Make an impression with this Garlic Roast Beef Tenderloin Recipe. Super easy to prepare, yet tastes like a million bucks!
We love to make this special cut of meat for the holidays because it’s perfect for feeding a large amount of people and doesn’t require a ton of work. With just a little bit of prep, a good skillet and a probe meat thermometer, you’ll have a juicy cut of roast beef tenderloin that’ll make you close your eyes, do a little dance and smile with each bite.
What Is a Beef Tenderloin?
Beef tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef and it is located within the loin. This is where we get filet mignon, which is made from the very tip of the pointy end of the tenderloin. There is also very little fat within the tenderloin, making it a very lean cut. Because of all that, beef tenderloin is one of the most expensive cuts of beef.
When properly cooked, it will melt in your mouth. And let’s face it, when you’re paying a pretty penny for some meat, you’ll want to make sure you’re cooking it right.
How To Prepare Beef Tenderloin
- TRIM: Start by trimming your beef tenderloin if it is not already trimmed for you. I purchased mine from Costco and it came trimmed. To trim the beef tenderloin you’ll want to remove the “silverskin” that runs down the length of the tenderloin. Run your knife gently underneath while pulling it up with your other hand. Trim off any other excess fat around the outside and remove “the chain” which is just a fatty strip along the outside as well.
- TIE: A beef tenderloin is a long cut of beef that comes to a point at one end. In order to get the beef to cook evenly it’s important to tie it up and make it as uniform in shape as possible. Using butcher’s twine you can easily tie it up. Tuck the long pointed end up into the thicker part of the tenderloin creating a uniform cylinder shape.
- CHILL: To give your tenderloin a delicious crust on the outside, you can leave it in the fridge overnight unwrapped. This will dry out the surface, helping it to gain a gorgeous browned crust when seared. This step is optional, so if you don’t have time, don’t worry, you’ll still get great results.
How To Cook Roast Beef Tenderloin
- SEASON: Coat the outside with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. This will help to cook the insides evenly.
- SEAR: Heat some avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet and sear the beef tenderloin on all sides for about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Since the beef tenderloin is a long piece of beef, I’ve cut it in two manageable roasts that can easily fit into my 12″ skillet.
- SLATHER: Create a simple garlic and herb butter and slather it all over the seared beef. Insert your probe thermometer.
- ROAST: Cook the beef tenderloin at 425 degrees F. until the desired internal temperature is reached. This will only take about 20 to 25 minutes!
What Temperature To Cook Beef Tenderloin?
We’re roasting our beef tenderloin at a high temperature of 425 degrees F after we’ve seared it in a skillet. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet yet, you can sear the beef tenderloin and then transfer it to an oven safe dish to finish cooking.
How Long To Cook Beef Tenderloin?
Searing the outside of the beef tenderloin should take about 12 to 15 minutes (about 3 to 5 minutes per side), followed by 20 to 25 minutes in the oven for a total of about 40 to 45 minutes. After it’s finished cooking, you’ll want to let it rest for about 15 minutes, where it’ll still rise in temperature but allow the juices inside to settle and redistribute.
What Temperature Should Beef Tenderloin Be?
The worst thing you can do is overcook a pricey cut of beef. Ideally you should cook it to a nice medium-rare or medium. The higher the internal temperature, the more tough the meat will become. My biggest suggestion is to use a digital probe thermometer for accurate cooking.
Here is a good chart to go by.
- RARE – 115°F – 120°F
- MEDIUM RARE – 120°F – 125°F
- MEDIUM – 130°F – 135°F
PRO TIP: Keep in mind that the internal temperature will continue to rise about 5 to 7 degrees after being removed from the oven.
What To Serve with Beef Tenderloin
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Toss some fresh green beans and mushrooms in the same skillet that the beef tenderloin cooked in and sauté them over medium heat until tender – so good!
More Beef Recipes To Try
Helpful Products To Make Recipe:
Million Dollar Roast Beef Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 lb. Beef tenderloin, trimmed, cut in two pieces and tied.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 4 tbsp butter, salted, softened
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp horseradish, prepared or dijon mustard
- 1 tsp rosemary, minced or thyme
Instructions
The Day Before Cooking (*optional):
- Trim the beef tenderloin if it's not already, then cut in half to make two pieces. Tuck the long end under and use butcher's twine to tie the tenderloin. *Watch video in blog post for demonstration
- Season all over with salt and pepper and leave in fridge, uncovered overnight, or at least 10 hours. *not necessary, but helps to give the tenderloin a great crust.
Day Of Cooking:
- Tie up tenderloin and season with salt and pepper if you did not do this the day prior. Remove from fridge and set on counter for about 2 hours prior to cooking, to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place oil in a large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sear the beef tenderloin on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, creating a nice golden-brown crust.
- Meanwhile combine the softened butter, garlic, horseradish and herbs in a small dish and mix. Slather the seared tenderloin with the butter mixture and then insert a probe thermometer. If using the skillet, place in preheated oven, or transfer to a baking dish and place in preheated oven. Roast until desired internal temperature is reached, about 20 to 25 minutes. *see notes for temperatures.
