I always do my Prime Rib using the AB low and slow technique and love it. However, my wife is hosting a small party where a tenderloin would be better for serving. We don’t eat much tenderloin so I was wondering if I can use the same theoretical technique on a this lean piece of meat? Any temp adjustments? Browning recs? Avoid the final high temp?
Chris
Treat the same way.
I made beef tenderloin for NYE this past weekend. I marinated the beef in soy sauce for 24 hrs and then roasted it at 425 for 15 minutes and then turned it down to 350 for 11/12 minutes per pound. I took mine out after about 33 minutes and it was a perfect medium rare.
“Low and slow” is not necessary for a tenderloin. If you can get a nice sear on the outside you can finish it easily in the oven at a higher temp for not as long a time. Tenderloin is much smaller and different cut-wise than prime rib.
I had good luck once doing a salt-crusted tenderloin. Just make sure to use a thermometer to get it out at the right time, since you have no way to see the meat.
Check out Alton’s prep for tenderloin roast on YouTube. I’ve done this a few times, most recently last weekend and it’s great. Basically sear the roast in a pan. I split it in half for this. Let them rest for 10 minutes then roast at 250 degrees until 130-135. Wrap in foil and rest for 20 minutes or so. There’s not much carry over heat at the low roasting temp and it turns out perfectly cooked.
Sear all sides in a pan or dutch oven and then place in oven to reach desired temperature. For NYE we used this procedure to get the tenderloin to 125F and let it rest before wrapping it in mushrooms, prosciutto, and puff pastry to make beef wellington. Then we baked for 30 minutes to get puff pastry to do it’s thing which brought the meat internal temp to 135-140F and it was juicy! My feeling is that going slow to reach temperature may drive too much water out of the tenderloin if it is fairly lean. Enjoy and let us know how it comes out.
We made a tenderloin roast for Christmas that was otherworldly, grilling over indirect heat for 30-40 minutes. Small roast, about 2 pound. Followed recipes blended from Alice Waters and the Test Kitchen cookbook. As Francis says, the logic for tenderloin is different than for most other parts: you want a rarish center, which will be tender because of the cut, and the objective is to attain a flavorful, crusty outside. Grilling at high temp, as we did, is one way to achieve this end; searing, per Gary, is another. Waters advises seasoning the outside a day or two ahead of cooking.
Let us know how it comes out.