Tried the APL Beef Tenderloin - one issue

run53

I did a beef tenderloin on the BGE last night. The end results were great using the APL recipe. I had only one issue that I'm trying to figure out. Since I am a newbie to the BGE and I was having guests, I decided to forward sear the tenderloin on my gasser then move it to indirect on the BGE. The problem I had was with the sear.

When I seared it on the gasser, all the rub stuck to the grates when I turned it. I probably made a rookie mistake somewhere along the line with the sear. I put it on and left it alone for a couple of minutes....maybe I should have waited longer? or perhaps my grates weren't hot enough? I didn't oil my grates...maybe I should have done that? 

Any ideas as to what caused this? Like I said, the end result was great but I feel like it could have been a better crust if the sear went better.

Thanks

JohnInCarolina

Did you put any oil on the meat after applying the rub?  

run53

JohnInCarolina said:

Did you put any oil on the meat after applying the rub?  

No. I followed the APL recipe. It said to put the paste on, then the rub. So that's what I did. 

JohnInCarolina

run53 said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Did you put any oil on the meat after applying the rub?  

No. I followed the APL recipe. It said to put the paste on, then the rub. So that's what I did. 

I'm not sure where you found the recipe, but in the copy of the Serious BBQ book that I have, it calls for putting canola oil on after the rub.  

run53

Hmmmm.......this is the recipe I used. Perhaps not the correct version. https://www.google.com/amp/s/cookingquest.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/whole-beef-tenderloin-with-honey-and-worcestershire-crust/amp/

JohnInCarolina

run53 said:

Hmmmm.......this is the recipe I used. Perhaps not the correct version. https://www.google.com/amp/s/cookingquest.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/whole-beef-tenderloin-with-honey-and-worcestershire-crust/amp/

Yeah, sorry.  Looks like he cribbed it from the book and left out the canola oil step. 

APL's recipes pretty consistently call for adding oil to the protein before throwing it on a hot grill.  

Anyway, now you know what to do next time!

GoooDawgs

@JohnInCarolina I have never tried that before - makes sense though.  So you just put the rub on the protein, spray or rub it with canola oil (will EVOO work?) and then sear?  Does the oil help the sear form a better crust?  I've always been told to pat the meat dry before the sear, so perhaps I'm missing out on something...   Thanks man

run53

JohnInCarolina said:

run53 said:

Hmmmm.......this is the recipe I used. Perhaps not the correct version. https://www.google.com/amp/s/cookingquest.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/whole-beef-tenderloin-with-honey-and-worcestershire-crust/amp/

Yeah, sorry.  Looks like he cribbed it from the book and left out the canola oil step. 

APL's recipes pretty consistently call for adding oil to the protein before throwing it on a hot grill.  

Anyway, now you know what to do next time!

Thanks!!! I will try the oil after the rub when I make it on Xmas. 

JohnInCarolina

GoooDawgs said:

@JohnInCarolina I have never tried that before - makes sense though.  So you just put the rub on the protein, spray or rub it with canola oil (will EVOO work?) and then sear?  Does the oil help the sear form a better crust?  I've always been told to pat the meat dry before the sear, so perhaps I'm missing out on something...   Thanks man

Canola has a higher smoke point than EVOO, so it’s better to use that if you have it.

I think the main thing it does is to simply prevent the meat from sticking.  It may also help with the sear itself, yes. 

Thatgrimguy

I'd add that it sounds like you didn't give the gasser enough preheat time. A very hot grate won't stick nearly as bad.

run53

Thatgrimguy said:

I'd add that it sounds like you didn't give the gasser enough preheat time. A very hot grate won't stick nearly as bad.

yeah...probably. it was cold out and I only let the gasser run for about 15 minutes. It didn't sizzle when i put the beef on.

Thatgrimguy

run53 said:

Thatgrimguy said:

I'd add that it sounds like you didn't give the gasser enough preheat time. A very hot grate won't stick nearly as bad.

yeah...probably. it was cold out and I only let the gasser run for about 15 minutes. It didn't sizzle when i put the beef on.

Then that definitely contributed significantly to the sticking.