- Remove tenderloin from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing into 1" slices.
Video
Notes
- RARE – 115°F - 120°F
- MEDIUM RARE – 120°F - 125°F
- MEDIUM – 130°F - 135°F
Nutrition
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Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a Creamy Lemon-Chive Sauce
Linda
Awesome recipe! Delicious for medium rare. Bookmarked a number of others to try, also.
Shawn
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Linda!
Mark Brown
Best ever! I cooked to 140 to get medium rare at thickest part. So tender and flavorful! First time cooking this and it was a 10!!! Thanks!
Kimberly
I have used this recipe for the last three years and even shared it with a stranger at Costco who was asking the butcher how to cook this cut of meat without ruining it. (She texted me on Christmas Day and told me her family loved it!) I follow the directions to the letter and it always comes out perfectly. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Lori
This was a wonderful way to serve beef tenderloin. I took the advice to double the butter mix, which worked well. We also seared it before church and cooked it after church on Christmas Eve, which was a blessing, as our kitchen was pretty smokey after searing. Everything was perfect. Thank you!
Janie
I allow 4 hours to bring the tenderloin to room temp. I roast it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees and slowly cook til it reaches the desired temp. This way, the entire slice of meat is the same doneness – there is no ring of overdone meat around each slice. Also, I have learned that if any part of the meal needs more cooking time, I can turn down the temp of the oven which holds the tenderloin to slow its cooking so that the side dishes can finish cooking. I make béarnaise sauce while someone is slicing the tenderloin. It’s definitely a challenge to serve every dish done and piping hot!
Christina
Beef tenderloin came out perfect! Thank you for the tasty recipe!
Julie Bevacqua
Please re-read the part (#4) where it states roast until desired internal temperature is reaches, about 20-25 minutes. 20-25 minutes & that’s it! No, 4–5 lb roasts
Cook for 50–60 minutes for medium rare (135°F) or 60–70 minutes for medium (150°F). Please correct this, because this is totally wrong!
Julie Bevacqua
You do NOT cook for 20-25 minutes in total. This is very misleading! The correct time is stated 50-60, etc.
Liz
What if it’s the night before Christmas and I just realized I have to trim it and I DONT have butchers twine?
Melissa
I ran into the same problem! I’m using tooth picks to keep it as secure as I can. Let’s it works!
Angela Jackson
It will work just fine without butcher twine if you don’t have any. Just tuck the tail up as best as you can. When you brown it prior to going in the oven, the tail will “stick” to the rest of it. 🙂
ML
i am hesitant with the horseradish… How spicy/hot would this recipe if made following exact instructions lusted above? Is it possible to omit the.horseradish and keep rest of recipe as is…listed above? Thank you..can’t wait to try /taste recipe tomorrow
Mary Margaret
Perfect and foolproof!
Mark C.
Can’t wait to try this tomorrow. Have a 10lb tenderloin that I am preparing. Have you ever done with a reverse sear? Considering that to minimize potential overcook. Was going to bring to about 110-115 and then sear it. Thanks.
Lori
I have a question. I am making your recipe for tonight’s Christmas Eve dinner. Can I sear it, go to church and put it in the oven to cook when I get home? It would sit approximately 60-75 minutes between searing and going in the oven. I would guess that would work okay. I would like your thoughts. Thank you!
Frances Tyrone
I’m glad you asked this…. I am doing the SAME thing!! Good luck and Merry Christmas!
Rob
It should be okay but I suggest keep in the oven on warm or even cold. You want it to stay dry so direct cover would probably ruin the bark. Or you can cook on 500 middle rack and skip the browning.
Diana Anderson
I’ve made this recipe twice and it was phenomenal. Everyone loved it. After tying and seasoning the meat, I let it rest uncovered in the fridge per the recipe for 12-48 hours. I waited 2 hours to bring the roast to room temperature before searing and placing in the oven. There’s a lot of waiting in this recipe but it’s totally worth it.
Kristin
I have made this recipe the past 2 years and it is absolutely fantastic. There is nothing I would change. My entire family raves about this meal and I will be making this for christmas dinner for the foreseeable future.
Brian
This exact recipe has been our family’s Christmas dinner for the past four years and it’s always fantastic. I cook it with the recommended green beans and mushrooms and serve it with the creamy horseradish sauce linked above. Wonderful recipe and the step-by-step instructions make it super easy. Invest in a digital meat thermometer and remember that the temperature will rise for a bit after you pull the beef from the oven; treat this fantastic cut of meat with the respect it deserves!
John P
Look great but won’t the butter burn at 425 degrees and cause a lot of smoke in the kitchen?
Deb
Your dear is fabulous. Just the perfect sear with lots of juicy delicious rare tenderloin
Sally
Just for clarification- I should cut the tenderloin in half, tie both halves, and then follow the remainder of the steps? Thank you!
Shawn
Yes. The main reason for cutting in half is so it can easily fit in a pan and also making them similar in size for even cooking.