How to Smoke a Sirloin Tip Roast

Most people have their sirloin tip roast cut into stew meat or possibly kabobs. But that is not us, dear friend. We will find another way to prepare and enjoy this unique cut of beef.

But first of all, what in the world is the sirloin tip roast? And how is it different than a regular sirloin roast?

A little about the sirloin

The sirloin is taken from back toward the rear leg of a cow. Since this part gets a lot of exercise, this cut of meat is usually leaner and more muscular, which can lead to a tougher finish. The butcher will often separate the sirloin into two boneless cuts – the top sirloin butt and the bottom sirloin butt.

Top sirloin will often get cut into steaks, but a top sirloin roast is also pretty flavorful.

The bottom sirloin, however, is usually a tougher cut of meat. Tri Tip is a popular cut that comes from the bottom sirloin. But when processing beef, many people will opt to process the bottom sirloin into ground beef or stew meat.

The sirloin tip roast comes from the bottom sirloin, where it sits at the point where the loin is separated from the round primal. It’s an economic cut of meat that can make a decent meal if prepared the right way.

Smoking is best

I have yet to meet a piece of meat that wasn’t delicious on the smoker.

In the case of a brisket or rib roast, a long, slow smoke at low temps is appropriate, followed by a time of resting the meat so that the muscle tissue has a chance to further break down and the juices can be redistributed. Both of these cuts have nice marbling which allows for a tender finish after resting.

When smoking a leaner cut of meat like the sirloin tip roast, smoking slow and low is still the way to go, but there is a risk in going too long, even at low temps. There is little marbling with a sirloin tip, and cooking too long will result in tough meat. A resting period will do little to amend this.

Starting with the rub

A simple rub goes a long way. Salt. Pepper. Smoked paprika. Onion powder. Mix together in a bowl. That’s it.

Or you can try one of these simple dry rub recipes.

Let your roast sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, apply a little olive oil and cover liberally on all sides with your dry rub. Then wrap in plastic wrap and return to the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Smoking the roast

Remove your roast from the fridge about 45 minutes before putting on the smoker. Allowing it to come to room temperature will ensure an even smoke.

Heat your smoker to 225 degrees. I like to use maple, oak or mesquite for beef but any good flavored wood will work just fine.

When smoking meat, I watch the internal temperature rather than the time. Since the sirloin tip roast is a lean cut of meat, I think a medium rare finish is the best. So I’ll let the meat smoke until its internal temp reads around 130 degrees. Letting it sit for 10 minutes before cutting will allow the center to get to around 135.

If this is too rare for your family, I would still remove the roast at 130 degrees, let it sit for a few minutes to cool, then slice and reverse sear on a hot iron skillet in grass-fed butter.

Reverse searing

Searing meat locks in all that juicy flavor. Most of the time, you’ll sear meat before cooking it to completion on the grill. But you don’t want to sear your meat before smoking, as it will inhibit the meat from taking in the flavor from the smoker.

Reverse searing is a technique used after smoking to enhance the flavor of your meat.

Remove the sirloin tip roast from the smoker when the internal temp reads 125-130 degrees. Let the meat sit on your cutting board while your prepare your iron skillet.

Heat up a 10 inch iron skillet and melt a large pad of butter until it’s sizzling. Throw in some fresh thyme if you have it. Then, with a sharp knife, cut your roast into slices as thick as you want.

The trick to reverse searing is heat and speed. Sear each slice for no longer than 30 seconds on each side. Then remove from the skillet and serve.

Smoked Sirloin Tip Roast Recipe

What you’ll need

• 3-5lb sirloin tip roast
• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
• 1/2 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• Smoked Paprika to your liking

Instructions

1. Make sure your roast is completely thawed. If frozen, let it sit on a pan in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
2. Combine sea salt, black pepper, onion powder and smoked paprika in a small dish and mix.
3. Brush a little olive oil over your roast. Then liberally apply your dry rub on each side of the roast, taking care to massage into the meat. You may have rub left over. After each side is covered in the dry rub, wrap the roast with plastic wrap and return to the fridge for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees using wood or pellets of your choice. Remove your roast from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while your smoker is preheating.
5. Remove the plastic wrap and smoke your roast right on the grill until the internal temp reads 125-130 degrees. Then remove the roast and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will give you a nice medium rare finish.
6. Reverse searing. If you want to reverse sear, heat up an iron skillet with a large pad of grass-fed butter. When good and hot, slice up your roast and sear each slice 30 seconds on each side. Then serve.