Beef Tenderloin

[smokerinchicago]

I'm going to smoke a 5 pound whole beef tenderloin on Saturday along with some baby back ribs. Does anyone have a suggestion on a rub for the tenderloin? And, any idea on the approximate length of time this puppy will take to cook?  I've searched and haven't located a post that might provide this information.

I've had my bradley smoker for a bit more than a month and have done pork shoulders, a brisket and whole chickens but this will be the first time for the ribs and tenderloin.

This is a great forum and have gotten wonderful ideas from all the experts. 

The beer is already chilling  ;D

[icerat4]

Hey chicago.I would leave the tenderloin on the grill.And just do the ribs in the smoker IMO.Thats a nice cut of meat todo in a smoker and its not going to be as good as you would think.Ive done some and never again only on the grill.Some and most things are great in the smoker but beef tender is not one .Thats just my opinion.But the ribs on the other hand with a boston butt pulled pork is the bomb.Have fun and let us know how it goes for ya.

[asa]

smokerinchicago -
My initial reaction was to agree with icerat. In cooking beef tenderloin, I try to sear the outside to generate flavor, but not overcook the inside - for my taste it should be medium rare at most.

BUT, you raise an interesting idea - at some time in the future I might try the following experiment. One could smoke at a low temp for an hour or so for the smokey flavor, then sear on the grill or in a cast iron pan on the stove, then put back in the BS (or your kitchen oven if more convenient) to slowly raise the internal temp to ~120-125. Thanks for the suggestion - I think I have me a new recipe to try. As far as what to put on it, I think nothing but kosher salt and coarse pepper, and perhaps a splash of bourbon (which I've used with good result on beef tenderloin in the past).

So I guess (sort of thinking out loud now) my conclusion is that the low-and-slow method we apply to other tougher cuts meat seems inappropriate (and a waste) for beef tenderloin, but it might be interesting to give it a bit of a smokey flavor before cooking in a more conventional way. (much like people sort of cold-smoke hamburgers before grilling - I've seen that described here but haven't done it myself)

Good luck - let us know how it turns out.

[icerat4]

Asa been there done that.It chewed like leather after the bs deal.This is a very very tough piece of meat to do right in the bs.Maybe a hour of smoke then finish on the grill yea thats the ticket.Done 1 that way and it was some what ok.But go ahead let us know its your dime lol.Have a great weekend and happy smoking  ;D.

[Habanero Smoker]

Asa,
I would be interested in how this turns out, but at this time I'm kind of agreeing with icerat4. The first step of smoking it for an hour or so seems alright, but putting it back in to slow cook, I would guess it would dry out. Keep us posted. If it works, it may be something I would like to try.

[asa]

rat & HS et al -
If you're saying the smoke changes the meat and how it cooks, then I'd believe it because that is what I think happened to the catfish fillets I smoked (plumped and firmed them, a very positive and tasty effect, but perhaps disastrous for beef tenderloin).

But re low and slow cooking of a tenderloin, that is a method I've used with great success. I think the following post, which also refers back to a previous post of mine, should give an idea of the process:  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=3514.msg31771#msg31771. I was simply suggesting that the same could be achieved in the BS as in the oven, but frankly, if I were to try it I would smoke in the BS, then sear, and finish in the oven where I have better temp control. I've done this at a dinner for over 30 people (as well as for smaller gatherings) and it turned out spectacular. What you end up with is a thin outside rim of well cooked, flavorful beef, and an interior that is uniformly cooked, edge to edge, to your desired degree of doneness (thicker part of course being rarer than the thinner end). Drying out wasn't a problem. Of course I was careful not to overcook it. Probably cooked those tenderloins for 2 hours (perhaps 3 or more, I don't recall) one afternoon, low and slow till they gradually came up to temp. [Also, I had dry-aged them in our second fridge that didn't have much/any traffic over a period of ~4 days - I think that may have been the topic that brought up one of those discussions a couple of months ago]

Regards,

     Art

[agent provocateur]

i would walk into the field and tell the cloven hooved beast of the field that i would give its soul a pasture of green grasses... a cool stream... a pond of spring water... lots of trees for shade...  in exchange for its tenderloin...

then i would proceed to slice the warm tenderloin very thin and slide it into my mouth one slice at a time until i completely consumed all of it... then with its cool blood on my hands and chin i would give the cloven hooved beast of the field a pasture of green grasses... a cool stream... a pond of spring water... lots of trees for shade...

