Smoked Tri-Tip with High Altitude Heat BBQ Sauce
Tri-tip is the cut we built High Altitude Heat around. At Fox & Hound Smokehouse, this chipotle & habanero sauce goes out alongside tri-tip every single day — it's how the sauce earned its name and its 2026 NBBQA Awards of Excellence Silver medal. Here's how we cook it at home, the same way we'd cook it in the smokehouse.
What You'll Need
- 1 whole tri-tip roast (2–2.5 lbs)
- Dry rub: Sunset (or a simple salt, pepper, garlic blend)
- 1 bottle Fox & Hound High Altitude Heat BBQ Sauce
- A smoker or grill set up for indirect heat
- Fruit wood chips or chunks (cherry or apple, if you have them — it's what we use)
- Meat thermometer
How to Smoke Tri-Tip
1. Season early. Rub the tri-tip generously and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge for at least an hour — overnight if you can. This lets the seasoning actually penetrate instead of just sitting on the surface.
2. Set up for low and slow. Get your smoker to a steady 225°F. Tri-tip rewards patience — don't rush this part by cranking the heat.
3. Smoke until it hits temperature. Place the tri-tip fat-side up and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 130–135°F for medium-rare (it'll climb a few more degrees while resting). This usually takes around 2–2.5 hours, but always cook to temperature, not to the clock.
4. Rest before you cut. Pull it off, tent it loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least 10–15 minutes. Skipping this step is the easiest way to lose all those juices to your cutting board instead of your plate.
5. Slice against the grain. Tri-tip has a grain that changes direction partway through the cut — look closely and adjust your slicing angle as you go. This is the single biggest thing that makes or breaks tenderness.
6. Finish with the sauce. Brush or serve High Altitude Heat alongside the sliced tri-tip. The chipotle and habanero base is built to add heat and depth without burying the smoke flavor you just spent two hours building.
Why This Sauce Works on Tri-Tip
Tri-tip has a clean, beefy flavor that can get lost under a heavy, overly sweet sauce. High Altitude Heat was developed in a working smokehouse specifically to complement tri-tip rather than compete with it — smoky and bold, with real chipotle and habanero heat instead of artificial spice. It's also made without high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial preservatives, or gluten, so the flavor you're tasting is the flavor that's actually in the bottle.
Try It Yourself
[Shop High Altitude Heat BBQ Sauce →]
Looking for a milder option for ribs or chicken? Try our [Lake Level Mild sauce →], the sweet & smoky sauce we serve daily at the smokehouse.