For a simple, yet satisfying cut of beef, try out this recipe for BBQ Tri Tip. It’s cooked nice and slow before finishing with a hot sear and mopped with a BBQ and butter sauce.

BBQ Tri Tip Roast

BBQ Tri Tip is a super fun way to prepare a tri tip roast. You’ve likely seen many of my tri tip recipes here on Hey Grill Hey. This isn’t like any of those recipes but is something completely unique and different.

A thick tri tip is hard to grill over high, direct heat without over-cooking. This BBQ method starts with low and slow cooking (either indirect heat on a gas or charcoal grill or in a smoker) while the roast is turned and repeatedly basted with my Texas Style BBQ Sauce. Finally, all of that tasty sauce and grill flavor is caramelized and tightened on the trip tip with a high heat sear.

The result is a tender and juicy tri tip, perfectly cooked throughout, with a tangy and delicious BBQ crust on the outside.

How to BBQ Tri Tip

Let’s talk about cooking this tasty roast, shall we? You only need a few ingredients and a hot grill to make this recipe a success.

1. Season. I’m all about keeping things easy. That’s why I seasoned my roast with my award-winning Beef Rub. You can purchase this from my store anytime you need it! If you can’t wait for a delivery of this seasoning, you can also season your tri tip with equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Make the sauce. Combine butter and BBQ sauce in a saucepan and heat through. This recipe uses my Texas BBQ Sauce that can be purchased from my store or made from scratch using the recipe for Texas Style BBQ Sauce.
3. Grill. With your grill preheated for two-zone cooking (one direct heat side of the grill and one indirect heat side of the grill), cook the roast over the indirect heat for approximately 30-40 minutes. Flip the roast every 6-7 minutes, mopping with the butter/BBQ sauce mixture each time.
4. Sear. Finish cooking your tri tip roast over direct heat for a final 3-4 minutes until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness (see the next section for these times).
5. Serve. Remove the tri tip to a serving dish, slice, and serve. I like to serve mine with extra BBQ sauce on the side.

How Long to BBQ Tri Tip

It takes approximately 35-45 minutes to BBQ a tri tip. Many factors affect how long it will take to fully cook, including how steady the temperature is in your BBQ, how big your tri tip roast is, and what final temperature you are aiming for.

This tri tip is initially cooked over indirect heat until the roast reaches the following temperature:

• 115 degrees F for a rare roast (about 30 minutes)
• 125 degrees F for a medium-rare roast (about 35 minutes)
• 135 degrees F for a medium roast (about 40 minutes)

After this temperature has been reached, the roast is moved over to direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side until the steak comes to a final temperature of the following:

• 125 degrees F for rare
• 135 degrees F for medium-rare
• 145 degrees F for medium

I recommend using time as an estimation on how long it will take to BBQ tri tip. Make sure you are always cooking to temperature and not to time using a reliable meat thermometer.

More Tri Tip Recipes

This tri tip is totally delicious, but there are still many other ways to enjoy tri tip. I’ve cooked it in a smoker, and even slow-smoked it so it resembles a brisket! Check out some of these tri tip recipes below.

• Smoked Tri Tip
• Tri Tip Cooked Like a Brisket
• Grilled Tri Tip

BBQ Tri Tip Recipe

Now that you’ve cooked up a delicious roast, make sure to stop by and leave us a comment! We love to hear from you and find out how you made this recipe your own.

Oh, and if you’re an avid Hey Grill Hey fan, don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list. We send an email every week with our latest and greatest recipes from the site so you never miss anything!

BBQ Tri Tip

Susie Bulloch

For a simple, yet satisfying cut of beef, try out this recipe for BBQ Tri Tip. It's cooked nice and slow before finishing with a hot sear and mopped with a BBQ and butter sauce.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 40 mins

Total Time : 55 mins

Servings : 4 people

Calories : 170kcal

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 3-pound beef tri tip roast
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Beef Rub (or equal parts salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
• ▢ ½ cup Texas Style BBQ Sauce (recipe link in notes below)
• ▢ ¼ cup melted butter

Instructions

• Preheat. Preheat your grill to 350 degrees F for two-zone grilling.
• Season. Season the tri tip on all sides with Beef Rub and place it on the indirect heat on your grill.
• Warm the sauce. Place the butter and BBQ sauce in a medium saucepan and onto your grill to heat through.
• Grill the tri tip. Grill the tri tip on indirect heat, flipping every 6-7 minutes. Close the lid in between each flip.
• Add sauce. Mop liberally with BBQ butter sauce after each time you flip the roast. Continue to grill the tri tip until the internal temperature reads one of the following: 115 degrees F for a rare roast (about 30 minutes), 125 degrees F for a medium-rare roast (about 35 minutes), or 135 degrees F for a medium roast (about 40 minutes).
• Finish grilling. When the roast reaches the desired internal temperature for the doneness you prefer, move it over to direct heat and grill for 2-3 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches your desired finished doneness: 125 degrees F for rare, 135 degrees F for medium-rare, or 145 degrees F for medium.
• Rest, slice, and serve. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve with additional BBQ sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

Ready to Become a Backyard BBQ Hero?Join The Grill Squad today!