Nothing will make your special occasion dinner better than a beautiful beef tenderloin in the center of it. Beef Tenderloin is so easy to make by roasting it in the oven and the tenderness can’t be beat. It is so tender, you can just cut it with a fork. To infuse the tenderloin with delicious flavors, it is crusted with peppercorn and fresh grated Parmesan cheese mixture.
Don’t miss even more beef main dish recipes like this perfect Prime Rib, Oven Baked Brisket, and Corned Beef Brisket made in the oven.
BEEF TENDERLOIN
If you want to spoil your family with a special dinner, make them this amazing Beef Tenderloin.
What is beef tenderloin? It is the most tender cut of beef and for that reason, it is the highest priced cut of beef as well. Tenderloin is a long, thin muscle that runs deep inside, along the back side. It’s located right under the spine.
This cut of meat is where we get those tender and tasty filet mignon steaks. Center part of the whole tenderloin is sliced into small pieces to create filet mignon. Tenderloin can also be a part of T-bone steak, the small round side of meat, and part of a porterhouse.
Since this cut is quite expensive, some people may be scared to cook it. Don’t be scared, I promise that it is actually quite easy to cook. There are a few tips below that will help you make the best tenderloin.
The most important of all the tips is to use a leave-in thermometer. Since the main problem you could face is overcooking the meat, leave-in thermometer will help you monitor the meat temperature until it reaches the perfect level.
HOW TO PREPARE BEEF
Before we talk about how to prep beef tenderloin for roasting, let’s talk about its anatomy. There are basically 3 parts of the whole tenderloin, the butt end, the center cut, and the tip end.
The butt end is the thickest end of the tenderloin and it also has a “wing” piece attached to it. The center cut is the middle part of the tenderloin. It is the most uniform is size and where filet mignon comes from. The tip end, is the small, thin end of the tenderloin that end in a tip.
Looking at the whole tenderloin, you will notice that it is not even in size throughout and it’s also covered in some fat. The fat layer is actually very easy to peel off. What will not be as easy to peel off is the silver skin that’s underneath.
Silver skin is a tough layer of white, shimmery connective tissue that runs along the tenderloin. To remove it, pull up some of the silver skin at one end of the tenderloin and then use a thin knife to cut along the silver skin to separate it from the meat. Try not to remove any of the actual meat.
Once the fat and silver skin is removed, you have two choices, prepare the WHOLE beef tenderloin, which includes the thick butt end with the wing and the thin tip at the other end, or trim.
To trim the tenderloin, you would be cutting off the wing and the narrow tip end. Since the tip end is so narrow, it will absolutely be overcooked while the rest of the meat gets to the right temperature. You can trim the wing and the tip end at the point where it starts to get narrow and use that meat for kebabs, searing it for a sandwich, or searing it for an appetizer.
To utilize the whole tenderloin, you would need to make it as even as possible for cooking. Pull up the narrow end of the tenderloin and fold it into the meat. Use cooking twine to tie it together. Make sure to tie the wing to the main meat as well. This will create a more uniform size throughout the steak.
Tie the tenderloin with a kitchen twine around in several spots, every 2-3 inches. Tying the tenderloin will ensure even cooking because it will help keep the shape of meat uniform.
HOW TO COOK BEEF TENDERLOIN
Preheat oven to 425° and grease a rimmed, heavy baking sheet with some oil.
Rub tenderloin with a little bit of olive oil all over.
Crack whole peppercorns coarsely. Spread all the seasoning on the parchment paper, mix it together, and place the tenderloin on top of the seasoning. Roll the tenderloin around to coat it evenly in seasoning and press on the seasoning to stick it on better.
Once beef tenderloin is tied and coated with seasoning, place it onto the baking sheet.
Insert a leave-in thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. I highly recommend that you use a leave-in thermometer to track meat temperature more accurately.
*If you do not have a leave-in thermometer, take the tenderloin out of the oven to measure the temperature and close the oven so the oven temperature doesn’t lower.
Roast beef tenderloin until it reaches 130°-135° for medium-rare or 140°-145° for medium.
Take the tenderloin out of the oven and transfer onto the cutting board. Carefully cut and take off the twine. Loosely tent the beef with a sheet of aluminum foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it against the grain.
COOKING TEMPERATURE FOR BEEF TENDERLOIN
To check the temperature, insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the beef, towards tee middle. You want to hit the reading on the thickest part and in the middle.
120°-125° – Rare (cool red center)
130°-135° – Medium-rare (warm red center)
140°-145° – Medium (warm pink center)
HOW TO REHEAT BEEF TENDERLOIN
If you have leftover tenderloin don’t fret, you can reheat it the next day. Even though meats like beef tenderloin and prime rib are best eaten fresh of course, you can still save leftovers and reheat it in the oven later.
