Smoking a Beef Tenderloin (First Time - Need Advice)

markprewitt · May 2014

I am planning on smoking (indirect heat) a beef tenderloin and need advice. I have my marinade/rub etc but need advice on approximate cooking times and temps. It's going to be a full tenderloin from Costco but not sure of weight range. Looking for mostly medium rare cuts. Thoughts on prep and/or cook?

SGH · May 2014

@markprewitt‌
My friend I would recommend a reverse sear or sear then roast doesn't matter which way as they work equally well. For a rare to medium rare cook to a internal temp of 120-130 depending on your taste and desired results. As far as prep there is not that much to fuss over. Just remove any excess sinew if cooking it whole. You could also separate the individual parts and that would give you different cooking options. A whole loin has the large end, the small end, the tip, and the chain. Once parted out they can be cooked separate and many different ways. I can give more detail on this if needed. I like 225-250 for the roasting. Oak for wood. Hope this helps my
friend. One last thing. Please know that most of my recipes and techniques come from cooking on other type of cookers so you may want to take advice from others who use the egg exclusively or more frequent than me. But that being said they usually work just the same. Good luck my friend.

Foghorn · May 2014

Costco tenderloins tend to run 4 - 6 pounds. Go easy on the smoking wood. It is possible to get it too smokey. I think of it as cooking or roasting rather than smoking. The exact cooking temp doesn't matter - anywhere below 350 is good. The lower the temp, the longer it will take, but the more uniform it will be.

For medium rare you can pull about 125 as it will continue to cook after you take it off. Many people here would sear it direct at high temp after the roast. If you want to to that, pull it at 115 to 118.

Foghorn · May 2014

And this isn't a long cook. You're not going to 200 degrees like a brisket or a pork butt. There is no stall. Probably 75-120 minutes. Maybe a little longer if you go really low. Once the internal temp starts rising keep a very close eye on it. That's usually when I'm on my 3rd or 4th beer and I get very social with guests and end up overcooking.

jhl192 · May 2014

Salt and Pepper or other rub of your choice, indirect at 250 until the Internal temperature reaches 120 degrees. Then remove the tenderloin and cover it with foil while you remove the platesetter and raise the grill temperature to 600-650. Sear the tenderloin on all sides for about 60-90 seconds a side. Its called reverse seared and will give you a nice char on the outside and a mostly medium rare middle. The thinner end will be closer to medium.

SenecaTheYounger · May 2014

@jhl192:

I would suggest no foil. You want the tenderloin to stop cooking, and foil will increase carryover.

You want the tenderloin to be stable in temperature before adding more heat via the sear.

Personally, I prefer a pan sear first, for maximum brown. Then roast at 250 to finish. Full disclosure: I don't do them very often, anymore.

MaskedMarvel · May 2014

It'll keep cooking at 120* - I'd definitely pull it earlier. Like 110... You can always blast it a little more, but if it rests like it should a ten to fifteen degree jump wouldn't be unusual.

Eggpharmer · May 2014

Here's a reverse sear I did a little while back that turned out excellent:

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1156971/beef-tenderloin#latest

markprewitt · May 2014

Thanks everyone for their suggestions!! I ended up with a 8.5 pound beef tenderloin from Costco and prepared a light rub/seasoning for marinade an hour before putting it on the XL BGE. I smoked it with hickory wood chunks for 2.5 hours at 200 degrees dome temperature for an internal temperature of 120 degrees. I then pulled it off an took the plate setter off and got the dome temperature up to 650 degrees and did a reverse sear for 2.5 minutes on each side which took the internal temperature to 130 degrees at the thickest part and 148 degrees at the end caps. The steak tasted and presented perfectly!! Thanks again for all the suggestions!!

TN2TX · August 2014

markprewitt said:

Thanks everyone for their suggestions!! I ended up with a 8.5 pound beef tenderloin from Costco and prepared a light rub/seasoning for marinade an hour before putting it on the XL BGE. I smoked it with hickory wood chunks for 2.5 hours at 200 degrees dome temperature for an internal temperature of 120 degrees. I then pulled it off an took the plate setter off and got the dome temperature up to 650 degrees and did a reverse sear for 2.5 minutes on each side which took the internal temperature to 130 degrees at the thickest part and 148 degrees at the end caps. The steak tasted and presented perfectly!! Thanks again for all the suggestions!!

Do you leave the lid open when you're doing the high temp at the end?

Smoking a Beef Tenderloin (First Time - Need Advice)

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