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๐Ÿ Home ยป Recipes ยป Beef Recipes

Roasted Whole Beef Tenderloin

Updated: Aug 3, 2023 ยท Published: Jan 3, 2010 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan ยท Leave a Comment

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Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Whole oven-roasted beef tenderloin is the best meal you can offer for extra special occasions. Just follow these easy instructions.

sliced beef tenderloin on wooden board ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.comยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com
Sliced beef tenderloin on wooden board ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com
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  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to cook a whole beef tenderloin
  • โฐ๐ŸŒก๏ธHow Longย to Cook
  • Doneness
  • ๐Ÿ„About Beef Tenderloin
  • ๐Ÿ”ฅWhat About the Smoke?
  • ๐Ÿ“–Other Beef Tenderloin Recipes
  • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
  • ๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

This is our traditional Christmas dinner. We cook the whole thing at once. My wife refuses to do turkey for Christmas... too much work.

I do this to keep the work down and increase family time. So the absolute best meal for me is beef.... beef tenderloin specifically. And this is the best.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to cook a whole beef tenderloin

  1. Trim the tenderloin of excess fat and the silverskin. Don't try to be perfect.
  2. Preheat oven to 450ยฐ.
  3. Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan on a rack. Roll the narrow tail around to double that area and help fit.
  4. Mix olive oil and garlic and liberally coat the tenderloinโ€”with a nice coat of salt and coarse pepper. You may also add other spices like thyme if you wish.
  5. Place on a center rack with a meat thermometerโ€”roast for 15 minutes at 450ยฐ. After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325ยฐ and roast for about 10-12 minutes per pound. Cooking time is highly variable due to thickness.
  6. Remove at 130ยฐ-150ยฐ (your choice) internal temperature in the thickest part โ€” tent for about 10 minutes before slicing. The final temperature will rise about 5ยฐ during tenting.

โฐ๐ŸŒก๏ธHow Long to Cook

One thing about doing a whole tenderloin is that various parts will cook faster or slower, depending on the thickness. This is great in large groups where we get anywhere from rare to well-done (not recommended) requests.

Roast for 15 minutes at 450ยฐ. After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325ยฐ and roast for about  10-12 minutes per pound. But as always, cook to a final internal temperature.

Doneness

DonenessDescriptionTemperature
RareCold red center125ยฐ-130ยฐ
Medium RareWarm red center130ยฐ-135ยฐ
MediumPink and firm center140ยฐ-150ยฐ
Medium WellMinimal pink150ยฐ-155ยฐ
WellNo pink155ยฐ+

๐Ÿ„About Beef Tenderloin

Beef tenderloin is a large muscle in the upper back of the cow. The psoas muscle gets very little work and no weight-bearing, so it is very tender.

Graphic of the location of filet and beef tenderloin- licensed from Fotolia May 16,2017. Copyright foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Modified per allow by licensed.
Licensed from Fotolia May 16, 2017. Copyright foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Modified per allow by license.

What To Buy?

It is all about quality here, more than almost any other cut of beef. Prime is the top 2%; you can buy it for $35 per pound, which I have done at the best meat shops.

Next, just under Prime, is Choice. About half the beef sold in the USA is Choice, which you should usually buy. It will be about $10-15 per pound.

Select is next but just say no. If you see a beef tenderloin that does not have one of these three ratings, it is guaranteed to be bad.

How to Trim: An excellent guide to trimming a whole beef tenderloin is at Serious Eats - How to Trim a Whole Beef Tenderloin for Roasting.  But I usually don't bother tieing.

๐Ÿ”ฅWhat About the Smoke?

You will probably have some smoking from the oven due to the fat and the high temperature to start.

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So you have some choices.

  1. You can just realize it will probably happen and live with it.
  2. You could add some water to the pan under the rack so that when the fat melts, it hits the water. (max temp of 212ยฐ) instead of the 450ยฐ pan.

๐Ÿ“–Other Beef Tenderloin Recipes

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon

Filet Mignon on a Gas Grill

What to Do With Leftover Beef Tenderloin? Philly Sandwiches

Editor note: Originally Published January 3, 2010. The original photos for this post were lost. It was the blog's first month, and I wasnโ€™t the most organized blogger. But they were probably bad anyway. I have substituted some stock photos that represent the recipe well. But no step-by-step photos. I have rewritten and updated the discussion and clarified the instructions.