To store the leftovers: place cooled beef tenderloin in an air-tight food storage container with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
To reheat beef tenderloin: preheat the oven to 325° and wrap each slice of beef tenderloin in aluminum foil. Don’t wrap it too tight. Place wrapped tenderloin pieces on a baking sheet and reheat for 10-15 minutes. Reheat it just until warm in the middle so it doesn’t overcook.
SOME MORE RECIPES TO TRY:
Making The Best Steak On The Grill
If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @willcookforsmiles and #willcookforsmiles so I can see all the things you tried!
Connect with Will Cook For Smiles!
Be sure to click below and follow me on my social media, so you never miss a recipe.
Don’t forget to sign up for email, so you won’t miss any new recipes.
Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 5 lbs whole beef tenderloin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup whole peppercorned coarsely crushed
- 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese* freshly grated not dry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° and lightly grease a heavy rimmed baking sheet.
Prepare Beef Tenderloin:
- Whole beef tenderloin is not even in size throughout and it’s covered in some fat. The fat layer is actually very easy to peel off. What will not be as easy to peel off is the silver skin that’s underneath.
- Peel off the fat layer off the tenderloin.
- To remove silver skin, pull up some of the silver skin at one end of the tenderloin and then use a thin knife to cut along the silver skin to separate it from the meat. Be careful not to remove any of the actual meat.
- Once the fat and silver skin is removed, you have two choices, prepare the WHOLE beef tenderloin, which includes the the wing that's attached to the thicker part and the thin tip at the other end, or trim.
- To trim the tenderloin, you can trim the wing and the tip end at the point where it starts to get narrow and use that meat for kebabs, searing it for a sandwich, or searing it for an appetizer.
- To prepare the whole tenderloin, you would need to make it as even as possible for cooking. Pull up the narrow end of the tenderloin and fold it into the meat. Use cooking twine to tie it together. Make sure to tie the wing to the main meat as well. This will create a more uniform size throughout the steak.
- Tie the tenderloin with a kitchen twine around in several spots, about every 2-3 inches. Tying the tenderloin will ensure even cooking because it will help keep the shape of meat uniform.
- Rub tenderloin with a little bit of olive oil all over.
- To crack whole peppercorns, you can use a coarse setting on the pepper mill, pulse it a few times in a spice grinder, or use a heavy cast iron skillet to crack it by hand on the cutting board.
- Spread all the seasoning on the parchment paper, add grated Parmesan cheese, mix it evenly, and place the tenderloin on top of the seasoning. Roll the tenderloin around to coat it evenly in seasoning and press on the seasoning to stick it on better.
Cooking Beef Tenderloin:
- Once beef tenderloin is tied and coated with seasoning, place it onto the baking sheet.
- Insert a leave-in thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. (I highly recommend that you use a leave in thermometer to track meat temperature more accurately.)
- *If you do not have a leave-in thermometer, take the tenderloin out of the oven to measure the temperature and close the oven so the oven temperature doesn’t lower. Remember to take the temperature of the center, at the thickest part.
- Cook beef tenderloin until it reaches 130°-135° for medium-rare or 140°-145° for medium.
- Take the tenderloin out of the oven and transfer onto the cutting board. Loosely tent with a sheet of aluminum foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
- Slice tenderloin into about 1/2 inch slices, against the grain.
Nutrition
Samantha says
This recipe is amazing. Many times I’ve experimented new recipes with beef and they turn out to be amazing. This one is unique as there are so fewer protocols. Good read!
LyubaB says
Thanks, Samantha! I am so glad you liked it!
Beatriz Vila says
Hi! It looks so nice… I didn’t understand what to do with the parmesan cheese ..
Regards
LyubaB says
Hi, Beatriz! Your right I talked about it in the post but forgot to add into the recipe directions. I have updated the recipe to include it and it’s now in step 10. Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Natasha says
Hi. If I use the ‘trim method’, is the cooking process still the same? And do I still need to tie it?
Lisa says
Made it for NYE dinner- the family loved it, and it was so easy.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it!
Richard says
I have access to beef tenderloin tails. I remove the thick pieces of fat that sometimes that run part way down the length of each one.. Then I place two of them on top of each other the thick end on top of the smaller end then tie them together to make one evenly thick roast. I then use your directions to roast them in the oven. I have done this on several occasions and they turn out beautifully. I have pictures of before and after roasting. I wish there was a way to send pictures.
LyubaB says
That sounds really good! I am so glad you like the recipe. Unfortunately, my website doesn’t have the capability for picture sharing but you can drop it to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/willcookforsmiles
Jeanne Kelley says
I am a private chef who has made this recipe twice, It is the best filet mignon recipe I’ve ever made. My clients go crazy over it. Thank you! I will continue to prepare my filets this way and no other!
LyubaB says
Wow! What a nice compliment! Thank you for stopping by to let me know, I am so glad everyone likes it! 🙂