This New Year’s Eve splurge special is dedicated to all of you who’ve used the cost as the excuse for not doing a beef tenderloin, when the real reason is the intense fear of screwing up such an expensive cut of meat.
The thought of paying all that money for such a luxury item, only to have it end up a dry, overcooked platter of corn-fed humiliation, is just too much to take. Well, I have some very good news. Using these very simple techniques, anyone can achieve a perfectly pink and juicy roast.
One secret is the slow oven, which allows for a gentle roasting, and produces an even, rosy hue throughout the muscle. The other trick is roasting the beef on top of the pan sauce, which not only flavors the meat, but also humidifies the oven for a moist, aromatic cooking environment.
Of course, both of those are dependent on you being able to give this a serious sear before it goes in the oven, but I have complete confidence in you.
This particular cut of beef is extremely tender, but very lean, and so cooking it beyond medium-rare is not recommended. If you like your beef medium-well and beyond, you are completely wasting your money on one of these beauties. I’m usually not that militant about having to eat steaks medium-rare, but this time I really must insist.
Anyway, if you follow these pretty basic steps, and are in possession of a quality, digital meat thermometer, there is no reason why you can’t get the same results you see here. By the way, the roughly 15 minutes per pound roasting time is just a ballpark, so be sure to start checking the temp early, so you can catch it at the perfect doneness. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients (serves 6):
2 1/2 to 3 lb beef tenderloin roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1/4 cup tarragon white wine vinegar, or plain white wine vinegar
1 cup veal stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup cream
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked and diced
1/2 cup liquid from porcini mushrooms, more if needed
1 tbsp minced fresh tarragon
32 comments:
I cant eat mushrooms. Well I can, but I wont. Cuz I find them grotty. Is it ok to go without?
This looks amazing! I'm a cooking noob, so what temperature would you say a solid medium would be? I have some paranoid relatives who insist everything is undercooked.
What All-Clad pan did you use? It looks like a 13" French but rounder ...
CT, Shoot for 140 for medium, but tenderloin is not a great cut at that temp.
Yellow, it is a 13 inch skillet.
That looks fantastic! I'm making that this New Year's for sure. Chef, I was thinking of trying this with Bison. Thoughts?
Sounds great!
Would dried shiitake mushrooms work instead of porcini? Also, is it okay to use any kind of vinegar instead of the wine variety? Thanks, Chef!
man that looks good. Oooooh I want. I'm glad there is no smellovision or I might have shorted out my laptop
The most appealing and appetizing meal to date; fantastic!
Chef John,
Beautiful presentation! Thanks so much and have a Happy New Year!
Jan W
Caroline, if you buy the entire primal ($60-$70), then you can cut it up and have the beautiful tenderloin at MR, and serve them the Sirloin part, or the skinny ends as filet mignon. That's how I do it when I have people who refuse to eat MR. That said, once they try it at MR... sometimes they leave the part I specifically cooked for them alone and eat the MR part I cooked for the more seasoned eaters.
BTW, if you buy the primal, you can cut off the sirloin roast at the end, filet it open so it's flat. Season then sear it on both sides. Spread blue cheese one side and tie it up into a roll with the blue cheese on the inside. Then finish bringing it to the temp you want. Super easy, and seems sooo fancy. It's still no perfectly cooked tenderloin though... I think I need to go get one of these now... dang that looks good!
-Pyrofish
will this work with a pork tenderloin?
hi chef john,
small question:
do you exist?
Wow this looks great chef John! I definetely plan on making this soon! Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!
i need to ship my kids out and make this for me and the wife. it really looks great.
but please people....play it safe and get one of those probe thermometers that stay in the meat during the entire cooking process. the digital part has a magnet on it that sticks to the oven door. a great twenty dollar investment if dont want to screw up a great cut of meat, or realy any cut of meat, by overcooking it.
Normally I'm an advocate of searing after roasting to get a better ratio of medium rare in the beef, but GODDAMN THAT LOOKS PEREFECT.
I would guess that the key is the moisture right? The low temp+ the moisture allows the lower heat to trasfer more quickly, preventing the outer edges from overcooking, while heating evenly. At the end, it would be too wet to get a good sear at the end.
So Cheers Chef John, that's a seriously perfect looking Roast.
Hi chef this looks amazing and i will cook that for new years for sure ! one question : where in the oven did you roast it ? top , middle or bottom ? thanks !
Bought my beef tenderloin today....Chef, i'll answer the above for you. Middle of oven, watched enough vids of yours to know that one. Thanks chef happy new year!
Yes, middle! Thanks!
All I can say is WOW!! What a great success this recipe turned out to be for us. My husband did the tying of the roast with butcher's twine, and using your instructions, it went perfectly. I followed the rest of the recipe almost exactly (used morrel mushrooms instead of porcini), and what a beautiful roast we enjoyed. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the sauce....just wow! We took pictures as we worked; unfortunately I can't post them here...
Thanks again for another fantastic recipe, Chef John!
Oh man, that looks so good!
Hi Chef!
General question: could you start giving wannabe chefs, like myself, preparation time (estimates/guesstimates are fine) for your recipes? I always start too late:( Not cool...
On behalf of Denmark, Thank you:)
BTW, I'm making yor asparagus soufflé tonight. Because it's super yummy and looks über pro;)
Excellent video, Chef John, I just added it to StumbleUpon. You shared the best techniques, as always.
Since I cook mine on the grill, I keep my trimmings and cook them (then discard) in a pan to get sucs for my pan sauce.
Happy New Year!
I don't because people cook/cut/prep at such different speeds. It would just frustrate/confuse people who took more/less time. Thanks!
Your post invite me to do a boneless ribeye in the same way, but with an stout instead of stock, it is now in oven, so wish me luck!
Made it last night for a special dinner, and that it was. Turned out great! Thanks Chef...
Made this today, A.......mazing. with the mascorpone mashed potatos and a baked mac n cheese. Great meal.
That is such a beautiful rosy Chef John but I wonder, can we cook the beef to well-done? will it spoil the taste? Thank you
I figure I should comment AFTER having tried out the recipe:
It was just awesome!
First of all, I must confess I can't follow recipes (not even when baking), so your videos are always just great inspiration!
However, temperatures are essential here as it would be a shame to screw up such a nice cut of meat...
My tarragon had succumbed to the frost, so I had to go with thyme, which I don't regret. A bit more powerful herby flavour!
And also mushrooms, cream/stock ratio, side dish were different, heh...
But still gotta say it was lovely and I enjoy your videos as a guide and source of inspiration. Don't stop doing video recipes!
Hi chef I plan on making this Sunday. I was wondering. Do you absolutely need to put the string on it before it cooks? And if so, what does it do?
Hope you don't mind but this sauce recipe seemed like a great jumping off point for skinless free range chicken thighs and drumsticks. I seared them as you did with the beef. For the sauce I substituted white wine and sour cream. I added some small red new potatoes to the pan and simmered covered on the stove for an hour, removed the chicken and potatoes and reduced the sauce. Smashed the potatoes on the plate and spooned the sauce over everything. Scary good! I make at least one of your recipes a week. Love'em.
Thanks Chef John! This is melt in your mouth delicious! I followed your directions to the T and it turned out absolutely perfect and oh so succulent. My husband is now a fan of yours as well.
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