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Beef Tenderloin Reverse Sear Timing

I have 2 beef tenderloins, trimmed up, 3.3 pounds each, ready to go tomorrow. Plan on doing a reverse sear so cooking at 325-350 until internal temp of 120-125, then searing at high heat, then resting with goal of medium rare.

I'm trying to guess at total cook time for a dinner party and everything I see is for cooking at 425 degrees. Any guidance? It is a lot of money so I don't want to screw it up. Thanks.

Comments

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Maybe 20-30 minutes. Go to 115 - 120. Then sear 60sec per 1/4 turn.
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794

    It will depend on the meat temperature when you start.  If you let it warm up a while then the cook will take you between 1-2 hours (maybe closer to 1 hour if you start at room temp).

    Depending on how fast you intend to "sear" it, you may want to take it off at about 115.  It will rise to 120 before you put it on for the sear and rise some more as you sear it.  I sometimes feel handcuffed by the temperature to keep my sear to about 30 seconds per side when I would really like it to stay on a little longer - like 2 minutes per side to get a better sear.  Worst case scenario if you take it off at 115 is that the thicker and more central portion of the tenderloin is on the slightly more rare side of medium-rare, but the thinner and peripheral portions will be medium-rare to medium.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794
    Maybe 20-30 minutes. Go to 115 - 120. Then sear 60sec per 1/4 turn.

    He is more likely to be right than I am on the cook time.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Yes, I will set out the meat to warm up before the cook.

    Good advice about the temp - I will shoot for 115 before the sear.

    If I plan on 1 hour cook time, plus ~10 minutes to fire up the grill, plus 5-6 min to sear, plus 15-20 min to rest then the total minimum cook time would be 90 minutes.

    So to eat 8-9 PM I would put the tenderloin on the grill at 6:30PM.
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794
    Sounds like a good plan.  Let us know how it goes.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    edited April 2013
    I have 2 beef tenderloins, trimmed up, 3.3 pounds each, ready to go tomorrow. Plan on doing a reverse sear so cooking at 325-350 until internal temp of 120-125, then searing at high heat, then resting with goal of medium rare.

    I'm trying to guess at total cook time for a dinner party and everything I see is for cooking at 425 degrees. Any guidance? It is a lot of money so I don't want to screw it up. Thanks.

    I have ALWAYS done the reverse sear... Remember in the first part of the cook, you are baking the meat, you are not grilling it. Your meat will not brown very much that far away from the direct heat. The best setup is... Fill your fire box so that your red hot lump is 2" below the top of the fire box. Once you start your fire put a small grid right on top of your fire box. If you have a LBGE you need a grid that is 13 1/2 in circumference. It will fit like a glove and no you won't have to remove your fire ring on this cook. No platesetter for this cook! Then put your 18" grid on top of the fire ring. Close the lid and bring the dome temp up to 350 degrees. Put your meat on when you have your temp stable. Put you temp gauge in the fattest part of the meat. Leave the lid closed until the meat temp reaches 85 degrees. Open the lid, turn the meat, close the lid. Leave the lid closed until the meat gets to 110 degrees maximum. Because your meat has been baking high above the direct heat it will not be very brown at 110. If you pulled it 105 it will give you more time to brown it. You are cooking Chateaubriand style so you want to get those babies browned. You know that deep dark mahogany color like you get at expensive restaurants. Once you pull the meat... Open your bottom vent wide open and by the way, your lid will stay open for the rest of the cook. While you are ramping the heat up I suggest you blot the meat with a paper towel to remove any water that has been rendered during the first part of the cook. You want to sear the meat, not steam it. All of that adjusting and blotting only takes about 2 minutes and with everything wide open your lump will be hot, hot, hot. Not as hot as Trex style but... When your meat is 2" from the hot lump, you don't need it to be rip roaring hot. If you want to drink a beer and let it get hotter, fine but no need for that and remember... If you pull it at 105 it is still cooking while you are doing your adjustments. After you have blotted it... Paint it with beef love. I use rendered fat that I collect from other cooks that I have to trim fat off the meat, like pork butts. I put it in a sauce pan and render it down to a liquid form and put it in ice cube trays so I have it when I need it. If you don't have that use peanut oil. It has a higher burn temp than olive oil or canola oil. But... Those are better than nothing, they help in the browning process, building a crust.. Anyway, after you've painted them with beef love, put them on the grid. Because you are cooking a round piece of meat, you will need to rotate them a lot. That makes it harder to get a good crust, so pulling them off of the top grid at 105 sounds better and better the more I think about it. It will surprise you how fast they get to 135 degrees. That's my story and I'm sticking to it? Oh and by the way... That will not take more than1 hour, probaly less than an hour. I gaurantee it! I've done that cook many many times. As far as resting time, 15 to 20 minutes is way to long. Read what Meathead has to say about resting your steaks, at Amazingribs.com. And don't forget to make a bernaise sauce. It is very good with Chateaubriand. I'd serve it with a side of fettucini alfredo, grilled asparagus garlic bread and a really good Cabernet Sauvignon. .Now i'm hungry... Bye! Good luck, happy Egging and let us all know how it went. Take pictures.
  • Thanks for all the info and meticulous details. Helps a lot. I am still working out some of the thoughts. It is a miserable, cold, windy, snow, rainy day certain to be improved later with 6 pounds of beef tenderloin and a Zinfandel tasting.

