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Smoked Tri Tip
Smoked Tri Tip
I feel that tri tip is a lesser known cut to Americans and is greatly unappreciated. Tri tip is also known as bottom sirloin, as opposed to it’s more popular norther beef muscle, top sirloin. It is significantly richer in flavor from its high marbling fat content than top butt. In my personal opinion, tri tip is equally as tender as a ribeye, strip, and top sirloin. It’s definitely a lot cheaper then your higher end cuts.I purchased a really nice prime tri tip for smoking. This is a good cut to smoke medium rare, so this will take only about 2 hours in the smoker. I brined the tri tip for a day, then dry rubbed it with a blend of white and black peppercorns, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds. Once the desired internal temperature is reached, allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. I used the sliced tri tip for French dip sandwiches, but it can be eaten as just a regular steak.
Equipment
- gallon sized storage bag
- Spice grinder
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 whole tri tip 2 – 2 1/2lbs
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 bay leaves
Dry Rub
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
Wood Chips
- oak or mesquite
Instructions
- Trim off any excess fat on your tri tip.
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Place the tri tip in a gallon sized storage bag. Pour in the brine. Brine in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Take the tri tip out of the brine and pat dry. Grind all of the dry rub ingredients. Rub all over the tri tip and allow to rest in the refrigerator on a rack for 24 hours. Allow to rest at room temp for 2 hours before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Placd the tri tip in the smoker.
- Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees with a probe thermometer; about 2 hours.
Hmong-Style Larb
Hmong-Style Larb
Larb comes in many forms and spellings. This pork salad is popular all over Southeast Asia in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. It is herbaceous, pungent, and has a refreshing taste. Larb is served with green leaf lettuce, eaten as a wrap. The best part of larb is the toasted rice powder that adds a slight crunch
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 1 stalk lemongrass minced
- 2 Thai chilies minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup mint
- 1 cup cucumber chopped into small cubes
- 1 drizzle sesame oil
- green leaf lettuce for serving
Toasted Rice Powder
- 1/4 cup jasmine rice
Instructions
- Add the rice to a small skillet over medium heat. Gently toast the rice for 5 minutes until it is golden brown. Allow to cool.
- Add the toasted rice to a spice grinder.
- Grind into a powder. Set aside.
- In a sauté pan, brown the pork over medium high heat for 8 minutes. Drain any grease from the pan.
- Toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Tres Leches Rice Pudding
Tres Leches Rice Pudding
Do you feel like it’s time to have a diabetic coma? Do you need to pump milk directly into your veins? Well, this dessert is for you then. Tres leches rice pudding. Yes. This is one of the most sinful desserts ever created. While it’s called tres leches, it’s really quatro leches. Whole milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream very slowly caramelize in a pot of cooked rice. This rice pudding can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature. There is no wrong here.
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Bring the water, rice, and salt to a boil in a pot over high heat. Add in the cinnamon sticks. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes until the rice is cooked.
- Mix together the milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Pour in the dairy bomb mixture. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes; occasionally stirring.
