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Super flavorful and tender, this easy to make Beef Tenderloin Roast recipe is simply the best. Just a few ingredients are all you need to create this culinary centerpiece. Served with a Creamy Horseradish Sauce…you may never go out to dinner again!
We have a family tradition that’s a little new for me on Christmas day. Growing up we used to travel to all the places and eat all the food all day long. It was a day filled with family we didn’t see all the time, mountains of gifts and SO MUCH FOOD. The holiday turkey with all the sides, a staple Crock Pot Ham with Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze and tables filled with so many desserts.
Now we lay low on Christmas day. I host brunch for my immediate family with a kind of “drop in when you can attitude” and then we just laze around all day until dinner.
Because it’s a lazy day, I like to keep Christmas dinner fairly simple so I always make a Beef Tenderloin Roast because this recipe is as easy as it gets when it comes to special occasion recipes. Aside from my favorite Standing Prime Rib Roast…..this Beef Tenderloin recipe is so incredibly simple to make. You’ll even have time to sit and sip champagne mimosas with your guests at your own dinner party.
What I really LOVE about this Roast Beef Tenderloin recipe is it’s great served hot as a sit down dinner with all your sides like Funeral Potatoes, Potatoes au Gratin and Blender Hollandaise.
OR you can serve it at room temperature, sliced thin with brioche buns for your guests to make their own Beef Tenderloin sandwiches. Slather on that horseradish sauce or even put out a bowl of this roasted garlic aioli and you have a DIY sandwich bar that will make jaws drop every single time.
Ingredients
- Beef Tenderloin – One whole beef tenderloin roast will feed a crowd easily. You can buy them already trimmed of excess fat but they don’t take much effort to trim yourself. It’s an expensive cut of meat so trimming yourself is a good way to save some money.
- Olive Oil – A thin coating of olive oil keeps the meat tender while providing enough fat to create a good sear when cooking. You can use melted butter as a substitute.
- Seasoning – I keep it simple with a coating of kosher salt and black pepper.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
What Is Beef Tenderloin
Beef Tenderloin is the name of the large cut of beef before it’s cut into beef tenderloin steaks called Filet Mignon. The tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef which makes it the most desirable and most expensive.
The average cattle provides only a small amount of filet mignon steaks and because the muscle is not weight-bearing, it contains less connective tissue, which makes it extremely tender.
How To Cook Beef Tenderloin
Cooking Beef Tenderloin is one of the easiest, yet impressive, dinners you can make. I love that Beef Tenderloin Roast is rather forgiving in the way a single steak may not be. If you overcook it just a bit, it’s still going to be perfect, tender and juicy.
I cook beef tenderloin in the oven after a quick sear on the stovetop right in the roasting pan to create a nice crust. My recipe is very similar to Ina Garten’s Beef Tenderloin roast in that I keep everything very simple….from the ingredients to the cooking method, everything is super easy to do.
The most importing thing is to bring the beef tenderloin to room temperature before you begin the cooking process.
- Preheat the oven to a searing 500˚ F oven. (The high temperature creates a crust which seals in the juices.)
- Pat the beef tenderloin roast dry with paper towels and place on a baking sheet.
- Coat the roast liberally with olive oil. Season with more salt and pepper than you ever think you would need.
- Heat a roasting pan over medium-high heat and place the beef tenderloin in the roasting pan.
- Sear the beef on all sides until a golden crust has formed. I do this in stages, so allow the beef to cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes before flipping to the other side. Repeat until the whole tenderloin roast is golden and crusty.
- Transfer the roast to the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reached 130-135˚F for medium rare when a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer is inserted into the center of the roast.
- Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Allow the tenderloin to rest for 15 minutes to give the juices a chance to redistribute through the meat.
- Slice and serve!
Because Beef Tenderloin roasts one of the most expensive cuts of beef, I, most often, purchase a Costco Beef Tenderloin and trim the roast myself. It takes a bit of time but is definitely worth it to do it yourself when you want to keep the costs down on entertaining.
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How To Trim Beef Tenderloin Roast
An untrimmed beef tenderloin will have a shiny “Silver Skin” that will need to be trimmed off with a sharp knife. It’s really easy to do and if you skip this step, beef tenderloin will not allow the flavoring to penetrate the meat.
- First, slide the tip of your knife right under the connective tissue at the very end of the roast.
- Keep the blade of the knife close to the top of the roast to ensure you don’t cut off too much of the meat.
- Using your opposite hand, hold the edge of the silver skin up and pull as you cut it away with the knife.
- Continue cutting away the silver skin (trying to keep it in one piece) until you reach the opposite end of the roast.
- Cut away any fat and discard. (Beef Tenderloin is notoriously lean so there will not be much fat to trim.
You can trim beef tenderloin roast a few days in advance and store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to roast. Be sure to allow your roast to come to room temperature before you begin cooking it.
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How To Tie Beef Tenderloin
To ensure even cooking, you’ll need to tie your beef tenderloin roast if it hasn’t been done for you at the butcher or grocery store. A large roast will have a narrower end that will need to be folded under and tied with kitchen twine.
- Using kitchen twine or butcher’s twine, loop the twine around the folded end of the tenderloin and tie a tight knot.
- Loop the kitchen twine around your opposite hand and pull the loop over the tenderloin arranging it a couple inches below the first loop.
- Repeat the loops leaving about 2 inches between each loop until you reach the end of the roast.
- Tie off the end of the twine when the whole roast has been tied.
Another thing I love about this perfect Beef Tenderloin recipe is the leftovers, if there are any. You can totally set aside a few slices for these beef tenderloin sandwiches the next day.
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Best Sides For Beef Tenderloin
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