Cooking a full tenderloin

Quick dish, always a crowd pleaser

I don’t always cook premium cuts as I find the flavor of “offcuts” to be more enticing and fun. However, there was a tenderloin on sale at the local market, and I decided it would be a great cut for the team. I like tenderloin as it’s incredibly soft to bite and absorbs many flavors due to its lean nature and overall mild flavor.

The key to success with the tenderloin is to get a great sear to amplify the flavor (Maillard browning) without drying out the meat. You may be thinking, “how would I dry out the meat if I cook it rare to med rare?” Too often, people cook it far too long on high heat, which cooks the outside deep into the meat so the bite is 50% dry meat and 50% rare meat (that deep grey ring). What you want is a thin layer of sear and an even cook throughout the center. The outside can dry out very quickly because there is no internal fat (marbling) within the tenderloin, so it goes from raw to overcooked very quickly.

The resolution is the reverse grill. Searing or grilling the meat after it has slowly cooked gives you a better sear in a shorter amount of time, reducing the chances of drying out the exterior. In addition, it allows the meat to break down at a low temperature first, which results in the best bite.

I pre-salt the tenderloin to season the interior (as the salt/water goes in and out of the meat), then do a low, slow roast and a high heat finish over the grill. To top it off, I add some garlic butter, herbs and sea salt and it’s good to go.

To serve, this is one of those cuts I like to slice thinly and serve on a platter with sides and toppings so people can make their own dish/taco/sandwich. OR leave it in the fridge and use for sandwiches for a few days. It’s the same price per lb as sliced high-quality deli turkey, so why not go with the real stuff?

Steps:

Clean your tenderloin by trimming the fat and gristle off the exterior. You can break it into multiple parts as well.

For a full tutorial, here is my video

Once you have it cleaned (note: you can use the scraps as beef skewers and just grill directly) place it on a sheet pan and salt for at least 30 minutes but up to 2 hours.

At this point, rub the tenderloin with butter, ghee, avocado oil or bacon fat and place in a 325F oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, pat dry and grill over a blasting hot grill.

When the tenderloin is finished, allow it to rest. While it is resting, you can rub it with some butter or garlic butter.

Quick garlic butter recipe:

1/4 cup room temp butter

1 garlic clove minced

1 tablespoon chives chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

lots of cracked black pepper

Whip the butter with a whisk until fully combined

Allow the tenderloin to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing, then slice and enjoy!