this article has been dedicated to providing you with one of the best barbecue ribs recipes with detailed information on the most brilliant method, tips, tricks and techniques that will help you to grill up something marvelous this weekend. Not only that, but will also go on to show you a handy list of all of the rib cooking methods you should avoid if you are rooting for super tasty results at the dinner table this weekend.

So, in order to achieve those stupendously succulent fall off the bone ribs in time for your dinner party with the family, make sure you take a good look at this article and follow the steps closely to achieve the very best results.

Serve It Right

Fall off the bone ribs are the perfect main or staple to any meal, some sides in particular seem like they were simply designed with Baby Back ribs in mind. Here are some of them:

• Chunky cut homemade wedges or fries. Top them with a dash of coarsely ground sea salt and a generous sprinkling of ground black pepper.
• Lemon and herb wild rice. Boil up your favorite pack of wild rice stir a teaspoon of salted butter through it before serving.
• Extra cheesy mac and cheese. Of course, the homemade variety would be preferred here, but baby back ribs are also impartial to a shop bought wedge of mac and cheese should you be running short on time.
• Creamy and garlicky mashed potatoes. Add a smidgen of parsley to the top of that mash potato mountain to help dress your taters to impress at the dinner table.

Top Tips For Rockin Ribs

Would you like your Baby Back ribs to impress? Then take a look at the following tips that will help you cook up a storm this weekend.

1. Choose great quality ribs. Good quality ribs and ingredients will make all the difference as to how succulent they are when cooked.
2. Steady temperatures. Ribs like consistency, so make sure you keep your smoker between 180 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit when cooking for the most awesome results.
3. The perfect seasoning. Seasoning is the part where you can really get creative, toy with some of the quantities and add your own spices to the mix in order to make something that really reflects what you and your family love to eat.

Fall Off The Bone Ribs – A World Class Recipe

Smoking a rack of ribs is a great main dish for a truly spectacular dinner with family and friends. There is no primp and proper way of getting the meat off a rib bone, (knives and forks will definitely never cut it) so it is a great food that you have the excuse to pick up with your hands and get your face dirty with. This is also a wonderful choice of fun foods for kids to enjoy, as they will love getting stuck into their dinner. Simply alter some of the more punchy spices and ingredients to tailor your rub to them.

The following is a list of all of the ingredients and the most simple step-by-step instructions that will help you to make a mean rack of ribs on the smoker this weekend. Check it out, then have a play around with some of the ingredients in the sauce so that you can really make this recipe your own and put your personal stamp on it.

Ingredients (For The Rub)

• ¼ cup of dark brown sugar or Demerara sugar
• 2 tsp of coarse Kosher salt
• 2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp of crushed garlic powder
• 2 tsp of crushed onion powder
• 2 tsp of crushed celery powder
• 2 tsp of ground mustard powder

Ingredients (For The Ribs)

• 1 rack of Baby Back ribs
• ¾ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1 tsp of coarse Kosher salt
• ⅓ cup of Demerara sugar
• 3 tbsp of butter or margarine

Directions (For The Rub)

Once you have gathered all of your ingredients together, you will be just moments away from creating a delicious rub that you can store in an airtight container to use at your next barbecuing event. (Make sure you use the rub up within one month to ensure that the ingredients remain fresh).

1. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until combined.
2. Decant the rub into a small airtight container or a glass jar until you are ready to use it.

Directions (For The Ribs)

This fantastic rib recipe is the perfect complement to the above-mentioned rib rub recipe. Make sure you combine the two for the finest results. Although this recipe does take a while for the ribs to smoke (between 5 and 6 hours) a great way to get around that is by simply popping them on to smoke in the morning and just do speedy check on them once an hour to make sure they will be sticky and succulent in time for lunch. 

This recipe comfortably makes 3 servings, so feel free to double up or halve the quantities in your ingredients depending on the size of your party.

So, now that we’re all ready, let’s get smoking!

