Today I’m going to show you how to grill a whole beef tenderloin. Grilling a whole beef tenderloin is perfect for when you are having several people over. Not only does it look great, it also tastes fantastic. Grilling it whole is rather easy too; it isn’t any more difficult than grilling up a steak.
First things first, you are going to want to get yourself the beef tenderloin. You can get a whole beef tenderloin from your local butcher’s shop, and sometimes you will find that at your local grocery store. Once you have the tenderloin you will need to prep it. On a whole beef tenderloin there is a strip of meat that is like a rope that runs down the length. This strip of meat is fine to eat, it is just that it is really fatty and doesn’t look so nice.
So, you will want to remove this strip of meat. You can actually pull it off using your hands. Keep this strip of meat though, because it is still good. You can use it for kebabs, or grind it for burgers. Once that is complete you will want to trim the head, so the tenderloin is more uniform. Next you will want to trim off all the fat, and remove the silver skin. The silver skin is a sinew covering that can be pulled off. Just slide a knife under it to loosen it, and then pull it off with your fingers. It will come off in strips.
Once the tenderloin is trimmed you will want to tie it with butcher’s string to give it a more cylindrical shape. Fold the tail over and tie it and also tie the head. This help give the beef tenderloin a more uniform thickness which will help in grilling.
I like to marinate my whole beef tenderloin. You could do the same, or just add your favorite spices and throw it on the grill. I’m going to marinade mine with some olive oil and fresh herbs. Nothing beats a herb crusted whole beef tenderloin. Put the tenderloin on a baking sheet and drizzle a bunch of olive oil all over it. Rub it in really well. Make sure to use quite a bit as beef tenderloin is lean.
I then sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and also some minced garlic. Next I pat on some chopped fresh herbs. I like to use rosemary, basil, oregano, and parsley. You can use whatever you want. You will need around 2 cups of chopped fresh herbs. Once that is done I’ll let that marinate for up to 2 hours.
We are going to grill the whole beef tenderloin directly over the heat source. You can grill it indirect too, but I prefer direct because it will form a nice crisp, smoky crust. So, set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. I like my beef tenderloin medium-rare, so we will grill it for 6 to 8 minutes on all four sides. So total grilling time will be around 30 minutes. It will form a nice crust on each side you are grilling. You can test for doneness using an instant read thermometer, I use this one. It should read about 145F for medium-rare.
Once it is done, transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into it. Remove the string and make crosswise slices, and serve. That is how to grill a whole beef tenderloin that turns out fantastic.
image courtesy of larryjh1234/flickr