Tri-Tip Cook - VIDEO

[LarryR]

Here's the Tri-tip cook I did last week. Been pretty busy so it took me a while to edit it but finished it last night. Did this cook during a family BBQ so my grandson butts in and later my son decides to mess with me and gets in the picture so I guess what I'm saying is compared to Mad's videos this is a bit raw. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

TRI-TIP COOK VIDEO

[MadMedik]

Good job Larry. Looks perfect! I hope you still have some hair on that right arm! Get some welders gloves

[LarryR]

No kidding, need to do something for those high heat cooks. It's like I have amnesia, did the same damn thing on my steak cook.

[Loquitur]

Fantastic video, Larry - your KK, as well as the results, look wonderful!!

Hope you don't mind a few questions. Are the grill lifters you are using both the same size at the end? I see you are using a light weight heat deflector. Is it something like a metal pizza pan? Does it work any differently than the heavy ceramic heat deflector?

Susan

[LarryR]

Hi Susan, yes both grate lifters are the same size. The deflector is an 18" (I believe) pizza pan that I put a layer of HD foil over. The other deflector I use is a clay saucer, as in what you put under a potted plant. I have the unit that shipped with my KK but I can't bring myself to dirty it and keep telling myself as soon as this clay saucer breaks I'll start using the KK one. The two work quite differently; the deflector is just that deflects the heat but doesn't absorb any. I use the deflector on all my indrect cooks regardless of temp. The saucer absorbs some heat. I place the saucer right on the coal grate and then set my deflector on top of that.

That's my setup, don't know if its right or wrong but I can't argue with the results

[Loquitur]

Thanks, Larry - I really appreciate you explaining your process. You obviously have great success!! What I love about the light weight deflector you use is that you don't need to deal with the heavy gloves to move it!! The ones I have - the original that came with the KK and the new KK shaped ceramic deflector - weigh a ton and you can't handle either of them, once the KK is heat soaked, without heavy gloves. Do you think there is an advantage, generally, to using a heat deflector which absorbs heat?

Susan

[LarryR]

Do you think there is an advantage, generally, to using a heat deflector which absorbs heat? Susan

This is just my opinion and I have no scientific research to back it up; yes, I do belive the ceramic (in my case clay saucer) does absorb some of the "direct" heat better when I"m doing a low and slow cook. I feel it evens out the heat so I'm getting close to even temps from all sides, vs. maybe a hotter temp coming-up from the fire if I was just using my pizza pan as a deflector. Again, just my opinion, I might just be wasting my time and a sheet of foil each time I use my clay saucer.

In other smokers the clay saucer is used more as a heat sink which obviously isn't needed in the KK.

Hope this helps. Got to go rub some ribs . . .

[LarryR]

I wanted to update my comments on the clay saucer; I recently moved and tossed my clay saucer. I had a rib cook this weekend and went to foil the saucer and realized I had not replaced it. So I went with my pizza pan deflector only and cook turned out great. So will I be replacing the clay saucer, probably not, based on these results doesn't seem necessary.