Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Roasted Beef Tenderloin is an elegant holiday main course that’s sure to impress your family and friends.  Tender and juicy, this tenderloin is full of melt-in-your-mouth flavor and easier to prepare than you think.  But nobody really needs to know that, right?

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Wooden board with a roasted beef tenderloin with slices of medium-rare beef.

Making a beef tenderloin is one of my favorite Christmas dinners to make.  It’s one of my family’s favorite meals.  It feeds a lot of people. And, it screams fancy and elegant. 

For our elegant Christmas dinner, I like to serve Honey Bourbon Glazed Scallops as an appetizer, a Classic Wedge Salad with tons of blue cheese, a Cheesy Spinach Souffle, Elegant Dutchess Potatoes, and Sweet And Tangy Green Bean Bundles.  For dessert, I like to pair my homemade Espresso Irish Cream with a plate of buttery, Russian Tea Cakes.  Well, it’s no wonder why this is my family’s favorite.  It sounds delicious!

How To Buy A Beef Tenderloin

Let’s be honest.  Beef tenderloin is an expensive cut of beef, so you don’t want to make any mistakes when it comes to buying one.

First, determine how many pounds you’ll need.  A good rule of thumb is to count on 8 ounces of tenderloin per person.  This accounts for 6 ounces of meat and 2 ounces of ‘shrinkage’.  

Second, choose trimmed or untrimmed.  If you buy a trimmed tenderloin, this means that it comes with the fat and silver skin intact, but it’s cheaper per pound.

Trimmed beef, sometimes called ‘peeled’ means that the butcher has already taken off the silver skin and maybe already tied the tenderloin with twine so that it holds its shape when roasting.

How To Trim A Beef Tenderloin

First, remove as much fat as possible from the tenderloin.  It will come off very easily, often using just your fingers.

Under the fat will be the silverskin, which looks like silver or white tape.  It’s very tough and doesn’t break down when cooking.  If it’s left on, it will cause the meat to twist and shrivel up into an unevenly cooked mess.

It’s easy to remove with a very sharp, narrow blade boning or filet knife.  Insert the knife below the silverskin and angle the blade upwards.  Gently pull along the length of the membrane.  The knife should glide easily through the tender beef.

Still feeling unsure about trimming your tenderloin?  Here is a great instructional video on how to do it.

Keep in mind that the temperature of the meat will rise another 5 degrees after you remove it from the oven.

Wooden board with a roasted beef tenderloin with slices of medium-rare beef.

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

  • Salt and black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Butter – use salted butter for the best flavor.
  • Beef tenderloin

How To Make This Recipe

  1. Stir together the salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder.
  2. Slather the butter on the meat and then pat the salt mixture onto the butter.
  3. Allow the beef to come to room temperature.
  4. Roast the tenderloin on high heat for 25 minutes.
  5. Let the meat rest, slice, and serve.

How Do I Know When The Meat Is Done?

When you spend upwards of $15 per pound on beef tenderloin, the last thing you want to do is overcook it. For melt in your mouth tender beef, plan on roasting it to medium-rare, or medium at the most.  Any longer and the beef will become tough.

Here is a handy chart using a digital thermometer to gauge the internal temperature.

  • Rare – 115 – 120 degrees
  • Medium-rare – 120 – 125 degrees
  • Medum – 130 – 135 degrees.

Wooden board with a roasted beef tenderloin with slices of medium-rare beef.

Need a few more beef recipes?  Here are a few to try:

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Wooden board with a roasted beef tenderloin with slices of medium-rare beef.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin


Description

Roasted Beef Tenderloin is an elegant holiday main course that’s sure to impress your family and friends.  Tender and juicy, this tenderloin is full of melt-in-your-mouth flavor and easier to prepare than you think.


Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon black pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

45 pound whole beef tenderloin, tied


Instructions

In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powder.  Set aside.

Slather the tenderloin on all sides with butter and then pat the salt mixture evenly on the meat.  Be sure to turn the meat to season all sides.

Allow the meat to come to room temperature – at least 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the beef on a baking sheet.

Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the tenderloin from the oven and wrap the entire tenderloin in foil. 

Allow the beef to rest for 20 minutes.

Cut the strings and discard them.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish - Beef
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: roasted beef tenderloin, filet mignon, Christmas recipes, Christmas dinner, beef roast

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