First Tri Tip beef smoke

I smoked my first tri tip today I did a modified Santa Maria rub but I converted it to a marinade as I added olive oil, dijon mustard, and red wine vinegar. The butcher had already trimmed all the fat and I was concerned about drying the meat out. It sat in the marinade for 12 hours. Results: The added oil was unneeded as if anything it was too juicy.

I suspect the oil rub down transferred the heat a lot faster than it should have. As it hit 120* in about 1 hour 10 mins or so at 250*. Next time I am going to try a lower temp with more wood as the smoky flavor did not penetrate like I would have expected. NO OIL until I go for the sear.

I have some Susie Q rub and real California Red Oak in the mail so I can make a "traditional" Tri Tip in the near future.

I think my technique is solid just need to alter the temps a bit. It was tasty and I did eat half of it trying to decide how much I liked it. I give myself a B- as a grade "pretty good could be better"