⚡ Easiest Tri-Tip You'll Ever Make

Easiest Tri-Tip Ever & One of the Best

Mettle reader Matthew S. in California sent us this recipe. We've grilled and smoked plenty of tri-tips, but never tried the oven. Matthew swore by it. We tested it. It's now a year-round go-to.

What You Need:

The Process:

Why It Works: Low and slow in the oven gives you control. No babysitting a grill, no weather issues, consistent results every time. The long marinate and slow cook break down the meat without drying it out.

The Mettle Take: This isn't flashy. It's not Instagram-worthy smoke rings. It's just stupid easy and produces tri-tip that's tender, flavorful, and perfect for sandwiches. Matthew nailed it.

Mettle tri-tip rub (for 2 whole tri-tips, around 2.5 pounds each)

Because eating well is never just about the food.

Dry January? Maybe Rethink It

Dry January isn't the problem—what happens in February is.

We all know someone who goes dry for 31 days, then celebrates February 1st like they just got paroled. That's not discipline. That's just hitting pause.

The point isn't abstaining for a month. It's being self-aware about your intake year-round.

The NA market is packed with legitimately good options. Thoughtful, well-made alternatives that fit into real life. We're reviewing some of our favorites next week—and they're worth rotating in regularly to manage consumption and maximize health.

Just don't use Dry January as permission to go big later.

The Mettle Take: Use January as a starting point, not a finish line. Build year-round discipline instead. Drink less often and drink better when you do.

Why Does Beer Taste Different in the Cold?

Does temperature—both the beer's and the weather's—actually change how beer tastes?

The Answer: Yes, on two fronts.

Cold Beer Suppresses Flavor Temperature numbs your taste buds. Cheap beer is served ice-cold (35-40°F) because it hides flaws. Better beers with actual complexity—IPAs, stouts, Belgians—need a little warmth to express their flavor. Serve a quality stout at 50-55°F and you'll taste roasted malt, chocolate, coffee. At 35°F? Nothing..

Cold Weather Dulls Your Senses About 80% of taste is smell. In freezing temps, your sense of smell drops significantly. That IPA you love in July tastes flat and one-dimensional at a December tailgate because your nose and taste buds are physically less able to detect hops and malt when it's 30°F outside.

Your body works against you, too—craving warmth instead of cold beer, making it less satisfying.

Serve light lagers ice-cold (not much flavor to protect anyway). IPAs and pale ales taste best at 45°F when it's warm out. Stouts and porters open up at 50-55°F—perfect for winter.

Because you’re not the only one who wondered.