Beef Sirloin Tip Roast in a Pellet Grill
Who doesn't love beef and when it's smoked low and slow and reverse seared just before serving … well, that just makes us beef lovers quiver with anticipation. This smoked sirloin tip roast is quite lean, but if you can find one with a good bit of marbling and you smoke it nice and slow then it will reward you with tenderness and a flavor that will make you want to slap a relative … maybe not your mama, but perhaps that aunt you never liked that much;-)
Serve it sliced up into steaks or slice it up thin and it'll make the best roast beef sandwich you ever tasted.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 2.5 – 4 hours (depending on size of roast)
- Smoker Temp: 230°F
- Meat Finish Temp: 135°F (Medium Rare)
- Recommended Wood: Pecan
- 2.5 – 5 lb beef sirloin tip roast
- Kosher Salt
- Coarse pepper
- Jeff's original rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub)
Remove the sirloin tip roast from it's packaging and give it a good rinse under cold water. Set it on the cutting board.
Top side
Bottom side.
As usual, I like to place the meat into a foil pan before seasoning to reduce cleanup time later. (work smart instead of hard– or something like that)
I love to layer on flavors and that's exactly what I recommend for this cut of beef. A good layer of good ol' salt and pepper.
I keep a bottle of premixed 50/50 kosher salt and coarse pepper in a small cheese shaker for these purposes.
I also sometimes use a thin coat of the Texas style rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub) which is based on salt and pepper with some other good things thrown into the mix
Use the salt/pepper mixture or Texas style rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub) all over and let it sit there for about 30 minutes. The salt will pull some juices to the surface giving you a perfect canvas to add the 2nd layer of flavor.. my original rub! (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub)
Use my original rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub) liberally as well and take a moment to marvel at how beautiful it is.
Let the meat continue to sit an additional 30 minutes after adding the rub.
I hear a lot of folks saying they don't add anything to beef other than maybe salt and pepper since they want to taste just the beef and nothing else. No worries since both of my rubs complement the beef very nicely and does a great job of bringing out the best in the beef.. the great beef flavor definitely shines through even when you use the seasoning liberally on the outside.
Once the meat is well seasoned with the rub and has been sitting in the pan for about an hour total, it is ready to go on the smoker.
Place the meat on a Bradley rack (if you have one) to make it really easy to transport it back and forth from the smoker to the kitchen.
Getting the Smoker Ready
The best time to get the smoker ready is while the meat is sitting on the counter for that first 30 minutes after you apply the salt/pepper mixture.
During the cold winter months you can expect this process to take a little longer and it may take a little more charcoal than usual if you are using a charcoal smoker.
Setup your smoker for cooking at about 230°F and once it is holding steady, it is ready for use.
Cold weather smoking tips:
- Use some plywood or other material to create a makeshift windbreak.
- Use a water heater blanket to wrap around the smoker to further insulate it from the cold.
- Eliminate basting or mopping during the cook process if you are having trouble maintaining proper heat.
- Add extremely hot water to water pan to keep the smoker from having to use energy to heat the water.
Place the sirloin tip roast (or Bradley rack) directly on the smoker grate and close the lid or door.
Keep the smoke going for the entire time for best results.
Be SURE to use a digital probe meat thermometer to monitor the temperature at the center of the meat. This cut is best served at no more than medium rare.
My favorite digital probe meat thermometer right now is the "Smoke" by Thermoworks which has dual probes to monitor the smoker as well as the meat. It is remote in that there is a unit that stays at the smoker and a separate unit that goes with you in the house, on the lawn tractor or in your pocket. You can be up to 300 feet away and still get a great signal.
I also like to use my thermapen for checking temperatures but when you are smoking something where the temperature is absolutely paramount, I recommend using a good quality digital "leave-in" thermometer such as the "Smoke".
Since we are wanting to also sear the meat just before serving, you will want to remove the meat from the smoker when it reaches about 120°F and make sure you already have the grill, oven, coals, etc. hot and ready to go before the meat is ready to come out of the smoker.
I often use a bed of hot coals in my Weber Smoky Mountain for searing since my gas grill just doesn't get hot enough for proper searing in my opinion. I also sometimes use the broiler function on my home oven which works quite well.
Searing the meat is something normally done to meat at the beginning of the process however, with smoking, it is a common practice to sear the meat at the end since searing also cooks the meat and this can hinder the formation of the smoke ring as well as change the way the meat is enhanced by the smoke.
Searing results in great flavor and beatiful coloring of the meat especially when it comes to beef.
– Before –
– After –
Let me just say here, searing is not the same thing as charring. Searing is good.. charring is NOT always good in my experience.
Turn the meat a few times during the searing process to make sure the meat is browned evenly all over.
Watch the roast and the temperature carefully while you are searing. Ideally the color and the temperature will reach perfect at about the same time but if one or the other is reached, the searing process should be done at that point.