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This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

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Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Chef trimming beef tenderloin. ยฉAlexander Raths - stock.adobe.com 2018
Chef trimming beef tenderloin. ยฉAlexander Raths - stock.adobe.com 2018

Trim the tenderloin of excess fat and silverskin. Don't try to be perfect.

Whole beef tenderloin whole-ยฉgolubsergei-stock.adobe_.com
Whole beef tenderloin whole-ยฉgolubsergei-stock.adobe_.com

Preheat oven to 450ยฐ. Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan on a rack. Roll the narrow tail around to double that area and help fit.

mixing oil and garlic in glass bowl

Mix oil and garlic and liberally coat the loinโ€”a nice coat of salt and coarse pepper. You may also add other spices like thyme if you wish.

Cooked-beef-tenderloin-on-wooden-board-ยฉJascha-Asadov-from-Shutterstock-2018
Cooked beef tenderloin ยฉJascha Asadov from Shutterstock-2018

Place on a center rack with a meat thermometerโ€”roast for 15 minutes at 450ยฐ. After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325ยฐ and roast for about  10-12 minutes per pound.

sliced beef tenderloin on wooden board ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.comยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com
ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com

Remove at 130ยฐ-150ยฐ internal temperature in the thickest part per your desire โ€” tent for about 10 minutes before slicing. The final temperature will rise about 5ยฐ.

โ†‘Jump to Table of Contents

๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions

sliced beef tenderloin on wooden board ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com

Roasted Whole Beef Tenderloin

4.20 from 5 votes
From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Whole oven-roasted beef tenderloin is the absolutely best meal you can offer for extra special occasions. Just follow these easy instructions.๏ปฟ
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings #/Adjustable :12
Print | Pin | Email share | Like and save for later Saved!

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric
  • 5 pounds Beef tenderloin - Prime or Choice
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-4 cloves garlic - crushed
  • spices, salt, and pepper to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions
 

  • Trim the tenderloin of excess fat and the silverskin. Don't try to be perfect.
    Chef trimming beef tenderloin. ยฉAlexander Raths - stock.adobe.com 2018
  • Preheat oven to 450ยฐ. Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan on a rack. Roll the narrow tail around to double that area and help fit.
    Whole beef tenderloin whole-ยฉgolubsergei-stock.adobe_.com
  • Mix oil and garlic and liberally coat the loin.ย  A nice coat of salt and coarse pepper. You may also add other spices like thyme if you wish.
    mixing oil and garlic in glass bowl
  • Place on a center rack with a meat thermometer. Roast for 15 minutes at 450ยฐ. After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325ยฐ and roast for aboutย 10-12 minutes per pound. Cooking time is highly variable due to thickness.
  • Remove at 130ยฐ-150ยฐ internal temperature in the thickest part per your desire โ€” tent for about 10 minutes before slicing. The final temperature will rise about 5ยฐ during tenting.
    sliced beef tenderloin on wooden board ยฉricka_kinamoto - stock.adobe.com

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

  1. Buy Prime or Choice. Do not buy Select.
  2. Trim of extra fat and silver skin. A reference is provided in the post if you need it.
  3. Coat with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste and other spices if you want.
  4. Cook to a final internal temperature you want.
  5. You will have some smoke. A little water in the bottom of the pan will cut that way down.
  6. Be sure to tent lightly and rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
  7. Cooking time is highly variable due to thickness. Cook to a final internal temperature never by time.
  8. Save the juices from the platter for reheating. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Your Own Private Notes

Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.

To adjust the recipe size:

You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.

Nutrition Estimate (may vary)

Calories : 490 kcal (25%)Carbohydrates : 0.3 gProtein : 37 g (74%)Fat : 37 g (57%)Saturated Fat : 14 g (70%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 2 gMonounsaturated Fat : 16 gCholesterol : 125 mg (42%)Sodium : 428 mg (18%)Potassium : 574 mg (16%)Fiber : 0.02 gSugar : 0.01 gVitamin C : 0.8 mg (1%)Calcium : 40 mg (4%)Iron : 2.7 mg (15%)
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Whole Beef Tenderloin
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