Christmas Beef Tenderloin

[dhughes]

My Mother In Law, who likes her meat done Medium, bought a 6 lb beef tenderloin for the family for Christmas. At my recommendation, they will trim and dry brine it at least the day before. This will be done in the oven, not on the smoker, to my dismay. At what temp and how long should we cook this tenderloin? I plan on taking it out, cutting a piece off and putting it back in to get it up to medium for my mother-in-law. I've heard of getting the oven up to 500, putting the meat in, and turning the oven off for the cook. Not sure I want to gamble at the holidays, but any help would be appreciated.

[MBMorgan]

As far as temperature goes, do it in the oven exactly as you would in your smoker. Then pull the portion that you DON'T want to take up to medium and move it into a faux cambro while you crank up the heat for the MIL piece. Easy. Don't sweat it ...

[barelfly]

How many people want medium cooked meat in the family? If just your MIL, I’d cook to medium rare and pan fry her steak to get it to medium.

But, when I have done tenderloin roasts, I’ve slow roasted at 225 until I hit my desired temp then sear, or front sear and cook the same in the oven.

You have a thermometer so you can monitor the internal temp?

[dhughes]

Yes, I will have a temp probe in the tenderloin, but I am curious how long it will take to get to medium rare. I know she's going to want to eat at a certain time, so going low might not be the way to go.
I like the cambro idea! I guess it's all about options.

[barelfly]

2-3 hours? That’s what SeriousEats provides in one the of recipes they have. Also, suggest to tie it up so it’s a uniform shape, but you may already have that planned.

[dhughes]

2-3 hours at what temp? I'm going to have her drop the meat off at our place, so I have more control over this meal. I can trim it, season it, tie it up, etc.

[barelfly]

https://www.seriouseats.com/slow-roasted-beef-tenderloin-recipe

[dhughes]

Perfect, thank you!!

[Mosca]

When I do prime rib, I take the slices for the well done folks and lay them in a warm cast iron pan for 30-60 seconds or so per side: long enough to get gray, not long enough to brown. They actually come out pretty good, maintaining decent tenderness all things considered. There’s no reason this shouldn’t also work on tenderloin.

[efranzen]

Similar to Serious Eat, I smoke the tenderloin to 115 and then sear on the grill. I'll try the butter and skillet next time.

[dhughes]

This is good stuff, thanks! I was just talking to my wife about cutting a couple of pieces off and searing them for a brief period.
Another question, I'm going to assume that the butter baste will smoke a bit in the oven when broiling. I had the great idea, because I love my grill gun, to take it outside and char the tenderloin with my grill gun after basting it. My concern is that the butter might scorch with a direct flame and screw the whole thing up. Stick to the broiler or play with fire in the backyard?😜

[TripleB]

Play with fire in the backyard. You can control the grill gun, you can’t control the broiler.

[dhughes]

That's true! I like where your head is at. Good call! Golden rule: Always play with fire🤣