Brisket vs Tri Tip: Main Differences [Explained by a Chef]

When deciding between brisket vs tri-tip for your next backyard cookout, you will want to consider several factors that range from cook time to the price of the beef.

The main difference between these two cuts of beef is that tri-tip is lean and perfect for quick grilling while brisket is rich in fat and connective tissues that need to be braised or slow-cooked in a smoker. 

If you love outdoor cooking, both of these cuts of beef will provide a huge reward for the effort of cooking over a hot grill or tending to your smoker.

This post will discuss the main differences between tri tip and brisket to help you decide which cut will work better for what you need.

Ultimately, it comes down to which one you are most excited to eat and serve to family and friends.

Brisket vs Tri-tip: Main Differences 

The main differences between brisket and tri-tip are the following:

• Brisket can smoke for as long as 14 hours, while tri-tip can be grilled in under half an hour. 
• Brisket will melt in your mouth if cooked correctly, and tri-tip has a signature steak-like chew you expect from a sirloin. 
• Brisket is cooked beyond well done, tri-tip is best-served medium-rare.
• Brisket is one of the cheapest cuts of beef per pound, while tri-tip is nearly double the price.

• Tri-tip is traditionally grilled over an oak fire, and brisket is best when slow smoked.
• Tri-tip weighs a manageable 2.5 pounds on average while buying a whole brisket is a major commitment at about 15 pounds.
• Tri-tip can be successfully grilled by a novice cook, but brisket takes some skill and will take some practice to dial in the technique.

Tri-tip and brisket are very different in every aspect except for the fact that they both come from the same animal. Both cuts have their cult-like following and they each hold a special place in the world of backyard cooking.

Brisket vs Tri Tip: Comparison Table

	Brisket	Tri-tip
Part of the Cow	Brisket comes from the “brisket primal” near the front of the cow	Tri-tip is cut from the bottom sirloin which is part of the loin primal that is on the side of the cow
Fat Content	Very heavy marbling with big eyes of fat and a thick fat cap. 20% to 30 %	Tri-tip is a very lean cut of beef with little marbling and a small fat cap. 9% to 12% (untrimmed)7% to 9% (trimmed)
Average Weight	15 pounds	2.5 pounds
Best Cooking Method	Slow smoked	Wood-grilled
Cost	Very inexpensive and can be found for as low as $4/lb for lower grades. High-end Wagyu brisket can cost up to $15 dollars/lb	Tri-tip is generally twice as expensive as brisket. Wagyu tri-tip easily can reach $30/lb
Level of Expertise	Expert at smoking meats	Novice backyard grilling

Brisket vs Tri-tip: Flavor and Fat Content

Brisket is loved for its buttery unctuous fat, its deep beefy flavor, and its smokey exterior bark. Tri-tip is loved for its medium-rare steak-like qualities and is less known for its fat content and marbling.

Average Weight

Whole packer briskets can average around 15 pounds as they come untrimmed with the full-fat cap intact. Tri tips are much smaller and average about 2.5 pounds when untrimmed. 

Best Cooking Method

Brisket lends itself to long cook times associated with smoking or braising. This allows for the connective tissues and fats to break down and render making the meat nice and tender.

Tri-tip is best when quickly grilled over a hot fire so that the lean meat retains as much moisture as possible.

Cost

Brisket can be extremely affordable to purchase as the price per pound is very low compared to other cuts of beef.

Unfortunately, brisket does have a low yield meaning that it loses a lot of its weight and volume during trimming and the cooking process. Less yield means less meat per dollar spent.

Tri-tip is nearly double the cost of beef brisket most of the year and during the summer grilling season, it can be even higher.

Tri tip’s yield is significantly higher, especially if you buy a denuded (trimmed) tri-tip. 

Both of these cuts are available from high-end Wagyu beef producers that can be fairly expensive but are extremely delicious and are commonly used in BBQ competitions.

Level of Expertise

Brisket – Smoking brisket isn’t something you attempt making unless you have some practice at smoking meats. You really need experience with controlling your smoker’s temperature and managing the fire.

