A special occasion calls for a special dinner, and this simply divine beef recipe is the perfect centerpiece for any celebration. The method is foolproof, resulting in a perfectly pink inside and a gorgeous seared crust. Once sliced, beef tenderloin becomes the extremely expensive “filet mignon” cut served in fancy restaurants. Serve it with its butter basting liquid or top it with a stunning and equally simple homemade blender Béarnaise (the recipe follows; don’t forget to add the macros if you include it); the classic pairing is a holiday-dinner showstopper. Note: this recipe requires you salt and refrigerate the beef at least 4 hours before cooking; it also requires the beef is tied, which a butcher can do for you or you can do for yourself with butcher’s twine. (Find easy videos on how to tie online!)
Ingredients List
- 3 lb beef tenderloin, tied with butcher twine
- 4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 Tbsp (4 oz or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Rub the tenderloin with three-quarters of the salt, wrap it tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 225°F (105°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, turning up the foil’s edges.
- Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator, pat it dry with paper towels, then place it on the foil-lined pan. Rub the meat with the oil, season with the remaining salt and the pepper, then cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 120°F to 125°F, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, depending on your oven and the meat’s temperature after coming out of the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, combine the butter, garlic powder, thyme, and rosemary. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts and begins to bubble. Keep warm. Place an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler. Preheat the broiler.
- Pour the melted-butter mixture over the roast. Return roast to the oven and broil about 4 inches from the heat source for 2 minutes to quickly develop a crust.
- Remove the roast from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes, slice, drizzle with butter sauce/pan drippings, sprinkle with salt, and serve.
Great recipe! Like a previous comment, I was petrified when I took it out of the oven. At that time it presented as still visibly red and looked raw. The 15 minutes of rest time was key for it to continue cooking while sitting in the counter. I used 125 as an internal temp and it came out very red with a little pink in the middle (med rare). Used the butter and drippings as a sauce which worked very well. Definitely worth the effort and cost ($35 for a 3lb tenderloin). I will make this again,
Great recipe !!! I wasn’t sure taking the tenderloin out at 120 degrees
was going to leave it undercooked but the resting time of 15 minutes solved that issue.
The sauce was labor intensive but well worth it.
Excellent! Everyone Loved it on my first attempt!