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Roast Beef Tenderloin

Source of Recipe

Cooks Illustrated


Recipe Introduction

Serves 4 to 6. If using table salt, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon. Ask your butcher to prepare a trimmed, center-cut Châteaubriand from the whole tenderloin, as this cut is not usually available without special ordering. If you are cooking for a crowd, this recipe can be doubled to make two roasts. Sear the roasts one after the other, wiping out the pan and adding new oil after searing the first roast. Both pieces of meat can be roasted on the same rack. notes: We wanted tenderloin with a dark brown crust and rosy pink interior—not an overcooked waste of money. Selecting a specific portion of the tenderloin eliminated painstaking trimming, and its uniform shape ensured that the roast cooked evenly. Pan-searing the meat before roasting produced a great crust, but the texture suffered. When we swapped the cooking order, however, the results were nothing short of perfection.

List of Ingredients


1 beef tenderloin center-cut Châteaubriand (about 2 pounds), trimmed of fat and silver skin (see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (see note)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 recipe flavored butter (see related recipes)


Recipe

Using 12-inch lengths of twine, tie roast crosswise at 11/2-inch intervals. Sprinkle roast evenly with salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.


Pat roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle roast evenly with pepper and spread unsalted butter evenly over surface. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 40 to 55 minutes, or 135 degrees for medium, 55 to 70 minutes, flipping roast halfway through cooking.

Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place roast in skillet and sear until well browned on four sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side (total of 4 to 8 minutes). Transfer roast to carving board and spread 2 tablespoons flavored butter evenly over top of roast; let rest 15 minutes. Remove twine and cut meat crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve, passing remaining flavored butter separately.


Flavored Butters:

Blue Cheese Chive Butter
Ingredients:
1 lb. unsalted butter, cubed and soft
1 lb crumbled bleu cheese
1 cup chives, chopped
1 tsp kosher or sea salt

Directions: Let soften for about an hour at room temperature. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well incorporated. Using a spatula, place the butter into a storage container. Scoop 1-2 tbs. of butter on steaks prior to removing from grill and keep remaining butter in the refrigerator for future use.