18 Delicious Beef Tenderloin Recipes

Top Tips

1. Tie the tenderloin before it goes in the oven. Most butchers will do this but if yours is not tied, use kitchen twine to fold the thin tail end underneath and tie it every two inches. An untied tenderloin cooks unevenly because the thin end finishes way before the thicker center, and you end up with overcooked edges before the middle reaches temperature.
2. A meat thermometer is not optional here. Beef tenderloin is expensive and the difference between medium-rare and overcooked is about 10 degrees. Pull it at 125°F for medium-rare and rest it tented under foil for at least 10 minutes before slicing, because the temperature will climb another 5 degrees during the rest.
3. Season heavily and do it early. Tenderloin is lean, which means it does not have a lot of fat carrying flavor on its own. A heavy hand with kosher salt and cracked black pepper applied at least an hour before cooking, or overnight if you can manage it, makes a real difference in the depth of flavor on the finished roast.
4. Sear it in a screaming hot pan before roasting. Whether you are doing a slow roast or reverse sear, a hard sear in cast iron or stainless gives you the caramelized crust that makes beef tenderloin look and taste like something you paid a lot of money for at a steakhouse. Do not skip this step even when a recipe does not explicitly call for it.
5. Rest it on a wire rack, not directly on the cutting board. Resting on a flat surface lets the bottom sit in its own juices and steam, which softens the crust you worked to build. A wire rack over a sheet pan lets air circulate underneath and keeps that exterior texture where you want it while the juices redistribute inside.