Easy Beef Tenderloin
Easy Beef Tenderloin
Easy Beef Tenderloin is not as intimidating as you think. These few simple steps make a delicious and flavorful tenderloin. Perfect for a special meal. This tenderloin, once prepped, cooks up fast and delicious using a searing method and a quick visit to a very hot oven. You will really wow your guests or family with this recipe.
There are many methods to making a beef tenderloin. I am simply sharing my easy method that has always come through for me with a tasty beef. I like to keep this recipe simple, as I like to taste the beef that I am paying so much money for. If you would like to add more seasoning and herbs, you can feel free to use whatever amount you choose.
Cook This Medium Rare
I have always found that it is better to cook the entire roast to medium rare and then sear off the individual slices in the hot skillet or place the slices back in the oven to take the pink out. I think this is a better method that keeps the meat from drying out. People over cook this cut all the time and forget that this meat continues to cook AFTER it is taken out of the oven because you are cooking it at such a high heat. I have had tenderloins cook another 10 to 20 degrees as it rests. Be sure you are aware of this. This meat also gets cool really fast which is why it usually served with a hot au jus, gravy or béarnaise sauce.
I use the packaged Béarnaise from Knorr. I find it to be easier when I am cooking a big meal and frankly it is just as delicious as any homemade.
The Meat
I bought this almost 3 lb tenderloin at a small grocery store in rural Wisconsin. Most tenderloin comes in packaged like this and it is usually in one LONG piece. I remove it from the package, pat it dry with paper towels and cut it into two pieces so that it is easier to manage. MOST of the time they have already trimmed up the beef for you. Meaning, they have cut off all the fatty bad parts. You should ask them in the meat department if they did this already and you can also ask them if they can do it for you and if they can tie up the meat for you. This also of course depends on how close to when you are cooking it.
If the cannot trim it up for you and tie it up for you, I included steps how to do this. While this may seem intimidating ,keep in mind you just want to remove the unappealing parts from this tenderloin. You do not have to butchering this thing.Just cut off the fatty parts, any hard parts making sure to leave as much tender meat as possible. This particular cut I had, was trimmed, but it had some silverskin like stuff on it. See Picture below. I just used my kitchen shears and my paring knife to loosen this part up, slide my finger under it and was able to peel it off.
Tie Up Your Meat
So you do have to tie up this meat. This is to make it compact so that it cooks evenly. Also do not let this part intimidate you. This meat comes in one long odd shaped piece thats kind of flapping. Usually thinner at one end than the other. You just want to tuck and roll this baby into a compact “roast” and then use this string to tie it up. I usually cut one long one to two foot piece of string. Then I tie it over and under lengthwise, then criss cross it a few times across. Do not get yourself worked up over this. It does not have to look very pretty, you will be cutting it off before serving. Just make sure your tenderloin is compact for even cooking and use the string to keep it all in place. I added the string I use in my affiliate amazon shop. You can find it by clicking here. The affiliate means amazon gives me the opportunity to link stuff for you and if you use the link I get a small commission from amazon, you do not pay extra. I also use this string to tie up gifts. LOL! Also linked in the same shop is a meat thermometer. I highly recommend using one for this recipe and for any roasts really.
Easy Beef Tenderloin
Easy Beef Tenderloin is not as intimidating as you think. These few simple steps make a delicious and flavorful tenderloin. Perfect for a special meal. This tenderloin, once prepped, cooks up fast and delicious using a searing method and a quick visit to a very hot oven. You will really wow your guests or family with this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 beef tenderloin of any weigh (the tenderloin I used for this recipe was 3 lbs
- 1 stick of butter
- Coarse Salt
- Coarse Black Pepper
- Dried Rosemary (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic (use as much as you like)
- Onion Powder (approximately 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of a light oil like vegetable oil, do not use Olive Oil
- *You will need a couple feet of butcher twine (linked in post)
Instructions
- Your beef tenderloin usually comes trimmed, which means the butcher has trimmed off the gristle bits and fatty parts and a slick skin like part thats called the silver skin. If you are a buying a beef tenderloin you can ask the meat department to do this for you and they will even sometimes prep it and tie it up for you. Make sure to ask to save time.
- If you do not have someone to ask to trim, when you take your tenderloin out of the package it will be a very long floppy piece. I cut it into two pieces to manage it better. Also pat it dry with paper towels. My tenderloin in this recipe was about 2 feet long and thicker at one end then the other. The butcher had trimmed it. But there was a silvery piece of "skin" on one piece. I use a paring knife or kitchen scissors to make a cut in this and it will easily loosen with your finger, slide it under this "skin" and peel it off slowly. If you notice any other hard, white fatty parts, also trim these off.
- I cut my tenderloin into two pieces, it is easier to cook and manage this way. You need to tie this meat up so that it cooks more evenly. If the tying intimidates you it is good to think of it as just tucking the meat all up together and using the twine to secure it so that it cooks evenly. Otherwise the thinner pieces get really well done and the thicker parts are undercooked. There are pictures of this in the post above this card. I tuck the thinner end under the fatter piece and then use a foot long piece of the string to go down the length of the tenderloin pieces and then criss cross them across the whole thing about 2 to 3 times. See pictures. Do not overthink this, you also do not have to have it look perfect as you will be cutting these off. Opt to just have the meat tucked and rolled and secure.
- Add the meat to a dish after tying it up and season all over the whole thing with coarse salt and black pepper. Then you MUST let it sit out at room temp for 30 to 45 minutes so it is not ice cold. This is important to get a good sear. You will be cooking this at a very high heat which is why this step is not unsafe. Also let your butter sit out at this point to soften.
- When it has sat out preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Then heat a skillet with the vegetable oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add your tenderloins carefully and let them sear on all sides for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Time will depend on how thick they are. You want a good golden brown "crust". You will have to use tongs to get the sides done. Or I lean the pieces to the sides of the pan so that it is seared ALL OVER.
- While searing, add your butter to a bowl and mix the garlic in, some more salt and pepper, rosemary and parsley and onion powder. I also like to sometimes use a steak seasoning. You can use any herbs and seasoning you like.
- When the tenderloin is seared on all sides add it back to a clean baking dish. The smaller the better, you don't want to use a huge dish. The tenderloins can be snug in there. Let it cool for a few minutes, then cover the whole thing in your butter mixture. It should be coated in butter.
- Put in the oven at 425. Now this cooks quickly. Mine cooked for 25 minutes and it was to the desired temperature. You should use a meat thermometer. I pull mine at 120 to 125 degrees and then when you take it out, loosely cover it with foil and let it rest 10 minutes. It will continue to cook another ten degrees as it rests. This is for medium rare. Even if you like it well done, I would still cook it to this temp and then after slicing it, sear the slices off in a skillet for well done. Or you can slice it and add the slices back to the roaster and into the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes to take the pink out.
- When the meat has rested, carefully cut the twine and then slice your pieces in 3/4 inch slices. As I said above, if it is too red you can sear the slices off in a skillet or add the slices back to the roasting pan and back in the oven for a few minutes.
- Serve with horseradish or béarnaise. I garnish with fresh rosemary.
*pictures and links are all in the blog post above this recipe card.
The Best Sides
The best sides for this Beef Tenderloin are my easy, creamy mashed potatoes. You will be shocked at some of the tips in that post. I also highly recommend my World’s Best Stuffing as a side. Or my scalloped corn. You may also want to serve this blue cheese chopped salad with this recipe.