This slow-roasted, reverse-seared beef tenderloin recipe is one of our holiday recipe go-to’s. This recipe is a riff off of the one by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, but truth be told, the slow and low method is nothing new or even particularly groundbreaking. But even still: it’s hands down our favorite way to get a juicy tenderloin with a deep brown crust and pink meat from edge to edge.
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Reverse Seared Beef Tenderloin
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Description
This slow-roasted, reverse-seared beef tenderloin recipe is one of our holiday recipe go-to’s. This recipe is a riff off of the one by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, but truth be told, the slow and low method is nothing new or even particularly groundbreaking. But even still: it’s hands down our favorite way to get a juicy tenderloin with a deep brown crust and pink meat from edge to edge.
Ingredients
1 center-cut, trimmed beef tenderloin, 2 to 3 pounds (tied; see step one)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 sprigs rosemary or thyme (you can substitute 2 sprigs of each)
1 shallot, roughly sliced
Instructions
- The day before you plan on cooking your tenderloin, use butchers twine to tie it at 1-inch intervals (your butcher may do this for you!). Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
- When ready to cook, adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 200°F. Remove tenderloin from the refrigerator and move it off of the rack momentarily so that you can lightly spray or wipe down the rack with oil. Place the tenderloin back on the rack and roast until it registers 120 to 125°F, about 2 hours. It’s important to note that cooking time can vary widely depending on the thickness of your tenderloin! We recommend that you check the temp at 1.5 hrs to get a sense of how quickly your tenderloin is cooking, then adjust time from there; don’t be surprised if it’s done quite a bit before or after the 2 hour mark. Once the tenderloin is done cooking, remove it from the oven, allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and remove the twine.
- While the beef is resting, set a frying pan or skillet that fits the tenderloin over medium heat and melt the butter. Once just melted, add the herbs and shallot. Keep cooking until fragrant and the butter begins to brown.
- Add the tenderloin to the pan and sear it on all sides, turning it occasionally and spooning hot butter over it repeatedly. Once it’s nicely browned all around, remove the tenderloin from the pan and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
This is gorgeous on its own, but also goes wonderfully with a horseradish cream sauce.
