I've only cooked one before and don't even remember how I cooked it.
@karstopography or anyone else.
What would be recommended for this beast?
I don't really want to turn it into a well done smoked brisket type cook as I think it would be tri tip blasphemy.
Maybe something in between with a light smoke and then seared on the outside.
Nor do I want to trim off any fat.
Sort of thinking about an old school rub or marinade I do from time to time.
Salt.
Black pepper.
Garlic powder.
Cumin.
Maybe some soy sauce.
Cilantro possibly.
Also thinking of cutting it in half where the grain changes direction because I can't eat the whole thing at once.
Carne asada possibly?
For those that haven't seen the thing here it is.

@worth1 Beef Sirloin! My mouth is watering already....

@worth1 last week I bought a kilo of braising steak (i didn't want it chunked up as I wanted to size the pieces myself) and made a hungarian goulash.

I'd be interested to see what you do with this. The fat on sirloin is what makes it really special. I sometimes add a sirloin steak to my fillet steaks to give them a little bit o'the extra in cooking ....

Decided to go with a carne asada type marinade.
Mind you people are really nasty about where carne asada comes from and what you put in it and the type meat used.
Mine is a variation of the Mexican lady I watch on YouTube.
She is a trained chef and has never let me down.
And yes she uses soy sauce like many other Mexican chefs in the marinade.
I substituted some things for others but it's my marinade.
I used vermouth in mine as an ingredient.
Here it is roughly.
A whole bunch of cilantro stems and all.
2 teaspoons each of.
Garlic powder.
Onion powder.
Dried Mexican oregano.
1 teaspoon each of.
Chipotle powder.
Smoked paprika.
Black pepper.
1 habanero.
Beef bullion powder.
1/2 cup vegetable oil.
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry vermouth.
2 teaspoons lime juice.
Put everything in the blender and blended.
Added enough water to make 2 cups total.
Salty yet spicy and flavorful.
Both are in a bag marinating.
Not fat was removed but cut in half according to grain direction.

@worth1 I like to do a dry rub with Ground cumin, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, that’s been my go to rub for tri-tip. Salt and pepper alone works, but I think the cumin and garlic make it even better. But, hey that marinade looks great!

My thing with these tri tips has been a combination of direct and indirect heat. On the fire, then off the fire. Get some sear and a little crispy crust and then off the fire to let it get to around 120° And get it off the cooker. Let it rest. Generally, that comes out medium rare once I slice it after the resting period.

Cool blue Mesquite smoke is a good thing with these, but my wife likes it with just the lump charcoal. Not smoking, just a little well burned well seasoned mesquite chunk in the fire.

@karstopography
To me tri tip and other cuts just scream mesquite.
It's the go to wood in south and west Texas.
Post oak is over rated and over used.

One thing I did to offset the saltiness was to put half a small bottle of lemon lime soda in the mix.
8 ounces.
I also had a slice about 3/8 thick in it for taste testing.
Cooked it on a fast hot skillet the flavor was wonderful and the meat was tender too.
Really glad I didn't cut that wonderful fat cap off like so many do.

Looks like the tri tip is going to be in the marinade for at least 24 hours.
Too tired to build a fire yesterday.

The last and best chunk is going on a hot mesquite charcoal fire.
The first one i posted in the other thread was cooked in a cast iron skillet.
This one marinated for a little over 48 hours.
It won't be cooked as long and really rare.
The other one was really tender.
We shall see.

Put over hot coals for a good sear and is now on the deep end of the pool for a little smoke.
The deep end of the pool means as far away from the fire in the offset smoker as I can get.
Maybe 30 minutes.
Maybe an hour.

My conclusion is the tri tip cooked properly would make a really good French Dip or any other sandwich for that matter.
I have a rather bizarre idea for the rest of it coming soon.