Smoked Sirloin Tip Roast on a Pellet Grill {Traeger, Pit Boss, Z Grills}

The sirloin tip roast is one of the most overlooked and underappreciated cuts in the world of beef.  The Sirloin Tip is inexpensive, full of great beefy flavor and, when prepared correctly, quite tender.

Let me show you how to make a smoked sirloin tip roast on a pellet grill so you can cook this beauty on your pit tonight!

Let’s get started!

Prepare the Sirloin Tip Roast for the Smoker

This cut only cost $5.99 a pound which is cheaper than some of the ground beef at the grocery store where I was shopping.  This cut is s serious value considering how much flavor it has as well as relative tenderness.

When you look at the roast you can see that it is comprised of three different muscles. I always smoke Sirloin Tips whole but will separate the muscles after cooking for improves slicing and presentation.

 

I smoke the sirloin tip almost the same as a smoked eye of round roast.

Start by applying a thin coat of yellow mustard to the beef to help the dry rub adhere.  A general rule is to use a tablespoon of mustard per pound of meat.

Since this roast weighed in at 2.5 pounds I ended up using a little over 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard.  Don’t sweat this step.  Just squirt some mustard on and spread it all over the meat.  It isn’t an exact science!

Some people prefer to use other binders instead of mustard.  Popular alternative binder choices include:

• Olive oil
• Worcestershire sauce
• Soy Sauce

Once the mustard has been applied you can season it with the dry rub.  You can use our Award Winning Beef Rub or use the modified version below:

• 3 tbls salt
• 1 tbls smoked paprika
• 1 tbls chili powder
• 1 tbls black pepper
• 1 tbls brown sugar
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp granulated onion
• 1/2 tsp celery powder
• 1/4 tsp Accent (MSG)

Let the rub sit on the meat for at least 30 minutes at room temperature so it can start to melt and penetrate the beef.

Turn Your Pellet Grill to its Lowest Setting

I was cooking on a Z Grills pellet grill and had it set to its “Smoke” setting where it runs at about 160F.  I believe that a Pit Boss pellet grill runs a little hotter than 160F when in Smoke Mode but not enough to make a difference.

If you are using a Trager pellet grill that doesn’t have a Smoke mode then just set it as low as it will go.

You want to use really low temperatures when smoking a sirloin tip for two reasons:

• Tenderness
• Smoke Flavor

Lower Temperatures for Tenderness

Sirloin tips get a bad reputation because they get tough when people grill them over high heat.

The trick to a tender sirloin tip roast is to cook it at super low temperatures so the meat doesn’t “tense up”.

Lower Temperatures for Smoke Flavor

A 2.5 pound sirloin tip will finish smoking in under three hours which, in the world of smoked meats, is pretty fast.  Combine the short cook time with the fact that pellet grills do not naturally put out a lot of smoke flavor and you could end up with little smoke flavor if you are cooking at higher temps.

I want to use this limited cook time to put as much smoke flavor into the beef as possible.

I was cooking with Royal Oak charcoal pellets.  If you want even more smoke flavor then you can use hickory pellets or add a smoke tube to the cooking chamber.

Dual Temp Smoking

I let the roast smoke at 160F for one hour to get plenty of smoke.  To help make sure that the rub sets into a crust I bump the temperature up to 180F and smoke the roast for one more hour.

After the roast has smoked for two hours I flip it over and start basting.  I baste the sirloin tip with:

• 2 tbls melted butter
• 1/2 tbls Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp cider vinegar

Just brush on enough of the baste to coat.

Baste the roast every 10 minutes until the meat hits an internal temperature of 135F.

Once the meat reaches 135F remove from the pellet grill and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Slicing the Smoked Sirloin Tip

You want to slice the roast as thin as possible to achieve the greatest tenderness.

As I mentioned previously, there are three different muscles in this roast and you will have better luck with slicing if you separate them first.  There is often a bit of membrane/fat/gunk between the muscles and you can cut it out and discard when you separate the muscles.