    Pulling at 105 seems low to me. I was thinking 115 to end up medium rare. I have an XL and I am not sure I can set up to get the grate so close to the coals.
  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    edited April 2013
    Remember this when you have shifted the meat from your top grid down to do your sear... If you do that move when the meat is at 115 degrees, by the time you get the changes made your meat is still cooking and when you put it back on the grid it will already be 120 degrees. That gives you very, very little time to sear a round piece of meat. If you were cooking flat steaks they will sear faster. When you drop your meat down to that much direct heat it only takes a few short minutes to go from 120 to 135. Good luck with your cook. Your tenderloins look fabulous! Dine well my friend and happy Egging.
  • OK. I will go with 105 and see what happens. Certainly don't want it to be over done.
  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    I really think you'll be happy you did that... Keep turning the tenderloins so you get an even sear and keep your thermapen handy. If you pull them at 135 and rest them for 5 or 10 minutes they will be 140 degrees when you slice them.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Or higher

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    Little Steven... OMG, 20,000 posts! How long have you been on this site?
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    About half the time I have been egging. I have been cooking most of my life.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Well, 105 was a good idea. My initial thought of 115 would have resulted in way over done tenderloin. I tried to keep the lid open but too much flame so I closed the lid. Dome temp was about 500. It was some good stuff. Thanks everyone for the help.


    imageimageimage
  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    edited April 2013
    Jeroldharter... Woohoo!!! Great cook. Don't you love that dark brown mahogany color contrasted by all of the beautiful pink meat. Dude you nailed it? Good job. You would pay a small fortune to get that served that nice at a fancy Steakhouse. Did you paint it with beef love?
  • No beef love, but I did use the oil. Could have had the grill even hotter for the sear. I was too timid. On the other hand I did not burn it and the crust was good. The smaller end was a bit overdone but I'm not sure that can be fixed. 

    6.3 pounds for 9 people and hardly any leftovers.
  • HogHeaven
    HogHeaven Posts: 326
    edited April 2013
    No beef love, but I did use the oil. Could have had the grill even hotter for the sear. I was too timid. On the other hand I did not burn it and the crust was good. The smaller end was a bit overdone but I'm not sure that can be fixed. 

    6.3 pounds for 9 people and hardly any leftovers.

    The oil you used on the reverse sear did what the beef love's purpose is... The hot fire heats it up real hot and it helps brown the meat. The guy that started using the rendered fat instead of the norm at the time, olive oil, because he said it had a superior taste than olive oil and a higher burn temp. On your next tenderloin cook you might want to try this on the tail. Fold it back on it's self and with some butcher's twine tie it together so it is the same thickness as the other part of the loin. Keep that a secret. I'm not sure I should say that on here because I learned it from Bobby Flay, it's not my original thought. I cooked that same cook, 2 tenderloins for a family gathering in December. I pulled it at 110 and dropped down to sear it and didn't get it as brown as I wanted to. That's why I suggested the 105 temp for you.
  • I am just reading this post now because I am doing a tenderloin tonight (reverse sear). Do you recall how long it took? Someone mentioned they thought it would be 20-30 minutes (plus the set and sear) and someone else thought 1-2 hours.
    I am planning on indirect at 250 until 105 IT and then the reverse sear and am looking for guidance on how long to plan for it
  • GoooDawgs
    GoooDawgs Posts: 1,060
    @jrhoads23 what level of doneness are you going for?  The reverse sear is pretty foolproof if you heat it up around 250.  The internal temp will not rise significantly that way, so you can pretty much stay at the temp you want.  The sear should be lid open as you're not wanting to cook anymore. 

    I like between medium rare and medium,  and I pull it off about 125/130.   Pulling at 105 seems really low unless you're trying to cook it further on the sear. 

    Just a thought - lots of opinions and options here! 
    Milton, GA 
    XL BGE & FB300