I tried smoking my tri-tip for about an hour and 15 minutes before I turned up the heat and finished it out. I was worried it would be dried out, but the inside was plenty of moisture. I think it gave it better flavor myself and had a slight smoke ring inside the meat. But this is going to be different each time. The one I bought was pretty thick this time around, normally I buy a less thick one. So, the smoking time will vary. I think doing a 2-hour smoke though on even a smaller tri-tip wouldn't dry the meat out.