[Habanero Smoker]

Asa,
I was referring to slow cooking.

[icerat4]

Your right asa. tenderloin low and slow is fine after the searing of the meat i do it all the time.I just feel its a tough deal to finish it in the bs.I do how ever believe in the 1 hour of smoke after the sear the back on the grille.I know alot of people say it wont take the smoke after the sear but i beg to differ.Ive done rack of lamb that way and thats a tuff meat to do as well IN THE BS but it came out great.Once again i feel a 50 -60 dollar beef tenderlion should be alway done the way it was ment to be done.Always on a grille IMO. ;D.

[asa]

Your right asa. tenderloin low and slow is fine after the searing of the meat i do it all the time.I just feel its a tough deal to finish it in the bs.

That's what I was guessing, although with probes in and around the meat, it might work.

I do how ever believe in the 1 hour of smoke after the sear the back on the grille.I know alot of people say it wont take the smoke after the sear but i beg to differ.Ive done rack of lamb that way and thats a tuff meat to do as well IN THE BS but it came out great.Once again i feel a 50 -60 dollar beef tenderlion should be alway done the way it was ment to be done.Always on a grille IMO. ;D.

Thanks for the tip about smoking after searing. I may give that a try the next time the market has 'em on sale.   asa

[BigSmoker]

Never done a whole smoked tenderloin cause I'm to poor for all that but I do from time to time cold smoke my steaks for bout 2 hours then grill them hot and fast with great results.

[asa]

Yeah, well we don't actually ever pay retail for them - the market down here has 'em on sale for 50% off on occasion and that's a good time to stock up. A couple of weeks ago I picked one up and sliced it into 1 3/4" steaks. Cooked two for dinner, then dry-aged the others for 2 days at 38 degrees and froze them. We've had two of the frozen ones since and man-o-man were they good. Maybe 40 minutes of smoke next time would be a good start for these steaks.

[Twinkle]

My Mom used to smoke tenderloin that was cut into pieces and it turned out good. I have a list of other things to try on the BS before I get to a BT. When I do a tenderloin, I sear it in a pan than roast it at high temp in the oven in the same pan, about 1/2 way throw some sliced shallots in. Make a pan gravy with mustard/balamic vinegar. It's pretty good(one of the few Martha Stewart recipes I have tried that actually works).

With lean meats like either pork or beef tenderloin, I usually roast at high temps. Have a great High temp roasted pork tenderloin with Chinese BBQ sauce.

I never buy either unless they are on sale.

[asa]

So Twinkle, is the idea of high temp cooking to blast the outside for flavor, then let that heat bring the innards up to where you want it? Are there any rules of thumb for calculating how long for the initial blast? One of our local markets had a recipe for standing rib roast like that. We tried it and it was excellent. Started off at something like 450 deg for say 30 min (I don't remember exactly but would be glad to look it up), and then just turned the oven off and left it for another hour or so, until ready to serve. I can see how that works well with a thicker piece of meat. I worked out the searing-then-low-and-slow method for tenderloin because I wanted that outer crust, but didn't want the heat to get to the inside too fast. Appreciate your posts.

[Twinkle]

Just a minute asa, I'll get up and get the recipe for the BT. 425F for 10 minutes then throw in the shallots and continue to cook for another 10-20 until it gets to medium rare. This is for a 1.5-2 lb BT. Gets rave reviews whenever I cook it. The mustard/shallot sauce is really good. Let me know if you would like the recipe.

Checked my prime rib recipe(from my favorite meat shop) 425 for 45 minutes then drop down to 325 to desired doneness. They have a time/pound calculation but I can't remember off the top of my head. I think it's pretty close because I usually cook one for Xmas(around an 8 pounder) and the time comes out all right for my getting dinner on the table.