Hot and Fast Tri-Tip on the Traeger Ironwood 885 | Heath Riles BBQ

April 26, 2022

I had some fun making this Tri-tip recipe. I had never cranked my Traeger Ironwood 885 up to cook something this fast. I grilled up some delicious tri-tip at a sizzling 500 degrees F. I did it in about an hour, and now you can, too.

Making My Hot and Fast Tri-Tip

I’ve never cooked a tri-tip like this before, but the recipe turned out incredible. Our rub mixture of my Simple Citrus and Garlic Jalapeno rubs, chopped rosemary, and ground black pepper created a beautiful crust on this tri-tip. I ran my Traeger at 500 degrees F, cooking hot and fast, and pulled it out after about 30 minutes. It was so tender and juicy. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again real soon. 

The Ingredients

• Tri-tip. This meat comes from the sirloin cut of the cow. It got its name because one of its ends comes down in a point.
• Olive oil. Give your meat extra moisture and tenderness with some high-quality olive oil. 
• Coarse-ground black pepper. This adds extra taste to the rub. 
• Salt. You can always brighten up a recipe’s flavor with a little sprinkle of salt.
• Heath Riles BBQ Simple Citrus Rub. Bring the zesty flavor with this ingredient. 
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Jalapeno Rub. My favorite standby for almost everything I make. Savory garlic blended with jalapeno heat…yum
• Fresh chopped rosemary. This aromatic herb gives the recipe a woodsy flavor with some mint and sage hints to the dish. 

The Equipment Setup

I cooked my tri-tip on the top rack of my Traeger Ironwood 885 at 500 degrees F, with some Traeger Pecan Pellets and Royal Oak Charcoal.

The Process for Making My Hot and Fast Tri-Tip

If you want to follow along, I shot a video of every step of this recipe. I also have the instructions at the bottom of this blog. 

Let’s get after it. 

Make the rub

I mixed the black pepper, my Simple Citrus Rub and Garlic Jalapeno Rub, and fresh chopped up rosemary together in a small bowl. It was chunky, which suited the tri-tip just fine. 

Season the tri-tip

I laid out the meat on my cutting board and drizzled olive oil on both sides. I sprinkled the rub on both sides, patting it in as I went. 

Heat up the grill

I fired up my Traeger Ironwood 885 to 500 degrees F. 

Put it on the grill

I put my tri-tip directly on the top rack of the grill so the air would form a nicer crust on the meat. I grilled it for 25 minutes and then checked it. It was only at 111 degrees F, and I wanted it to be at around 125 degrees, so I closed it back up to cook for a few more minutes. 

I took this opportunity to put some cast iron on the grill, just in case I want to sear this meat off. 

Take it off the grill

About 5 minutes later, my alarm went off, so I checked it again. The tri-tip had a beautiful color and was swelling up. When I went to check it, the tri-tip had reached an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. 

Since it looked so good already, I decided not to use the cast iron to sear it off. It just didn’t need it. 

I used tongs and took it off the grill. The flavors from the rub and the meat itself smelled flat-out amazing. 

Let the meat rest

The meat rested on a pan for about 20 minutes. I never cut into my meat right away. I want to give it time to cool and for the juices to distribute all through the meat. Waiting a little bit makes for a juicier, tastier outcome. 

Slice it up

I took the tri-tip off the pan and laid it on my cutting board. The mark I’d made before I cooked it helped me know which way I needed to be cutting. I ended up slicing right through the mark to make it easier. 

As I was cutting it up, I knew this recipe was a winner. I could see the juicy color all through the meat and it felt tender all the way through, too. 

I sliced it thin, maybe ⅛ of an inch thick. 

Gobble it down!

I sprinkled a little bit of salt on it, and it was ready to go. 

The Results of My Hot and Fast Tri-Tip Recipe

Boy, this was damn good. Every morsel was mouthwatering, tender, and juicy. The rub I made set it off perfectly with hints of citrus and garlic, with a little heat and the slight taste of rosemary. 

I can’t believe I’ve never before tried running my Traeger Ironwood 885 up to 500 degrees and cooking on the top rack. It is out of this world! I can see this going real good for family dinner night or during a get together with friends. I know one thing for sure is I’ll be using this method again and again and again. 

Serving Suggestions for Hot and Fast Tri-Tip

This tri-tip was about 2 pounds, so it would serve 4-6 people. You could add a couple of sides like macaroni and cheese, green beans, baked potato, and coleslaw for a delicious meal that doesn’t take all day to fix. 

Storing Instructions

These leftovers were just as good the next day as they are when I took the meat off the grill. Put them in a ziplock bag and squeeze all the air out, or into an airtight container, and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. 

Equipment and Tools

Here’s my list of equipment and supplies for cooking this recipe: 

Traeger Ironwood 885

Traeger Pecan Pellets

Royal Oak Charcoal

Small bowl

Measuring spoon

Metal tongs

Metal pan

Victorinox Fibrox Pro 6-inch Curved Boning Knife

Thermapen One

*Notes About My Hot and Fast Tri-Tip Recipe

• When you chop your rosemary, there’s no need to make it real fine. Coarsely chopping it does better in the rub.
• The pointy end of the tri-tip should be cut against the grain and the other part should be cut with the grain. If you don’t think you can tell where the grain is, use your knife to make a mark in the middle of the tri-tip. 
• At the midway point of cooking the tri-tip, put a cast iron on the grill in case you need to sear it off at the end. I didn’t have to, but it was nice to have just in case. 

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