Tri-Tip with Five-Spice Rub

For as simple as this rub is, it goes great with red meat, especially tri-tip.

Ingredients

One 3 1/2-5-pound tri-tip roast
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Instructions

Mix all the spices in a bowl and spread the mixture evenly on a cutting board.  Gently coat both sides of the tri-tip in the mixture.

When using my trash can, I cold smoke it for two hours and transfer it to a heated charcoal grill to finish cooking. You want to grill the tri-tip until it reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point.

If you have a higher-burning hot plate, you can hot smoke the tri-tip for 2 hours or until the meat reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point instead of grilling it. Hot smoke for 2 hours or until the meat reaches 145 degrees F at its thickest point.

Let it rest for 20 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve. Black cherry wood chips complement beef wonderfully. If you want a deeper flavor, you can cold smoke it for 3 hours instead and finish it off on a hot grill.