Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip

I'm from Santa Maria - the barbecues up and down Broadway St. all use oak, not hickory. If at all possible, use oak when making this! :)

I thought this was just ok, but I may have done something wrong. I had two steaks which totalled 1.5 lbs, so I had to guess at the grilling time and they were a bit overdone. Overall the flavor was good but they could have used more than a dusting of spices, and the smoke flavor didn't come through at all. This was my first time cooking with this cut however, and it may make a good substitute for flank steak.