The 12 plus hours it takes to smoke a brisket takes serious knowledge and focus if you want to dial in an amazing final product.

The prep is also difficult as you will need to learn how to trim a brisket properly and master how to inject your brisket so it doesn’t dry out.

Tri-tip – Tri-tip is significantly easier as there is very little prep. The hardest part is controlling your fire and paying close attention to the internal temperature of the meat.

Its short cook time means you only have to focus for a short period of time.

Related: Best Meats to Smoke for Beginners

Which one is more tender: Brisket or Tri-tip?

When cooked correctly, beef brisket will melt in your mouth from its long cook time that breaks down its connective tissues. Tri-tip is very lean but can get very chewy if overcooked like any cut from the sirloin.

Brisket vs Tri tip: Which one is better?

The answer comes down to your preference of how you like your beef.

If you love melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, brisket is better. If your love the iron-rich taste of a juicy medium-rare cut of grilled beef, then tri tip is better.

The answer to which is better also comes down to how much time you have, your cooking experience, and whether you have a grill or a smoker to cook with.

If you are free to get up super early in the morning to fire up the smoker and had some successful attempts at smoking meats, then brisket is a better option.

On the other hand, if you only have under an hour to cook your meat and you’re more experienced using a grill, then go with a tri tip.

What is Brisket?

Brisket is one of the 8 primal cuts of beef from which almost all other cuts come from.

While most primals are cut up into smaller steaks and roasts, brisket primarily remains intact for sale as it is usually cooked whole.

The whole brisket primal contains the majority of the two pectoral muscles of the cow. Each cow has two full briskets with one on each side.

The cow uses these muscles to support 60% of its weight as cows do not have clavicle bones.

This larger piece of beef is a heavily used muscle in the cow which means that is full of connective tissues that makes it tough.

This is why the brisket is always slow-cooked by either smoking or braising in order to make it tender and edible.

What Part of the Cow is Brisket? 

The brisket comes from the forequarter of the cow where the front leg meets the ribs. The brisket is severed between the 4th and 5th rib which separates portions of the deep pectoral muscle with the plate primal.

The brisket primal is made up of two distinct cuts that can be sold separately, but are usually sold attached and untrimmed of fat.

• The Flat – This is the thinner and leaner portion of the brisket that has lower marbling and less connective tissue. This cut will eat drier and is the less desirable piece for most pitmasters. 

• The Point – This is the thicker and fattier portion of the brisket. The extra fat and connective tissues bring more flavor and unctuous texture which is what made smoked brisket so beloved in places like Texas. 

How Much Brisket per Person

When purchasing brisket for the purpose of smoking, you will want to buy close to one pound per person. This should get you close to a half-pound of cooked brisket per person.

We would also suggest that you buy a few extra pounds because the leftovers make great sandwiches.

Although you may be only interested in cooking brisket for a small group, brisket can be hard to find cut into smaller portions.

You can usually only find brisket either whole or split in half into the flat and the point that can each weigh as much as 8 to 9 pounds. 

Chef Tip: If you are looking for pre-trimmed brisket to save a step, you will need to contact a local butcher that will be willing to trim the brisket for you. Most shops will not have competition-trimmed brisket on hand ready to buy.

To understand how much brisket to buy per person, you first need to understand the yield and how much trim will apply to the brisket. 

• Yield – the calculation of the percentage of remaining edible meat after it is trimmed and cooked. With brisket, this remaining percentage can be as low as 40% depending on a few different factors.

1. How much fat the individual brisket contains
2. The amount of fat that is trimmed
3. The temperature that the brisket is smoked
4. How long the brisket is smoked
5. If the brisket is injected with flavored liquids

• Trim – If you buy a whole packer brisket, you will get a lower percentage of cooked meat than if you buy the same weight of trimmed brisket. This is because the packer brisket has more fat that has to be trimmed prior to smoking. While purchasing a trimmed brisket will have a higher yield and less prep work to do, it also costs significantly more. 

