Whole beef tenderloins are on sale this week, but I've never made one; I'd like to try with the guidance of TTOLers. Love to know your favorite ways to prepare and serve it. Do you slice it into portions then cook it? Roast it whole? How long do you cook it per pound? Thanks for sharing your favorite recipes with me. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

First I have the butcher trim and tie it so I can roast it whole. To one jar of Dijon mustard I add a LOT of finely chopped garlic and 2 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar. Place the tenderloin on a rack in an open roasting pan and cover liberally with the mustard mixture. Preheat the over to 475 or 500 degrees, convection oven if you have it. Roast till an instant read thermometer reads 115 (for rare). Start checking the temperature after 10 or 15 minutes. Time will vary significantly on the thickness of the tenderloin and whether you have convection or not. Remove from the over and let rest for 5 -10 minutes before slicing. you can heat and serve extra mustard mixture as a sauce.

I've been making Whole Tenderloin of Beef for years, my tried and true recipe is:

I agree with Leagle49, first have the butcher trim it well, I don't bother with the tying.

Yes, definately roast it whole !

First I marinate it, the marinade taken from an old James Beard recipe.

2 cups Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1 cup of olive oil
2 cups of inexpensive Port Wine
a few bay leaves
2t thyme
1t tobasco
1t salt
1t pepper
5 to 10 fresh garlic gloves. crushed, or more if you really like garlic!

you can marinate overnight, but it makes it a bit strong,
I feel 4 to 6 hours is better.

After marinading the whole beef tenderloin, you can disgard the marinade

Cook the whole tenderloin in a roating pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour + (not on convection).
Yes, use a meat thermometer, 125 degrees for rare, 150 degrees for medium.

Let stand for a bit before slicing.

Also good at room temperature, and if you want to cook ahead, it's good at room temperature too.

I usually serve mine with a homemade sauce of just throwing together some sour cream, horseradish, mustard, etc.

I use Ina Garten's Recipe for Mustard Horseradish sauce on my standing rib roast... I bet it would be delish on the roasted whole tenderloin of beef
Thank you both for sharing your recipes with me... I will be roasting a whole beef tenderloin for DH's birthday next week...

[color:"blue"]Ina Garten's Mustard Horseradish Sauce:[/color]


1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustards, horseradish, sour cream, and salt in a small bowl.

Thanks for the recipe Raspy... Question... are your "t" measurements teaspoons or Tablespoons?

I now recall back in the day, I used to make a whole tenderloin of beef in the oven, but I can't recall the recipe... I think it called for an inexpensive bottle of french dressing and sliced mushrooms.

Anyone have any idea of what the recipe is... DH did like it, if I recall correctly.

For a really good gravy fro tenderloin:

Pan drippings, of which there is not much from a tenderloin...
some Campbell's Beef Consume, or beef stock...
roux for thickening...
and some crumbled Gorgonzola...

really tastes great over tenderloin!

Brian:

even though your gravy sounds good, don't think it would be the best mix for my beef recipe the way it is marinated.

James Beard always told me (just kidding, maybe it was Julia Childs? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />)
that in recipes:
A small "t" means teaspoon, and a
large "T" means Tablespoon.

based on that recipe, personally I would adjust the horseradish to one entire 6 or 8 oz. jar (or more) of horseradish for the other purportions shown, but that is just me.
I must like horseradish. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I usually serve my whole tenderloin with bernaise sauce. The meat I rub with kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Bernaise Sauce would be good, try my marinade before you cook it, you may like the results, comes out really tender.

I assume you slice your whole tenderloin before you serve it?

Just kidding. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Just wanted to add:
as for cooking time and temperature,
James Beard originally recommended a high oven temperture with a shorter cooking time.

I started with what he recommended, but found after years of trial and error, the lower temperature with the longer cooking time that I recommended earlier in this thread, the beef comes out much better.

A wee bit of trivia for James Beard fans:
in the height of his popularity, he was actually listed in the phone book in Manhattan.
The Manhattan phone book had 2 James Beards listed, one as:
James Beard, and one as
James A. Beard

The famous chef, was the one listed in the phone book as James A. Beard.

I like the leftovers for breakfast the next day, sliced thin (about 1/4-1/2")...
On an English Muffin, with a poached egg on top, and Bernaise Sauce overall!!! YUMMMM!
It's the ultimate steak & eggs breakfast!

I thought so, but was just making sure because 1 t of salt for the entire piece of beef tenderloin didn't seem enough. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Ok a slight glitch... it isn't a whole tenderloin of beef, its "USDA Choice butt half filet mignon"... and yes the butchers will cut and trim it to my order, so it is NOT small...

Is this what I want? The BUTT HALF???

Maybe someone else knows, I have no idea.

I always just asked for a whole tenderloin of beef (well trimmed).

It's not small, have only done it for special occassions.

