Name: California Barbecued Tri-Tip on a Gas Grill
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tri-tip roast (about 2 pounds) , trimmed; 6 garlic cloves , minced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 2 cups wood chips , preferably oak; 1 teaspoon pepper; 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Why This Recipe Works

Unlike other barbecue recipes, California Barbecued Tri-Tip recipes call for cooking the meat over high heat and seasoning it only with salt, pepper, garlic, and the sweet smoke of the grill. This consistently produces a charred exterior and very rare center—but we wanted the outside cooked less and the inside cooked more. Searing our California Barbecued Tri-Tip above smoldering wood chips gave us noticeable but mild smoke flavor and moist meat.

Before You Begin

If you can't find tri-tip, bottom round is an acceptable alternative. The traditional accompaniments to tri-tip are Santa Maria Salsa and California Barbecued Beans.

Instructions

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Using fork, prick roast about 20 times on each side. Combine garlic, oil, and salt and rub over roast. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Soak wood chips in bowl of water to cover for 15 minutes, seal in foil packet, and place over primary burner. Turn all burners to high and close the lid, keeping grill covered until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean.

Using paper towels, wipe garlic paste off roast. Rub pepper and garlic salt all over meat. Place roast on side of grate opposite primary burner and grill, covered, until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Leave primary burner on high and turn all other burners off; cook until roast registers about 130 degrees (for medium-rare), about 20 minutes. Rest and slice as directed.