Whole beef tenderloin score - Ideas?


 
M

Matt B.

TVWBB Super Fan
Last night, at the grocery store, I found a whole beef tenderloin in cryovac all by it's lonesome priced at ~$65.00 for sale. I'm at work now, so I don't have the exact figure. Anyway, it's marked on the tag as Select and $8-something/lb. The thing is, the cryovac clearly states USDA CHOICE, not select like the tag says. Nice. So I bought it. The date on the tag says use by 7/24, so I have a long time to figure out what I'm going to do with it.

Now, it's sitting in my fridge. I'm not sure exactly what to do here. I'm thinking cut it into thick steaks from the thick part and smaller ones as it tapers down, sealing them in foodsavers, and freezing for future use. Sound good? Would they keep well frozen in this way? Any other ideas? Should I age it in the cryovac? How long, if so?

Any and all ideas would be appreciated. What would you do? I've been wanting a tenderloin for so long, and now that I have one I just can't make up my mind...

Thanks,
Matt
 
Matt - see if you can find the Alton Brown video from Good Eats called "Tender is the Loin." He does a great job of showing how to trim up a tenderloin and remove the silver skin.

I like to fold the small in back under the tenderloin and tie it off to make the tenderloin an even size, then tie it off about every three inches.

My favorite way of cooking a whole tenderloin is on my Weber kettle rotisserie. I bank about a quarter chimney of unlit coals on one side, then top it with about an equal amount of lit. Add a couple chunks of pecan. I manipulate the top and bottom vents to get the temperature about 350 and then let the tenderloin turn until its about 125, then slide the lit coal bank under the tenderloin and let it turn direct for about 5 minutes to sear the crust.

After it rests, I slice it into about 1.25 inch thick slices. If your guests like the roast a little more done than where it ended up, put the slices back on the grill for a couple of minutes a side.

I did one of these for my daughter's graduation last year and the guest plowed through it like a hot knife through melted butter!

Pat
 
Pat - Thanks for the idea. I hadn't thought of doing it in a party style like that. My wife and I both work for a school district (she's a teacher and I'm a computer tech) and I think an end of summer party might be in order for the coming weeks.

Any other ideas are welcomed, too.
 
With this kind of meat dont freak with the spices.

I say salt and fresh ground (black)pepper is the way.

After u sliced it up sprinke a little salt pepper over it all so every bite gets a bit of flavour.

//Me
 
Absolutely right, Wolgast. Whichever way it gets cooked, it'll be done very plainly and served with only a little compound butter or something like Boursin cheese on the side to compliment the quality of the meat and lend a little character.

I've had a filet served on a bed of polenta with Boursin Garlic and herb cheese on top and was impressed with that combination of textures and flavors.

Here is a video from our very own Chris A on trimming:
http://www.virtualweberbullet....beeftenderloin1.html

And here's another, from Alton Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7-_ka3DAuY
 
check out the primal grill site, somebody (Gary?) linked me there and Raichlen did a salt crusted tenderloin that looked good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top