Preparing Beef Tenderloin Food

ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• 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 15 to 20 minutes. Stay near the oven and keep checking the meat thermometer to make sure it doesn't overcook.
• Let meat stand 10 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.

HOW TO COOK BEEF TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• If necessary, tie the beef tenderloin. Then, you want to mix up the butter, garlic, thyme, salt, and ground pepper. Pat the beef dry (this helps the butter to stick) and then spread the butter mixture all over the beef. Heat your oven to 375 degrees. First you want to sear the meat. Heat a dutch oven over high heat. No need to butter the pan, there is enough butter on the meat. Add the meat to the hot pan, and cook each side, and the ends, for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Keep the beef broth handy, if the pan drippings threaten to burn, just add a bit of stock to the pan. Now that your meat has been seared and browned, you want to prepare it to go in the oven. If you did sauté any onions, mushrooms, or other vegetables, add them back into the dutch oven. Pour 1 ½ cups of beef broth into the dutch oven - this becomes the base for your gravy. If you want, you can also opt to add in ½ cup of red wine or sherry. Insert the meat thermometer, put the lid on the dutch oven, and place the beef in the oven to roast. This will take about 25-35 minutes. For rare beef, remove the beef tenderloin from the oven once the thermometer reads 110 degrees. For medium rare, remove it at 120 degrees, and for medium remove it at 125 degrees. I do not recommend cooking beef tenderloin beyond medium temperature. As soon as you remove the beef from the oven, use tongs in one hand and a fork in the oven to transfer the meat onto a piece of aluminum foil. Cover the meat with the foil, let it rest for 10 minutes, and turn your attention to the dutch oven containing the pan drippings. Now, you have some options regarding the pan drippings. You can simply let them simmer and reduce. Or you can make a thicker gravy by adding some flour. You can opt to add a touch of cream. Personally, I like to add a touch of flour and cream to make a rich gravy. In a small bowl, I whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour and ½ cup of cream. Then I stir that into the pan drippings and bring it to a simmer and let it reduce. Taste test, and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. To serve the beef tenderloin, use a sharp knife to cut into thick slices, and serve with gravy over the top.

BEEF TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a roasting pan, rub beef tenderloin with oil. Generously season with at least 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper.
• Roast, turning halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 125 degrees to 135 degrees for rare, 135 degrees to 140 degrees for medium, and 150 degrees for well done, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on desired doneness.
• Remove from oven; cover loosely with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Remove twine; thinly slice beef. Serve with horseradish cream and bearnaise sauce, as desired.