Top 5 Woods for Smoking Tri-Tip [Oak, Hickory, Pecan & More]

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The best wood for smoking three-tipped beef, from sweet applewood to deep hickory and mesquite. Find the right smoking wood for your next barbecue session today.

Top 5 Tri-Tip Grill Woods [Oak, Hickory, Pecan & More]

Tri-Tip is a lesser-known cut of meat that could be your secret weapon at your next cookout. It’s a triangular cut from the bottom of the fillet, tapering to a fine point. While the Tri-Tip is the most expected in California, it’s a good choice for meat that tastes like brisket but cooks faster.

Smoking Tri-Tip is a great way to prepare that delicious cut of meat and use the right type of wood to take your Smoked Tri-Tip to the next level. Traditionally, Tri-Tip is smoked over oak, but other types of wood such as walnut and apple also pair well with this versatile meat.

Here’s your guide to everything YOU need to know about pairing tri-tips with the right wood.

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Oak

Oak wood comes from durable and hardened oak. Most smokers, who are staunch traditionalists, preferred oak, particularly red oak. One reason for this is the way oak trees are burned for roasting. Tri-Tip is a meat that likes to smoke low and slow. Oak logs and chunks burn slowly and evenly, often for hours without needing to be refilled. This makes oak an elevated choice for any cut of meat that requires a longer smoking time.

The flavor created by the oak smoke also pairs perfectly with the Tri-Tip. The oak smoke is smoky without being bitter and pairs well with the rich flavors of the Tri-Tip.

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If you are making Santa Maria style tri-tip, use red oak. Red oak is the traditional wood for this type of California grill. California might not be the first state that comes to mind when you think of barbecue traditions, but it still has a rich heritage.

Hickory

Hickory is one of the strongest hardtop woods in the United States. If tri-tip oak chunks aren’t available for roasting, hickory is another good choice. Hickory burns similarly to oak in that it has a consistent smoke and burns for a long time. That makes it good for cuts of meat that need a little more time in the smoker, including brisket and tri-tip.

Some hickory chunks have the advantage over oak chunks of being quicker to light, making hickory a better option when you’re in a hurry and don’t want to waste a lot of time setting up your smoker.

Hickory has a more intense flavor than oak. It’s sweet and rich, quick as bacon. The Tri-Tip is a sturdy piece of meat that isn’t overwhelmed by the aromatic wood. If you also want to add some oomph to your smoked tri-tip, add some hickory.

Mesquite

Mesquite wood comes from a dry tree native to the Southwestern United States. The wood of this tree produces a lot of smoke with a powerful and earthy flavor. Many of Texas’ most famous pitmasters use this wood in their kitchens.

If you are looking to add an intense flavor to your tri-tip, then Mesquite is a great wood to do this as its smoke is some of the tastiest out there. You don’t have to worry about the Tri-Tip WILL be overwhelmed as it has a strong flavor and texture of its own.

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However, mesquite is a little tricky to work with and is not recommended if you are new to smoking meat. After all, you don’t want to choke on clouds of smoke!

Pecan

Pecan is technically a type of hickory wood, but has a milder, sweeter flavor. Her smoke is slightly nutty, which makes sense since she brings out the famous pecans.

Pecan wood has a sweet flavor like hickory but is much softer and more subtle. If you want to add more flavor to your tri-tip without overpowering it, then walnut wood is a great choice. It’s hard enough to achieve the low, slow burn that the Tri-Tip favors.

Apple

Applewood comes from the apple tree, a hardwood fruit tree species native to Central Asia that is now widespread in North America.

Like pecans, applewood has a mild, sweet flavor that can enhance your tri-tip without being as strong as hickory or mesquite. However, it is less dense than hickory or oak, so it may not produce smoke as consistently.