The BUTT portion is more of a Club or Rib-Eye steak or a Prime Rib...
The butt portion has more fat and marbeling...
For filet mignon, what you want is the TOP-LOIN or short loin...
The short loin cuts also include Porterhouse & T-Bone steaks...

"[color:"blue"]The Short Loin Section
Most tender and most expensive beef cut. Can be prepared without the use of moist heat or long cooking periods. Cuts from the short loin section will do well when sauteed, pan-fried, broiled, pan-broiled or grilled.

Porterhouse Steak – very famous steak from the short loin’s rear end. It consists of both the strip steak and tenderloin. It is often served as filet mignon
T-bone Steak – cut from the short loin’s middle section. It’s quite the same with porterhouse steak and is usually pan-fried or grilled
Tenderloin – often regarded as the most tender beef cut. It can be cut into single filet steaks (filet mignon) or as a whole meat strip. The meat goes well with sauces, meaning to say the meat doesn’t overpower the sauce’s flavor[/color]"...
http://www.filet-mignon.org/meat-cuts/

I want to roast it whole, but I do think I want the center cut of the tenderloin, where fillet mignon steaks are cut from, not the butt.
I recall a recipe from the 80's where you marinate the tenderloin in garlic french dressing overnight, let it come to room temp for about 30 minuets and then roasted it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, then added a can of beef broth and a large can of sliced mushroom with the liquid, and continued to roast in a 400 degree oven for another 15 minutes for rare... If you lost track of time and forgot and 30 minutes went by instead of 15, the roast would be well done! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sad.gif" alt="" /> In the 80's I did not have an instant-read thermometer.

From my notes, everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and I did only make that cut of meat for special occasions.

Found a recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks for Beef Tenderloin that actually uses the Butt!

Website shows how to with step by step pictures:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/07/roasted_beef_te/
[color:"blue"]Roasted Beef Tenderloin using The Butt[/color]
Prep Time: 25 Minutes | Cook Time: 25 Minutes | Difficulty: Intermediate | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 whole (4 To 5 Lbs.) Beef Tenderloin (butt)
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, or more to taste
1/2 cups Whole Peppercorns (more Or Less, to taste)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or your favorite Salt Blend)
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Rinse meat well. Trim away some of the fat to remove the silvery cartilage underneath. With a very sharp knife, begin taking the fat off the top, revealing the silver cartilage underneath. You definitely don’t want to take every last bit of fat off—not at all. As with any cut of meat, a little bit of fat adds to the flavor. (Hint: you can also ask the butcher to do this trimming for you if the process seems intimidating.)

Sprinkle meat generously with Lawry’s. You can much more liberally season a tenderloin, because you’re having to pack more of a punch in order for the seasoning to make an impact. Start with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Rub it in with your fingers. Sprinkle both sides generously with lemon & pepper seasoning. (There are no measurements because it depends on your taste, but be sure to season liberally.)

Place the peppercorns in a Ziploc bag, and with a mallet or a hammer or a large, heavy can, begin smashing the peppercorns to break them up a bit. Set aside.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy skillet. When the oil is to the smoking point, place the tenderloin in the very hot pan to sear it. Throw a couple of tablespoons of butter into the skillet to give it a nice little butter injection before going in the oven. A minute or two later, when one side is starting to turn nice and brown, flip and repeat.

Place the tenderloin on an oven pan with a rack. Sprinkle the pummeled peppercorns all over the meat. Press the pepper onto the surface of the meat. Put several tablespoons of butter all over the meat. Stick the long needle of the thermometer lengthwise into the meat. Place it in a 475-degree oven until the temperature reaches just under 140 degrees, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Stay near the oven and keep checking the meat thermometer to make sure it doesn’t overcook.

Let meat stand ten minutes or so before slicing, so the meat will have a chance to relax a bit.

To serve, you can spoon the olive oil/butter juices from the skillet onto the top of the meat for a little extra flavor.

Re: t vs. T.....just remember the little 't' is a 'little spoon...and the larger 'T' is the larger spoon. Does that make sense? I had a teacher tell us that in the 50's and it stayed with me. She sucked as a teacher but gave little hints like that which buried in my mind. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Re: marinades for beef. What do I know about beef? PLENTY...even though I don't eat it. I have a friend who owned a butcher store and I use his little tricks. He recommends using Kraft Russian Dressing( the red one ) for a marinade or Catalina Dressing. I've used the Russian one for years for 'skirt steak' which my family loves grilled. I marinate it for 3 days....longer not shorter....and they say it's like butter. Ok...so this is 2nd hand but I've got a pretty discriminating audience, here! So, if you want to add more garlic, knock yourself out...I don't think there's such a thing as too much garlic, but, hey, I'm Italian/Portugese....we LOVE our garlic! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />
Enjoy!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Contessa