Whole beef tenderloin

[ericbw]

I'm looking for advice/suggestions on a grill roasting a chunk of beef tenderloin for a small dinner party. We usually have steaks at the office picnic, but we want to do something a little different, but still beefy.

We've done pork tenderloins and pork loins on the grill (sear it for a few minutes and then typically about 20 minutes per pound over indirect heat). Is there anything I should take into account for beef that is different than that?

With pork, we marinate or brine it sometimes, but this seems unusual for beef. And we could put some herbs and spices on as a rub/coating, but it seems like that would get burnt during the sear.

My thought right now is to sear it and finish over indirect, probably adding some soaked wood chips to give it some smoke flavor.

We're aiming for medium rare (and we'll use a thermometer to be sure).

Suggestions?

 

[JonM]

Tie it like a roast. It does not hold together like a pork tenderloin, and it is super unwieldy. Other than that, I think you're on the right track.

The only other suggestion I'd make is to cut the skinny end off and use it for a nice steak sandwich or steak and eggs the next day. You can certainly fold the skinny end over and tie it, but there's something awesome about a freshly made steak sandwich.

ETA: One more thing - the fat end will cook much more slowly than the middle. Take your temps in the middle - the fat end can be for the folks who like it rare.

 

[Brewmasher]

Beef tenderloin is very lean, and very EXPENSIVE. It tends to cook very fast. The fool proof way to cook it perfectly is do a reverse sear Souse Verde.

Reverse sear is just that. You bring the meat up to the internal temp you desire very slowly. Then sear at very high heat to get that nice flavorful crust.

Souse Verde is a cooking technique where you vacuum seal the meat (a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out will work) and immerse it in water the temp you want. Since the temp never goes above the temp of desired doneness, it is impossible to overcook.

You can use a Souse Verde cooker, an electric cooker with temp control, or just a cooler. immerse the bagged meat in 130F water for at least 45 min or longer. If you are using a cooler, start with water a little higher like 135F to adjust for the temp drop, and add boiling water as needed to adjust for temp drops, kind of like an infusion mash.

Alternately, you can cook it low and slow in a 225F oven, but be vigilant of the temp as it can overcook.

When ready to serve, season with salt and pepper and sear over very high heat. Cooking steak this way gives a nice flavorful crust, the rest is perfect (medium rare). There is no grey area gradually leading to medium rare only in the middle. No need to rest either, ready to cut into right off the grill.

Rubs and spices will definitely burn on the sear. Tenderloin lacks the marbling of fat to make it flavorful, so I would recommend making a compound butter to serve on the side.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Gas grill or charcoal? I assume you have capability to cook indirect?

I would roast indirect much like you do in an oven. Do a full on seasoning rub and don't sear, but roasting indirect at 450-500 degrees will give the surface some browning. Then drop the heat to let it come up to temp slowly.

A lot of oven-roasted recipes suggest something like 500 degrees for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. I think on a grill you'd want to get the grill hot and do that for 5 minutes and then turn off all but one burner and keep it relatively low. The grill will insulate more poorly than an oven, so turning the heat off entirely won't give you enough residual heat to get to MR.

Just my $0.02...

 

[JonM]

Y'know, these things aren't as delicate as people think. If you have a good thermometer and you keep an eye on it and turn it enough, you can blast it over direct hot coals and still get a perfect even medium rare in the middle and a nice char on the outside. Yes, beef is pricey these days, but a tenderloin not a Faberge egg. Just add hot and pull it when it's 127ish F.

 

[ericbw]

Thanks for the suggestions on this.

I got a 4lb tenderloin butt - untrimmed. I trimmed off the silver skin and a good bit of fat, then rolled and tied it and rubbed it with Season All.

Seared about 5 minutes, then moved it to the cool side of the grill.

I pulled it when it was about 135 in the middle. That ended up being medium well. Still very juicy and tender, but more done than I prefer.

My wife made chimmichurri, and we also had cedar plank salmon with a honey/balsamic/citrus glaze. That was pretty rich so it went well with such a lean piece of beef.

Next time, I'll pull the beef off when it's 125 so it's closer to medium rare.

Thanks again!