Packer Whole Brisket

• 50% yield
• 12 to 18 pounds total weight
• 2 to 3 pounds of fat that will need to be trimmed (about 16%)
• Fat rendering and juices lost (about 34%)
• Buy 1 pound per person to yield a ½ pound of cooked brisket per person

Competition-trimmed Brisket

• 66% yield
• 10 to 15 pounds total weight
• No fat will need to be trimmed
• Fat rendering and juices lost (about 34%)
• Buy 12 ounces of Brisket to yield just under a ½ pound of cooked brisket per person

How to Prepare Brisket 

Cooking brisket will take a little bit of work to get it ready for the smoker. Luckily, the more times you do it the faster the process goes.

There are a few steps before you get to trimming the brisket including preparing your seasonings and getting your knife ready.

A few notes on preparing brisket:

1. Buy a box of kosher salt  – This is our favorite as chefs because of its thinner flakes.

2. Grind a lot of black pepper – Don’t even try to do this with a pepper grinder unless you have a lot of time on your hands and huge arms. Grind pepper like a pro and use a spice/coffee grinder.

3. Sharpen your knife – Make sure your boning or filet knife is nice and sharp as some of the fat on the brisket is tough to cut if your knife isn’t up to the task. If you do not have a boning knife, you will need one if you plan to properly trim a brisket.

• Sharpening Stone – a smaller version of the one used in professional kitchens

• Boning Knife – This is our favorite knife brand and have literally put 10,000 plus hours with these knives in our hands in professional kitchens.

How to Trim Brisket

1. Trim the fat cap from the top and sides of the brisket

You will want to leave a ¼ inch of fat on the cap by cutting only a little at a time to ensure that you do not cut too deep.

Make sure to only trim off the hard fat leaving the softer fat intact as it will render during the cooking process and keep the meat moist.

2. Next, carefully remove the silverskin from the fleshy side of the brisket

Silverskin is the thin membrane that sits on the surface of the meat that will not break down during the cooking process.

3. Trim the loose fat off of the point

This skin-like fat needs to be trimmed to expose the softer fat and muscle to the smoke.

4. Lastly, square up your brisket

Now that you have thoroughly trimmed the fat, clean up the brisket to give it a nice even shape that will cook evenly.

Season the Brisket

You will want to trim and then season your brisket a minimum of a few hours before smoking your brisket.

This can be done the night before if you plan on waking up really early to fire up the smoker.

If you want to highlight the beefy flavor of the brisket, it is best to keep your rub simple.

Some people like getting creative and will add all kinds of seasoning to their rubs. This is really unnecessary since brisket tastes best with a simple 50/50 coating of kosher salt and pepper like they do in Texas.

You may also want to inject your brisket with flavored beef stock and butter to add moisture for the long cooking process.

Popular flavors that are added to the injection liquid include apple cider, Worcestershire, garlic, soy sauce, and dry herbs.

How to Smoke Brisket (Step by Step)

1. Start by either building up a bed of coals using lump charcoal or by starting with wood kindling. If you are using a pellet smoker or an electric barrel smoker, it’s time to turn it on and heat it up. 

2. Next, add some wood chunks to the coals. We recommend either post oak, hickory, or a combination of the two. If using pellets or wood chips, add them to the hooper and get the smoker to a stable 225°F.

3. Place a shallow pan with about 1 inch of water inside the chamber of the smoker.

4. Set the brisket on the rack with the point closest to the heat source with the fat cap on top.

5. Insert a wireless probe thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket and set an alarm on the terminal to 150°F. 

6. Close the lid and closely monitor the smoking chamber’s temperature to keep it within 5 degrees on either side of 225°F.

7. Remove the brisket from the smoker when it hits 150°F and quickly wrap it in butcher paper. The brisket will need to remain wrapped up until it reaches 185°F. Remove the paper and continue cooking to set the bark.

8. You will need to let the brisket smoke for about a total of 10 to 12 hours. The time listed is just an estimate, and you will need to keep a close eye on your probe thermometer.

