"Catering" Help

berrygood

Hello all. Here's my situation. My father is hosting an evening party at his home (50 attendees) and I have agreed to cook two beef tenderloins for him. Here are my challenges...

Distance - his home is 30 minutes from mine, so they could serve 1-2 hours after finishing the cook. Using the double foil-towel-cooler method, how long can I expect the meat to stay warm?

Temperature - since I obviously don't want to cut the meat and won't be able throw an under-cooked piece back on the grill, I have to get temperature just right. A medium finish seems to be the safest temp considering the number of attendees, so I was thinking of pulling at 140. What I don't know is how much post-cook temp gain can I expect with these tenderloins?

Prep - I was gonna rub with EVOO and S&P. However, I am also considering DP Cow Lick or Raisin' the Steaks to give it a kick, but I don't wanna overpower this delicate cut. Thoughts?

I know I have a bunch of questions, but my "Type-A" gets revved-up in these situations. Thanks for the input.

AZRP

Doesn't your dad have an oven you could warm them back up in? If it were me I would sear them and pull them off around 120, foil them then take them to whatever temp you want in his oven. If you take them off at 140 the carry over cooking is going have them well done. -RP

FearlessGrill

I'd consider bringing your Egg over there and just cooking on site. Saves you the trouble of reheating or trying to keep them warm without overcooking in the process. If you have an XL, this might be an issue, but I move my large a lot without a problem.

In terms of the carryover, wrapping them and putting them in a cooler to keep warm will also slow the loss of heat, which implies that you'll get more of a bump during the rest than if you slice and serve immediately. Not sure how much. If you choose to do this, I'd experiment first.

In terms of the prep, I don't think the rubs will necessarily overpower the cut - the flavor is only on the surface, so you'll have plenty of un-flavored interior meat to offset the crust. I think the S&P option is fine too. Just be aware that in a group of 50 people, you are likely to have some fools who think black pepper is way too hot. A few years ago I made some simple steaks with S&P rub for a gathering, and one woman took a bite and looked like she had been shot, saying after she recovered 'you need to warn people before using spices in food'. I've had enough situations like this that I tend to dumb down flavorings when cooking for people whose tastes I don't know well. I'd rather have people need to add pepper than gag on their food.

Hope this helps,

-John

Hungry Celeste

RE: rub, I would go with something simple--not a big, complicated BBQ style mult-seasoning rub. I like to puree fresh garlic, rosemary, s & p in olive oil and rub the exterios with this mixture. It will add a bit of crust/char, a touch of flavor without being too assertive, and will harmonize with a variety of sides. If you're worried about the dish being too bland, consider making a couple of sauces to offer alongside the sliced beef: a creamy horseradish sauce, a fruit compote, red wine & mushroom sauce, etc.

berrygood

Thanks for support. Good suggestions.