keeping beef tenderloin warm after cooking

stjoe64

Plan to cook two 6-8 lb tenderloins on BGE this weekend and would like to complete cooking prior to guests arrival. I need advise for best way to keep meat warm and juicy during cocktails (1-1 1/2 hour).

Thank you.

SmokeyPitt

This one is a little tricky because most people like to to cook tenderloin on the rare side so it might be difficult to keep it warm without overcooking it.  You could try an FTC in a pre-heated cooler.  It's not going to keep warm as long as a butt or brisket since the meat is not that hot, but it may be ok for an hour.  

Some ovens have a "keep warm" setting (mine doesn't).  I would test it out with my maverick ahead of time to see just how warm it is.  Crock pot on "keep warm" might be another option.  If you choose to use some heat source to keep it warm, then perhaps pull the meat a little earlier to account for additional cooking that may occur. 

Foghorn

The problem with anything that adds heat to a system (oven or crock pot) is that it could keep cooking your tenderloin well past your desired temp.  If I had to do this, I would probably FTC with some hot towels (soak 1 with the hottest possible water from your faucet and put it on the bottom). 

Personally, when I cook a tenderloin for a crowd, I usually make the cooking of it part of the happy hour as it adds entertainment/conversation value to the evening - I do it Lomo al trapo.

http://food52.com/recipes/18568-steven-raichlen-s-salt-crusted-beef-tenderloin-grilled-in-cloth-lomo-al-trapo

This may not work for you on this occasion because it sounds like you want to be done cookiing before the guests arrive, but give it a shot sometime. 

Tjcoley

Agree that keeping it warm may end up over cooking it. The advantage to a whole tenderloin is the difference in thickness allows a cook of rare to well done with one piece of meat. I'd plan to finish it before serving.

stjoe64

Thanks for the feedback. Will not try to keep warm, but include the cooking as part of the evening.

nolaegghead

I throw some boiling water in my ice chest....close the lid and let it heat up the insulation.  Empty and dry it out.  Wrap in foil, then a towel. 

Will stay warm but be careful...if you immediately wrap, especially after a sear, it'll keep on cooking. 

It's important to put the meat on a cooling rack to let the heat on the outside of the roast to cool down so when the temp equalizes, it doesn't cook above your target temp.