9. When the brisket reaches 195° to 200°F, remove it from the smoker and immediately wrap it in butcher paper and let it rest for at least a half-hour.

If you are not ready to serve the brisket, pour hot water inside of an ice chest to warm it up and then drain it completely. Place two towels on the inside bottom and place your wrapped brisket in the center before closing the lid. This will hold the brisket and keep it warm for up to two hours while you get the sides ready. 

Tips for Buying Brisket

When choosing a brisket to cook for your next cookout, you will want to be a little picky to ensure that all the effort and the long cook time are worth it. 

1. Buy high-quality meat – This is the most important factor. Purchase certified Angus beef as a minimum which is graded in the upper 1/3rd of Choice or higher.  

2. Spend extra for Prime or Wagyu beef – If you are cooking for a special occasion or you just want the best, get highly graded beef or opt for Japanese Wagyu breed beef. The extra marbling really makes a difference.

3. Buy a shapely brisket – Look for a brisket that has a thicker flat that is closer in width to the point so that it cooks evenly. 

Where to Buy Brisket Online

Snake River Farms

If you want the best of the best, you will want to buy American wagyu beef from this special breed of cattle that is prized for its high-quality marbling.

This extra fat adds a lot of flavor and moisture to the cooked brisket. Snake River Farms raises their cattle on natural grasses in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.

Double R Ranch

This sister ranch to Snake River Farms specializes in high-quality choice and prime beef cuts from their ranch in the Pacific North West.

If you still want great beef but do not want to practice with expensive American wagyu, this is a great option from a company with an incredible reputation.

Related: Prime Rib vs Ribeye

What is Tri tip?

Tri tip is a thick triangular-shaped cut of beef that is from the bottom round of the cow. Tri tip first became popular in the Santa Maria Valley in Central California just outside of Santa Barbara.

This cut of beef is grilled over coastal oak at cookouts that celebrated the traditions of the region’s ranching heritage.

Although tri-tip is well known on the west coast of America, it is often ground for burger meat in the rest of the country.

Tri-tip is now gaining traction as a culinary staple nationally as it is an affordable cut of beef that is perfect for feeding a group.

What Part of the Cow is Tri tip?

Tri-tip is cut from the bottom sirloin which comes from the loin primal of the cow. The cut is centrally located vertically near the back half of the animal where the shank, the round, and the flank meet the tips of its triangular shape.

Other Names for Tri tip

This cut of beef just started gaining in popularity in the United States in the 1950s. Its name can vary greatly as most butchers didn’t know what to call it outside of California.

Tri-tip was seldomly used except in countries outside of the United States where it is a mainstay in many cuisines around the globe.

• Santa Maria Sirloin/ Santa Maria Steak – another name indicating its origin and the cut it comes from

• California Cut – an ode to this cuts heritage in the Golden State

• Bottom sirloin butt – not to be confused with a rump roast

• Newport steak – the name used on the east coast of the United States for steaks cut out of the tri-tip

• Aguillote Baronne (France), Picaña (Mexico), Maminha (Brazil), Rabillo de Cadera (tri tip’s name in Spanish) 

How Much Tri Tip per Person

The yield of denuded (trimmed) tri-tip is about 84% which is very high for beef. This means that you will want to purchase 9 to 14 ounces of raw tri-tip in order to be able to serve 8 to 12 ounces (1/2 to 3/4 of a pound) of cooked meat per person.

The average weight of a tri-tip is 2.5 pounds which means that you can reasonably get three to four 8-ounce portions per full piece.

If you are planning on making tri-tip sandwiches, you will get just over seven 4-ounce cooked portions of beef per denuded tri-tip.

How to Prepare Tri tip 

This unique cut of beef is known for being great for grilling over hot coals on an open Santa Maria-style grill.

Tri tip, because of low marbling and lack of connective tissues means that it is best cooked fast to a medium-rare to medium.

Cooking tri tip slow on a smoker or cooking the meat to any doneness over medium will result in a very tough and chewy texture.