1. Start off by rinsing the ribs with cool water to get them cleaned up.
2. Place the ribs onto a meat preparation board and remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs if the butcher hasn’t already done so.
3. Starting bone side up, pat the ribs all over with your homemade rib rub. Make sure you generously cover the ribs on all sides.
4. Fire up the smoker ready for indirect smoking. The temperature of the smoker should not exceed 225 degrees Fahrenheit, but somewhere between 180 – 225 is ideal.
5. Once your smoker has reached the optimum temperature, place the seasoned ribs onto the indirect side of the smoker fatty side up and close the lid tight (this will ensure all of the scrummy rib juices will remain inside the meat). Leave the ribs to smoke for 3 hours.
6. Remove the ribs from the smoker and place them onto a large piece of aluminum foil or butcher’s paper. Make the aluminum into a bowl shape and smother the butter and Demerara sugar over the top of the ribs. Place the ribs back into the smoker and reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the ribs on the indirect side of the smoker for a further two hours.
7. Remove the ribs from the foil or butcher’s paper and place them bone side down on a serving plate.
8. Drizzle your ribs in the BBQ sauce or decant the BBQ sauce dip serving bowls so that guests can help themselves to the sauce as and when they would like to.

It doesn’t have to be barbecue season for it to be the perfect time to whip out the grill and make a piping hot stack of pork chops. Are you looking for the best grilled pork chops recipe out there? Then you have come to the right place, as this article will let you in on all of the tips and tricks that will help you to make a batch of scrumptious pork chops that your family and friends will die for.

In this article, we will take a look at the very best pork chop recipe in our arsenal, but not only that, but we will also answer some of those burning pork chop questions such as – how long does it take to grill pork chops, and what temperature do you grill pork chops?

With all of this information and more awaiting you in this article, I am sure you are ready to dive straight in! So let’s get to it!

Related: How to smoke a pork butt

How Long Does It Take To Grill Pork Chops?

One of the important things to keep in mind when making pork chops is timing. Are you planning to make a couple of side dishes to go with the meat? Perhaps some creamy mashed potatoes or a fresh salad? Then it is key to know how long it will all take to cook so you can have an idea of when to start cooking your side dishes so that it is all ready to eat at the same time and hot to serve. 

Over a medium heat, pork chops that are about an inch thick will take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. If you are cooking thick pork chops, you will need to allow about 15 minutes for them to cook through. Pork chops with a bone in could take as long as 18 to 20 minutes to cook. 

What is the Best Temperature to Cook Pork Chops?

The variation in cooking time based on the thickness of your pork chops makes it especially important to cook your pork chops to a certain temperature. The following information will explain a bit more about that.

Using a probe thermometer is key to cooking your pork chops to the right temperature. Pork is a funny meat, and if it is cooked for too long, it can become rather tough and chewy to swallow, and, of course, it goes without saying that there are dangers when undercooking your meat.

Safe Internal Temp for Pork Chops

Pork should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat probe to keep an eye on the temperature while it cooks, but you should also avoid piercing the meat too many times, as every time you do, the pork loses some of the juices that keep it tender and succulent. Ensure that you pierce the flesh when measuring the temperature of your meat as the temperature of the bones often reads differently to the meat itself.

Related: How to smoke a pork loin

Our Best Grilled Pork Chop Recipe

Now we have discussed the technicalities of it all, it is time to put it into practice! The following is the last grilled pork recipe you will need to make the best grilled pork dinner for your family and friends to enjoy. Follow the recipe closely for the most awesome results!

Share the goodness – this recipe feeds 6!

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp of paprika
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 tsp of ground mustard
• 3 tsp of kosher salt
• A dash of freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat your grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all of the ingredients except the pork chops and the olive oil in a small bowl and mix to form the rub.
3. Rub both sides of the chops over with olive oil and then pack the rub onto the chops, coating them as thickly as possible with the rub.
4. Sear the meat for two minutes on each side with direct heat. Then transfer to indirect heat to continue cooking the chops.
5. Reduce the burners to medium and continue cooking the chops for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a meat probe. 
6. Remove the chops from the grill once they have cooked and place them on a serving plate. Allow them to rest for up to 10 minutes before serving (this allows time for the juices to return to the surface of the meat).

Conclusion

Now that you have made this recipe for yourself, try making it your own! Fancy adding a couple of extra spices to your rub to make it something your family will love? Go ahead! I am sure you will be able to create your own fantastic rub that your family will not be able to get enough of!