This Traeger tri tip recipe is perfect to serve a crowd! The marinade of coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, and sea salt gives it the best flavor, and cooking on a Traeger grill leaves your beef with a nice smokey flavor and tender meat. Unlike many Traeger tri-tip recipes for smoked tri tip, this recipe is quick cooking and super delicious!
Traeger Tri Tip Recipe – Best 4 Ingredient Marinade
A tri-tip roast is one of those cuts of meat that I love to serve for special occasions! It’s large enough to serve a crowd, easy to make (especially with this recipe!), and is crazy delicious.
Cooking on a Traeger grill just makes everything taste better!
Even when you don’t use the smoke setting, you naturally get a nice smoke flavor added to your cuts of meat. It also cooks in a way that leaves you with juicy meat.
We’ve long loved cooking on our Traeger and if you’re new to using a pellet smoker, this is a delicious meal to begin your journey with.
Other Traeger must-try recipes – Traeger burgers and Traeger grilled salmon – they’re the best you’ll have!
Lots of other recipes you’ll see out there don’t have you rotate the roast throughout the cooking process, but that’s a mistake. Turning the tri tip while it cooks ensures even cooking, and a crisp outside all around.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Simple recipe – Made with a quick-to-prep marinade, and a cooking time of around 1 hour, this easy recipe can be done by anyone. There is no fancy cooking technique, so no matter your skill level you’ll find success with this recipe!
Incredible flavor – Instead of a simple dry rub, we’re marinating the beef to really soak all the umami flavors into it. Coconut aminos offers savory, sweet, and interesting notes that give this roast incredible flavors you’ll want over and over again!
Family favorite – This is always a crowd-favorite recipe over here! The beef retains its juicy flavor while cooking and has the best flavor. My kids and husband can’t get enough of this and I bet yours will feel the same!
What you need for this Traeger tri-tip recipe
Scroll down to view the printable recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.
- tri tip roast
- coconut aminos
- sesame oil
- garlic
- sea salt
Simple steps to cook a tri-tip roast
Step 1: In a small bowl combine the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and minced garlic. In a large dish add the roast and season both sides with sea salt. Pour the marinade over it, flip it a few times to fully coat it, then cover it with plastic wrap and marinade it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days (the longer the better!). You can also use a ziplock bag instead of a dish for this step.
Step 2: When you’re ready to cook your tri-tip roast, turn the Traeger on to smoke and leave the lid open for 5 minutes to start the smoke. Close the lid and set the temperature to 275 degrees F. It will take about 15 minutes to get up to the temperature. Make sure you have enough wood pellets in the pellet smoker to keep the high heat.
Step 3: When the electric smoker is up to temperature, place the marinated meat on the grill grates. Close the lid and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip the meat over, turn the temperature up to 375 degrees F, and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the roast is at 140 degrees F for medium when inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.
Step 4: Place the beef on a cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes covered in aluminum foil. This is the best way to end up with a juicy roast!
Step 5: Using a sharp knife, slice the beef and serve!
NOTE: Remove at 130 to 135 degrees F for medium rare, 140 to 145 degrees F for medium, 150 degrees F for medium well, and 160 degrees F for well done.
Watch me make this easy tri tip Traeger recipe!
The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!
What type of pellets to use for beef roast
For this smoky recipe, I used the signature wood pellet mix, which is a combination of maple, hickory, and cherry natural wood pellets – it’s my go to!
The smoke flavor that comes from that combination of wood chips works really well with beef (and other cuts of beef – tri-tip steaks, flank steak, New York strip, bottom sirloin roast, and different cuts of meat).
But you don’t have to just use that blend! Alder, apple, cherry, hickory, pecan, and cherry are all really good options for Traeger beef recipes – you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Serving suggestion
Make this a full meal with amazing side dishes! Whether it’s game day food you’re serving up or Easter dinner, this delicious roast deserves a spot at the table!
Here are lots of favorite sides that pair well with it:
- Crack green beans
- Roasted broccoli and carrots
- Maple glazed roasted carrots
- Skillet cornbread recipe
- Easy Traeger asparagus recipe
- Einkorn bread recipe
- Old bay potato wedges
- Tomato, avocado, and grilled corn salad
- Mango avocado salad
How to store
Leftover meat can be stored once cooled to room temperature. Add to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Reheat in the oven or a skillet.
You can also freeze leftover sliced tri-tip roast for up to 6 months!
Can you make this with tri tip steak?
Yes! When I first started using this delicious marinade with tri-tip, it was with steaks, not a roast. Turns out, it’s equally delicious with either cut of meat.
You’ll want to marinade the tri-tip steaks as long as you can to really soak all the flavors into it (we’ve done 4 days and it’s great!), then cook at a higher Traeger temperature as this recipe states for the roast.
I like to cook the steaks hotter, closer to 375 degrees F from the start to get a nice crust on the cuts of meat.
Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, and then slice against the grain of the meat and enjoy!
Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this Traeger smoked tri-tip recipe.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Tri-tip roast – Try this recipe with tri tip steaks, flank steak, New York strip steak, and other beef roasts!
Coconut aminos – Coconut aminos is like soy sauce, but sweeter and less salty. You can swap in soy sauce or tamari, but add a little brown sugar to the mix to bring a similar flavor you’d get from coconut aminos.
Sesame oil – Olive oil can be used in place of sesame oil, however, it won’t have the same flavor profile you’d get from sesame oil.
Fresh garlic – Out of fresh garlic? Use garlic powder in its place – works great too!
More Traeger recipes you’ll love
Traeger Tri Tip Recipe – Best 4 Ingredient Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 lb tri tip roast
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and minced garlic. In a large dish add the roast and season both sides with sea salt. Pour the marinade over it, flip it a few times to fully coat it, then cover it with plastic wrap and marinade it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days (the longer the better!). You can also use a ziplock bag instead of a dish for this step.
- When you’re ready to cook your tri-tip roast, turn the Traeger on to smoke and leave the lid open for 5 minutes to start the smoke. Close the lid and set the temperature to 275 degrees F. It will take about 15 minutes to get up to the temperature. Make sure you have enough wood pellets in the pellet smoker to keep the high heat.
- When the electric smoker is up to temperature, place the marinated meat on the grill grates. Close the lid and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip the meat over, turn the temperature up to 375 degrees F, and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the roast is at 140 degrees F for medium when inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.
- Place the beef on a cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes covered in aluminum foil. This is the best way to end up with a juicy roast!
- Using a sharp knife, slice the beef and serve!
Nutrition
If you try this Traeger pellet grill tri tip recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