How to Cook Tri Tip (Step by Step) 

Whether you love smoked meat or beef cooked over an open flame, tri tip is up to the job.

Although tri-tip with its lean meat is perfect for grilling over a red oak fire, it is also a popular option to use the reverse sear method.

This method starts with smoking the meat first followed by finishing it on a hot grill.

How to Smoke Tri tip

1. Start by trimming any excess fat leaving only a thin layer that will moisten the meat as it cooks.

2. Next, season the tri tip with salt, pepper, and a little rub of garlic. Let it come up to room temperature for over an hour.

3. Either light your fire and set your coals or turn on your pellet smoker and get its chamber temperature stable at 225°F.

4. Add your tri tip to the rack and insert a digital probe thermometer into its thickest part.

5. When the internal temperature reaches 80°F, fire up a separate grill and start to get it nice and hot.

6. Continue to smoke the tri tip until it reaches an internal temperature of 115°F.

7. Immediately remove it from the smoker and cover it with a tent of foil for 5 minutes.

8. Place the tri tip on the hot grill to sear the meat for about 5 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 128°F for medium-rare or 135°F for medium.

9. Rest the tri tip with a foil tent for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Related: How to Smoke Sausages

How to Grill Tri Tip

1. Season your pre-trimmed tri tip with salt and pepper and a little rub of garlic. Let it come up to room temperature for about one hour.

2. While you are waiting, fire up a charcoal or a wood-fired grill building up a good bed of coals. 

3. Spread out the coals and place your tri tip on the grill grate directly over the fire. Either raise the grill grate up or move the tri tip to the top rack if the fire is burning the meat.

4. Using an instant-read thermometer, periodically check the temperature of the thickest part of the tri tip. The tri tip is done grilling when it reaches an internal temperature of 128°F for medium-rare or 135°F for medium. 

5. Remove the beef from the grill and tent it will foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes before slicing. 

How to Slice Tri Tip

How you slice tri-tip will determine whether it will be tender or a chewy jaw-breaking nightmare. 

1. First off, do not even bother trying to slice tri tip or any type of beef if you do not have a sharp knife. Either sharpen your blade or pick up a chef knife that is up to the task. 

This is a beautiful chef knife that can handle most tasks in-home or in pro kitchens.

2. Make sure you rest your meat for at least 15 minutes before slicing in order to retain as much moisture as possible.

3. Look at the tri tip and assess the grain of the meat. The grain goes in one direction and then shifts halfway through the cut. 

4. Cut thin slices across the grain making sure to change direction as the grain shifts.

Tips for buying tri tip 

When shopping for tri tip, look for meat that is rosy red with a little bit of fat running through the cut.

Don’t get obsessed with seeking out a tri tip with heavy marbling as this particular cut is very lean in nature.

Although tri tip averages 2.5 pounds, they can vary in size tremendously. Tri tip is usually sold by the piece which ranges anywhere from 1.5 lbs to well over 3 lbs so you can pick the size that suits your needs. 

Medium-sized tri-tips are usually the best option as they have the best ratio of moist inside flesh to the outside seasoned crust. 

Where to Buy Tri tip Online

Snake River Farms

This high-end American Wagyu beef producer has been delivering its highly flavorful and heavily marbled meat to chefs across the country since the late 1980s. Now you can order this prized meat for delivery right to your home

Double R Ranch

This sister ranch to Snake River Farms is located on their land in Washington State in the foothills of the Cascade mountain range. This ranch produces superior choice and prime beef from natural grass-fed cattle.

Final Thoughts: Brisket vs Tri tip

When comparing brisket vs tri-tip, you have to look at the few factors that really separate these two cuts.

The differences are massive with wildly different cook times and completely different methods in which they are best prepared. The only real thing they have in common is the fact that they are both big pieces of beef.

Now it’s your turn to try cooking one of these big cuts. Will you go with the ultra-tender slow-smoked brisket, or fire up your grill and cook a nice and juicy tri-tip?