If you are finished searing and the temperature is not within about 10 degrees of what you want it to be, you can always place it back on the smoker for a few minutes.
If the temperature reaches within 10 degrees of your desired temperature and the meat is not quite finished searing, I recommend calling it done at that point instead of continuing to keep it in the heat.
Don't forget, the meat temperature will continue to rise a few degrees once you remove it from the high heat.
Let the meat rest on the counter for about 15 minutes before slicing it up.
Option 1: Cut the smoked sirloin tip roast into 1/2″ steaks and serve it with potatoes or even grilled asparagus and perhaps slice the rest of it into thin sandwich meat
Option 2: Slice the meat very thin and use it to make the best roast beef sandwiches you've ever tasted.
- Remove from package and rinse with cold water
- Season with salt/pepper mixture or Texas style rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub) and leave sitting for 30 minutes
- Apply Jeff's original rub (Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub) all over the meat liberally and leave sitting for another 30 minutes
- Get smoker ready for cooking at 230°F.
- Place meat on smoker grate and apply smoke for entire time
- Remove from smoker at about 115-120°F.
- Sear over very hot coals or under broiler turning occasionally to brown evenly
- Remove from heat when color is right or the meat has reached about 125-130 or within 10 degrees of desired finish temperature.
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes
- Slice into steaks or very thinly for sandwiches
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16 Comments
edmondstoneinvuld.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.smoking-meat.com/january-9-2014-smoked-sirloin-tip-roast-beef
Hello Jeff,
You are my go to source for all things smoked. Thank you for being there for us!
I have a 1.5 lb beef eye round roast. That is not one of your categories, however, I'm assuming you would recommend either the "London Broil" or beef sirloin tip roast recipe, as they seem to be similar (very lean & very little fat). Please confirm.
Thanks again,
giff
The london broil would work very well.. the most important thing is the finish temperature. I recommend you only cook it to medium rare (about 130°F)
Another winner, Jeff! Followed your instructions pretty closely, pulled the roast off the smoker and rested for a bit, then onto hot Grill Grates on the gasser to crisp up. Delicious sandwiches.
While Sirloin Tip roasts are fine and relatively inexpensive, I prefer Top Round roasts which I can get around here for $3 to $4 per lb. on sale. If you can't find Top Round roast you can use London Broil which is the same cut of beef. I prefer it over Sirloin Tip because it is more tender and cheaper.
doing a 16 pd. sirloin tip roast what would you think my approx. smoking time would be? I am using a masterbilt elec smoker
Hey Jeff. First time I have written to you, but I have your books and your recipes, and thank you for who you are, what you do, and sharing with all of us pellet heads out here!! Your Awesome.
Quick Question: I have both a Traeger and GMG smokers.
We are smoking 2 "Beef Top Sirloins" 15# & 13# for a social gathering.
How would you recommend I smoke, at what temperature, and for how long? Looking at your recipe, you have a rather small one in comparison to my roasts.
I plan on injecting them, inserting garlic, and also using your seasonings.
My intent is to do this approx. 48 hours prior to smoking, then placing in the refrigerator, pulling them out to warm to ambient temperature, prior to smoking.
Any thoughts, recommendations ?
Thanking you in advance. Tim
Your prep sounds good– I would keep it at about 225 if possible not to exceed 240 °F and depending on the thickness, how cold the meat is when you put it in and how often you open the door/lid, you are looking at 4-6 hours to bring it up to a good medium rare. I would pull it at 130-134°F and let it rest for about 20 minutes during which time it will ease on up to about 137-138°F.
Hopefully you have a decent meat thermometer– the trick is to let the temperature inside the meat tell you when it's done. Time is only an estimate.
When you reheat it, do so slow and easy covered in foil so as to not dry it out.
Do you smoke for the entire cook?
I do recommend a light smoke for the entire time if possible however, my usual recommendation is to add smoke for at least half of the estimated cook time.
I substituted Jeff's Texas Rub and smoked with hickory. It was delicious!
What temp should meat b to take off smoker if u r gonna cook it for medium well or little pink so don't over cook searing
Thanks for the recipe, this looks like just what I was looking for. Does there need to be water in the water pan?
Jim, I just did an 8.8 lb roast bubbed with a mix of McCormick's Montreal Steak and Applewood rubs for 3 hrs at 200 – 220 degrees smoke (Apple Wood) with a water pan under the rack in my BGE. I removed it with the core temperature at 120 degrees and wrapped in in foil and placed in the cooler for about 45 minutes medium rare to rare in the center. Slabs of beef Fred Flinstone would holler Yabba Dabba Doo over!
3 Hours ??? That seems awfully quick for a 9# tip. I realize this isn't brisket where 200 degrees internal is about right.
Did you sear it before putting it in your smoker ?
Love your newsletter & recipes.. They are always well-photographed! As usual, You've made me hungry..lol
What do you think the time per pound would be on a sirloin tip roast be? I have a 8 1/2 lb roast and plan at running at 230 degree smoke.