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Sliced perfectly rosy beef tenderloin on an oval platter with rosemary sprigs on the sides.
5 from 1 vote

Beef Tenderloin Roast

Beef tenderloin roast is first seared for a caramelized crust, then finished off in the oven on low heat for a melt-in-your-mouth bite.
Author Diana
Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rest time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lb (1.5-2kg) center cut trimmed beef tenderloin
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves and stalks
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed or minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • Cut the tenderloin in half and season it evenly all over with salt and pepper. It's very important to let the tenderloin sit at room temperature for one hour. The salt causes the muscle proteins to swell and ensures a juicy tenderloin.
  • As you wait, chop the rosemary leaves, peel and mince or crush the garlic. Mix them together and place them in a small bowl. Rub the mixture onto the roast.
  • It’s a pretty uniform cut of meat, but we will tie it with kitchen twine just so it cooks a little more evenly (after seasoning), and do double knots so it stays in place about 1 or 1.5 inches between ties, and trim off the long ends.
  • Preheat the oven to 240°F/120°C. Then heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat, and add the tenderloin pieces (you want to hear a shimmer when you place the meat, if you don’t, then you need to heat it up a little more. Do a quick sear from all sides (6-8 minutes).
  • Then transfer to the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes turning every 10 minutes, until the internal temp of the thickest part of the meat is 120°F/49°C.
  • Remove from the oven, and transfer beef tenderloin to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. As you wait, make horseradish sauce. Remove the kitchen twine with a pair of scissors. Slice and transfer to a platter, and serve.

Notes

  • Use a thin and flexible boning knife to remove the silver skin from the tenderloin.
  • Tuck the tapered end of the tenderloin under itself so that the entire thing is the same thickness all the way around. This way everything will cook evenly
  • Rare: Remove the meat from the oven once it reaches 110°F. The final temperature should be around 115°F after the resting period. Look for the center of the tenderloin to be bright red with some pink around the very edges of the meat.
  • Medium-rare: Remove the meat from the oven at 120°F and allow the meat to rest for a few minutes. The final temperature should be around 125°F. Look for the very center of the meat to me red becoming pinker the closer it gets to the edges.
  • Medium: Remove the meat from the oven at 130°F. The rested meat should reach 135°F and the center should be pink and feel warm to the touch. The outer ring should be brown the closer it gets to the edges.
  • You’ll find that the medium-rare cuts are towards the center of the tenderloin while the end cuts will be closer to medium.
  • Remember that the beef tenderloin will continue to cook for a few minutes after it comes out of the oven, so remove it just before it reaches your desired doneness.
  • Make sure to allow your meat to sit at room temperature for 1 hour after you season it. Salt draws out the moisture, so if you sear it right away, the moisture will evaporate, leaving you with a dry roast, rather than giving it a chance to settle back into the meat.
  • Storing: Let the tenderloin cool completely and then place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 665mg | Potassium: 530mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 4mg