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Wet aging question re: beef tenderloin

JDoubleH
JDoubleH Posts: 112
in EggHead Forum
Planning to pick up a prime beef tenderloin from Costco for Christmas dinner and don't want to wait until everything is picked over. How long do you guys normally feel comfortable leaving a piece of beef in the vacuum seal bag for, in the fridge? 

Also, any recommendations on doing a whole beef tenderloin appreciated. This will be my first. Tentative plan is reverse sear to 115 and then crank it up and sear the crust on it. 

Thanks! 
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Comments

  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Longer than you think.  You could've bought it a few weeks ago or more, depending on when it was packaged. One expert fellow egghead is @Darby_Crenshaw.  Hopefully he'll chime in for you with more accurate particulars
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks Brent! 
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    You are a month late. So you will certainly be fine for a week

    ;)
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks Darby! 
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    There you go.  Reverse sear is a great plan.  Use kitchen twine to fold the tail back onto the tenderloin so you have an even sized "log".  It will deliver.  Post pix brother.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    No worries btw. One of the reasons to wet age is for tenderness, and you are already ahead in that regard


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Ended up buying a choice that I thought was a much better deal at 11 bucks a pound. Not going to get super hung up on Prime with a tenderloin since there's so little marbling anyway. This one is unpeeled so going to have to do some trimming. Any thoughts on rubs / drying over night uncovered in fridge / etc? 
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    No need to dry overnight!  Take it out an hour before you egg it.  For me, salt and pepper are all you need.  Make some compound butter to finish and your done.  Let it rest 20 minutes at least!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    Trim all the silver skin and unwanted bits. fold under the thin end and tie with butcher string to make a uniform roast. I reverse sear also but I pull first at 100 then sear with aim to pull by 120 and give it a good rest like @bgebrent says. 
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Agree with @blind99 pulling it at 100-105, if medium rare is your goal.  That being a warm red center.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Compound butter wise, roast a whole head of garlic and let it cool.  Combine it with a softened stick of butter, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a T of fresh chopped parsley.  
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks for the butter recipe. I have only made compounds with minced garlic before- whole roasted sounds amazing. 
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  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    If you salt it the night before and let it sit on a rack on the fridge, it will develop a nice surface to promote browning. I do it often with non-aged steaks and it makes a tender, flavorful bite. 
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    I hope you like it brother.  Roast it in hd foil with a little S &P and olive oil.  400 for 30 minutes.  Roasted garlic is much more sublime than minced.  Both however are good!  Let me know how it ends up SEC brother.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Don't believe anything @Eggcelsior says.  He's known to be a heretic on the forum.  Ok, kidding,  he knows his shlt and you should try it too.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    I sry overnight if i can. A wet surface cannot brown unless all the water has been driven off

    a good experiment some day is to so a dry aged steak next to a fresh one

    the aged one will be all over brown (fried fat, etc) with instant grill marks, while the fresh steak next to it will stick to the grate (until the grill marks form), and turn pallid and grey while it steams off. Only then will it start to caramelize and brown

    next day, to season, you can rub a light coating of oil over it so the seasonings will stick
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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    I want the crust, so I will dry! Thanks everyone! 
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited December 2015
    won't have much of a crust on tenderloin, but the searing will be better. crust needs fat really, and dry fat at that.

    might consider a marinade (light!), like bourbon for example, or brandy.

    i gotta say, if i were doing a tenderloin, unless it were as a wellington, i would probably cut it into a couple roasts ('chateaubriand') cuts, and sear it in a cast iron pan, then roast to finish.

    you will get much more flavor from the large contact area and browning on cast iron than you will searing between the bars of your grate.

    you'll have less temp rise too because the sear can be shorter (the cast iron with a tiny bit of oil transfers heat much better)

    this is a small roast, but it is tenderloin. and this was not dried or aged at all.



    EDIT: was gonna suggest searching alton brown for a recipe for the whole tenderloin, but didn't find one (quickly).  he actually proposes the same thing, pan searing followed by an indirect roast to temp

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/center-cut-tenderloin-roast-recipe.html


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  • JDoubleH
    JDoubleH Posts: 112
    Thanks Darby. I'll probably stick to reverse sear since I'm most comfortable with that technique these days, but was already planning on cutting this think into 2 smaller roasts so I could finish this joker in the cast iron. Also, 2 smaller roasts make sense for me since I have 2 ladies that want medium plus, and me and dad want medium rare. 
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